Dhaka, Dec 16 (FN Agency) Bangladesh President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid glowing tributes to the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar on the outskirts of the capital on Friday morning marking the 52nd Victory Day. The Head of the State placed the wreaths at the altar of the National Memorial at about 6:32 am followed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. After placing the wreaths, the president stood in solemn silence for a while as a mark of deep respect to the memories of the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War. A smartly turned out contingent drawn from the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force presented the state salute on the occasion, as the bugles played the last post. The president also signed the visitors’ book kept on Memorial premises. Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed the wreaths at the National Memorial marking the 52nd Victory Day. Flanked by senior leaders of the party, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the ruling Awami League (AL), laid another wreaths at the National Memorial as the party chief.
The prime minister also signed the visitor’s book kept there. Later, leaders of other political and socio-cultural organisations placed wreaths at the National Memorial to show the respect to the memories of the war martyrs. Then, she went to Dhanmondi Road No. 32 in the capital and laid separate wreaths as prime minister and president of the Awami League at the portrait of the Bangladesh’s founding father in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum to pay homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. After placing the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the Father of the Nation. The nation is celebrating the 52nd Victory Day, the most precious day of the Bangalee people, today, Friday as the country was liberated from the Pakistani occupation forces on the day 51 years back after a nine-month-long bloodstained war. On 16 December, 1971, Bangladesh was born as an independent country under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the cost of supreme sacrifice of three million people while over 200,000 women were raped by the Pakistani forces and their local collaborators.