The fiery March, month of our independence, begins today. March is the month of earning self-identity of our nation and breaking the shackles of subjugation as well. This month is very significant to us as it is portrayed in our history as a month of grief as well as inspiration and dedication for the freedom of the country and the people.
The struggle for independence started escalating from the beginning of March in 1971 when the then Pakistani dictator postponed the scheduled March 3 session of the National Assembly as part of their conspiracy against the peaceful and legitimate movement of Bangalee people. The Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered his most significant speech on March 7 that was a source of inspiration to all Bengalis during the War of Liberation as it had united the nation and brought independence.
We all will have to work together to make our
hard-earned independence more meaningful
Besides, the Pakistani military junta launched the “Operation Searchlight” and mercilessly killed the Bengali members of East Pakistan Rifles and police, students and teachers as well as thousands of common people in capital Dhaka city on the dreadful night of March 25 in 1971. On March 26, 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence following the crackdown on unarmed Bangalis on the midnight of March 25 by the Pakistani occupation forces. After the nine-month War of Liberation with the supreme sacrifices of three million people and at the cost of chastity of two lakh women, Bangladesh achieved its cherished independence on December 16, 1971.
When this month appears every year, it reminds us of the genocide that the Pakistani occupation forces carried out in the country from March to mid-December in 1971. However, Bangladesh had started a new journey as an independent and sovereign state in 1971. But the anti-liberation forces’ plot was on to destroy the spirit of the Liberation War and democratic values to make the hard-earned independence stopped at any cost.
During adoption and implementation of various plans to rebuild the war-ravaged country, darkness descended on the national life on August 15, 1975 as the country’s President and Father of the Nation along with most of his family members were assassinated. Later misrule of military dictators Ziaur Rahman and HM Ershad after the assassination of Bangabandhu had created dirt, garbage and crudeness in society, nourishing the war criminals and the killers of Bangabandhu, and putting them in power to erase the real history of the country. Instead of punishing the war criminals and the killers of Bangabandhu, they rewarded them which led the country towards anarchy.
We all will have to work together imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War and democratic values to make the hard-earned independence more meaningful as Bangladesh is moving forward and it will continue. We must make the pledge to eliminate anti-liberation forces that did not want the independence of Bangladesh.
