People are born free. He protested only when his birthright was robbed by others. He tries to establish his own freedom in exchange for everything. After 200 years of British colonial rule, the Bengali nation had to face the brutal exploitation of Pakistani exploiters for 24 long years. The Bengalis, bound in chains of subjugation, started a death struggle on March 26, 1971 with the dream of establishing independence. Nine months of bloody war; Thirty lakh lives and two lakh mothers and sisters were sacrificed. Bangladesh, an independent and sovereign country, was born on the world map. March 26 is the glorious day of the official start of the journey towards independence, which is celebrated in the history of Bangladesh as the 'Great Independence Day'.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Reviewing the historical background of the Bangladesh War of Independence, it can be seen that the dream seed of the Bengali independence movement was originally sown in 1947, when the British left India.In each case, they have seized it, despite obstacles we can scarcely imagine.This indirect struggle for the establishment of the right to self-determination became inevitable in 1971. The 'Bangla' territory was created through the inevitable big bang.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND HISTORY: After gaining independence from the British in August 1947, India was divided into two separate states, India and Pakistan. In spite of geographical and cultural distances, the newly formed state of Pakistan was formed with Pakistan and Bangladesh only for the sake of religion. The Bengali nation acknowledges the injustice and oppression of the rulers of Pakistan and the extreme inequality and deprivation created on the basis of the strange two-nation theory.In 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first governor of Pakistan, declared Urdu as the sole state language. It was then that the formation of the ‘All-Party State Language Struggle Council’ began to express the dissatisfaction of the people of East Pakistan with the rulers of West Pakistan.
When Urdu was declared the state language again in 1952, the students of East Pakistan erupted in protest. On 21 February, agitated students took to the streets in violation of Section 144 demanding the state language Bengali. Rafiq, Jabbar, Salam, Barkat and many others were martyred when the barbaric Pakistani regime opened fire on the procession.It is this holy blood of the martyrs that paints the image of the independent red-green flag in the hearts of the Bengalis.
The United Front won the 1954 provincial elections. The helpless collapse of the Muslim League shook the foundations of the Pakistani ruling class.
In 1956, due to the controversy over the official language again, Ayub Khan's misrule, the forced imposition of Punjabi and Pashtun debts on the Bengalis, etc., the resentment of the Bengalis grew.
In 1966, the historic 'six-point' demand for Bengali independence was raised. In order to prevent mass protests, the Pakistani ruling class continues to use military rule to oppress the freedom-loving people. In 1968, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a leading figure in the Bengali liberation struggle, was arrested in a false and fabricated 'Agartala conspiracy case'. But in the face of strong mass movement, Pakistani evil forces released Bangabandhu and other political leaders in 1969. Even President Ayub Khan was forced to resign by handing over power to Yahya Khan.
The Awami League won the 1970 general election by a landslide. Even after holding meetings from time to time, the power-hungry ruling party continues to delay the transfer of power.In this situation, on 7 March 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called a huge rally at the Race Course Ground in Dhaka. In his historic speech at the rally, he said, "This time the struggle is for freedom, this time the struggle is for liberation." The Bengalis seemed to have been waiting for such a lofty call for so long. Immediately this call spread all over Bengal. A tumultuous movement began everywhere.
Operation Searchlight: On the dark night of March 25, the barbaric Pakistani brigade launched a brutal massacre of unarmed and sleeping Bengalis. According to the Asia Times, "Indians are bastards anyway".In a meeting with the senior officers of the army, Yahya Khan declared, "Kill three million Bengalis, then you will see that they will lick our hands."As planned, the Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight on the night of March 25 with the aim of crushing the Bengali resistance. As a part of this, Bengali members of the military were disarmed and killed, students and intellectuals were killed and civilians were killed indiscriminately all over Bangladesh.Resistance and Independence of Bengalis: On the night of March 25, Bangabandhu was arrested and taken to West Pakistan. Before his arrest, he declared the independence of Bangladesh in the early hours of March 26. In his absence, other organizers of the war of liberation formed a temporary Mujibnagar government and formed an intense movement against the Pak army. Bangladesh finally became independent in exchange for the united struggle of people of all walks of life, the full support of friendly countries, the positive role of the world media and the respect of three million martyrs and two million mothers and sisters.
Objectives and Significance: The main objective of the War of Independence was to achieve self-determination, welfare oriented, humane, progressive independent democratic state. Another dream of independence was to establish a happy and prosperous society free from hunger and poverty by establishing national identity, ending exploitation, inequality and injustice by ensuring basic human rights and just rights.The significance of Independence Day in national life is immense. This day brings at the same time the acid-sweet feeling of joy and pain in the life of a Bengali. The pain of losing on the one hand and the joy of gaining on the other. But in the end, even after losing everything, the immense joy of gaining independence became great for every Bengali. This glorious day comes every year with the message of self-sacrifice and self-identification. Reminds us of our responsibilities. This day brings inspiration and direction to move forward in new ventures.
