Staff Reporter, Kishoreganj :
Kishoreganj District Administration arranged a discussion, cultural function and documentary film marking the historic Mujibnagar Day yesterday.
Ruling Awami League, JSD (Inu), Gono Forum, Gonotantree Party, Socio-Cultural professional bodies and District Administration chalked out elaborate programmes to observe the day.
A discussion on the historic Mujibnagar and Independent of Bangladesh was held at Art Council Hall with Deputy Commission Md Sarowar Morshed Chowdhury in the chair.
It was addressed among others by SP Masrukur Rahman Kaled BPM (as special guest), Zilla Parished Chairman Adv Md Zillur Rahman, Civil Surgeon Dr Md Habibur Rahman, ADC (G) Tarafder Md Akther Jamil, District Awami League General Secretary Adv M A Afzol, PP Adv Shah Azizul Hoque, Former Muktijoddha Unit Commander Md Asad Ullah, District Press Club President Mostafa Kamal, Senior Journalist Saiful Hoque Mollah Dulu, CAB District Secretary Monowar Hossain Rony, Women Leader Biliks Begum and Sakauddin Ahmed Rajon.
BS from Gaibandha reports: The Historic Mujibnagar Day was celebrated in the district as elsewhere in the country yesterday in a befitting manner with a call to know the real history to the young generation about the Liberation War.
Marking the day, the District Administration, from Independence Square, brought out a grand rally that ended in front of Zila Shilpakala Academy (ZSA) after parading the main roads of the town.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Gautam Chandra Pal and superintendent of police (SP) Abdul Mannan Miah led the rally.
Later, a discussion meeting on the significance of the day was also held at the auditorium of ZSA with additional deputy commissioner (General) Muhammad Mizanur Rahman in the chair.
DC Gautam Chandra Pal addressed the meeting as the chief guest and SP Abdul Mannan Miah, additional district magistrate ABM Sadiqur Rahman and district commandant of ANSAR and VDP Aftekharul Islam were present at the event as the special guests.
The meeting was also addressed, among others, by district correspondent of the national news agency the BSS Sarker M. Shahiduzzaman and female student Zinnat Jesmin.
DC Gautam Chandra Pal said on April 10, 1971 an exile government was formed with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the President, Syed Nazul Islam as vice president, Tajuddin Ahmed, Prime Minister, Khondokar Mostaque Ahmed, Foreign Minister, M Mansur Ali, Finance Minister and AHM Quamaruzzaman Home and Relief Minister.
In the absence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was arrested after declaration of country’s independence on the night of March 25 and kept in a jail in the then West Pakistan during the whole period of liberation war, Syed Nazrul Islam was chosen as the acting president of the provisional government, the DC also said.
After formation of the exile government, Prime Minister of the then exile government Tazuddin Ahamed gave an address on the Swadin Bangla Beter Kendra on April 11 and April 17 was fixed for taking oath of the first government of the country, he added.
Accordingly, Syed Nazrul Islam, Tazuddin Ahmed, Captain Mansur Ali, AHM Quamaruzzaman, and Khondokar Mostaque Ahmed assembled at the mango grove at Baidyanathtala under Meherpur sub-division in Kushtia district on April 17, 1971 in cooperation with then sub divisional officer Tawfiq-e-Elahi and took oath in presence of all walks of life including foreign journalists, he further added.
Chief whip of Awami League Professor Yousuf Ali from Dinajpur administered the oath taking ceremony and a team of ansar and freedom fighters led by sub divisional police officer Mahbub Uddin Ahmed gave guard of honor to the Mujibnagar government, he commented.
The Mujibnagar Government led the war of liberation in 1971 and freed the country from the clutches of the Pakistani occupation forces on December 16 the same year fighting a nine-month-long war, the DC concluded.
SP Abdul Mannan Miah said the proclamation of the independence was also endorsed on that day side by side taking oath of the first government of independent Bangladesh and he expected that the present generation would be able to know the real history of the Liberation War through observing the historic Mujibnagar Day.
A large number of people including district and upazila level officials, students, teachers, and journalists took part in the programmes.
BSS from Rajshahi adds: Historic Mujibnagar Day was observed here yesterday with befitting manner.
On April 17 in 1971, Bangladesh government-in-exile took oath at Baidyanathtala mango grove in Meherpur, in the then Kushtia district.
Marking the day, a discussion meeting was held at conference hall of Deputy Commissioner largely attended by cross-section people including freedom fighters, government and non-government officials, members of the civil society, professional leaders and cultural personalities.
The speakers at the meeting paid glowing tributes to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and four other national leaders who contributed immensely to the liberation war of Bangladesh.
Deputy Director of Local Government Division Parvej Raihan, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Shalahuddin, Deputy Director of Department of Family Planning Dr Nasim Akhter, District Fisheries Officer Shubhash Chandra Shaha, Deputy Director of Department of Social Services Rashedul Kabir and Deputy Director of Department of Information Md Shamsuzzaman spoke on the occasion.
The discussants recalled the events of the day when the exiled leaders took the most momentous decision of forming a legal government to draw global attention to the ongoing War of Liberation.
The formation of the government with Syed Nazrul Islam as acting president in the absence of Bangabandhu along with Tajuddin Ahmed as Prime Minister at Baiddyanathtala, later renamed Mujibnagar, was a great leap forward towards achieving the independence, they mentioned.
The speakers unanimously pointed out that Mujibnagar government on this day got a legal stand for demanding all sorts of help and assistance of the world community to carry on armed struggle against the autocratic Pakistani junta who denied our right to self-determination, refused to hand over power to the elected representatives of the people.
The discussion was followed by a film show at Shilpakala Academy and cultural function at Shishu Academy on the role of Mujibnagar Government towards intensifying the War of Liberation.
Local unit of Bangladesh Awami League and associate organizations also observed the day in a befitting manner. The party leaders and workers including former Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation AHM Khairuzzaman Liton placed wreaths on the grave of Shaheed AHM Kamaruzzaman, one of the cabinet ministers of the Mujibnagar Government, at the Kadirgonj family graveyard.
