Bangladesh celebrates 54th Victory Day

The nation is celebrating its 54th Victory Day on Monday, marking the historic day in 1971 when the country was liberated from Pakistani occupation after a nine-month-long Liberation War.

On December 16, 1971, Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation, paying a heavy price with the supreme sacrifice of 3 million lives and the honour of nearly half a million women.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus paid glowing tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar, located on the outskirts of the capital, with the rise of the sun.

Victory Day programs will include a 31-gun salute, the laying of wreaths at memorials to pay homage to the martyrs, and the hoisting of national flags atop all government, semi-government, private offices and autonomous bodies across the country.

The celebrations will also feature the decoration of city streets and the illumination of key buildings, roads and street islands at night.

The president is set to host a reception at Bangabhaban on Victory Day, which will be observed as a public holiday.

National dailies published special supplements highlighting the significance of the day, while electronic media will broadcast month-long special programs focusing on the Liberation War.

Special prayers will be offered at mosques and other places of worship for the eternal peace of the martyrs’ souls and for the peace, progress and prosperity of the country.

Special meals will be served in jails, hospitals, orphanages, old-age homes and other similar institutions across the country.

All children’s parks and museums will remain open for all without tickets, and Liberation War-based films will be screened free of charge in cinemas across the country.

Similar programs will be held at district and upazila levels as well as by Bangladesh missions abroad.