Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called on the country to strengthen national unity, drawing on the spirit of the historic 7 November.
He made the call on Saturday as chief guest at a special display held at Army Stadium in Banani, Dhaka, to mark National Revolution and Solidarity Day. The event was organised under the direction of the Ministry of Defence and supervised by the armed forces.
“Let this year’s main pledge on 7 November be that no one in future can take away the rights of the country and its people, or turn Bangladesh into a client state of any country,” he said. “There is no alternative to national unity in fulfilling this pledge. To uphold national unity in Bangladesh’s socio-economic, geographical and political reality, we must embrace wholeheartedly the spirit of the united uprising of soldiers and people on 7 November 1975.”
“First, my heartfelt congratulations to the young people for the captivating, history-based display they presented around the historic 7 November,” the prime minister said. “On this historic day I also extend Nazrul Year greetings to all.”
“For patriotic people who love independence and democracy, 7 November is a deeply significant and proud day,” he said. “On this day in 1975, patriotic soldiers and people united to defeat every conspiracy against Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty. In the country’s history, 7 November was the day that showed who were Bangladesh’s enemies and who were its friends.”
“In the first week of November 1975, the conspiracy against Bangladesh reached its height,” the prime minister said. “As part of it, the then army chief, General Ziaur Rahman, was placed under house arrest with his family after midnight on 2 November. Soldiers and people united to stop the conspiracy against the country’s interests that began with the detention of the declarer of independence. That is why, for patriotic, nationalist and democratic people, 7 November is a beacon of national unity.”
“Those who wanted to keep Bangladesh a client state, who wanted to strip the people of their democratic and political rights and impose one-party rule, and who wanted to drag down the glory of the armed forces, the symbol of the country’s valour, courage and honour, were defeated through the historic uprising of patriotic soldiers and people on 7 November 1975,” Tarique Rahman said. “The evil forces were vanquished.”
“But the conspiracy of the forces defeated on 7 November never stopped,” he said. “Following that path, they came together under the name of the Grand Alliance and turned the country into a client state again. They carried out the planned massacre of army officers at the BDR headquarters in Pilkhana and dragged down the army’s glory and dignity. They took away all the people’s democratic and political rights and imposed fascist rule. In 2024, through the bloody mass uprising of brave students and people, at the cost of thousands of martyrs’ lives, the forces defeated on 7 November were defeated once more. The country is free of fascism.”
“On this day I remember with deep respect the contribution of those killed and injured in the long movement against fascism, and of those martyred and injured in the bloody mass uprising of brave students and people in 2024,” the prime minister said.
Comparing the struggles of 1971 and 2024, he said: “The war of 1971 was to win independence, and 2024 was to protect the independence of the country and its people. Just as people from every walk of life took to the streets on 5 August 2024 to protect that independence, soldiers and people came out together on 7 November 1975 in much the same way and stopped every conspiracy against the country’s independence and sovereignty.”
“Time has proved that 7 November 1975 was the day that set Bangladesh’s future course,” Tarique Rahman said. “Every time Bangladesh has strayed from the course of 7 November, the sovereignty of the country and its people has come under threat. 7 November is the Magna Carta of independent Bangladesh’s history.”
Stressing national identity, the prime minister said: “Regardless of party, opinion, religion or caste, whether Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian or from a small ethnic community, everyone born a citizen of Bangladesh shares one proud identity: ‘We are Bangladeshi’. That identity made us a united nation, and the historic 7 November laid the foundation for it.”
“As long as Bangladesh exists, the importance of the united uprising of soldiers and people on 7 November will remain relevant,” he said. “The heroes of 7 November are the patriotic soldiers and people.”
Recalling the role of the late President Ziaur Rahman, the prime minister said: “Just as Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman stood up for the country’s sovereignty on the historic 7 November, in 1971 he declared independence and fought on the front line to win it. Standing on this stage of the historic 7 November, I pay humble tribute to the declarer of Bangladesh’s independence.”
On the importance of studying history, he said: “A nation’s history is not only a memory of the past. A true history inspires a nation’s identity, self-respect and a prosperous future. What makes today’s event special is that thousands of boys, girls and young people in this stadium have set out the historical background of Bangladesh around 7 November without bias. I believe that if this history-conscious generation stays inspired and united by 7 November, Bangladesh will not lose its way again.”
“The unity of a country’s people cannot be strong if its youth is not inspired by national feeling,” Tarique Rahman said. “The 1971 war of independence, the uprising of soldiers and people against client forces on 7 November 1975, the 1990 movement against autocracy and the 2024 mass uprising against fascism: in every one of these, the youth of this country have shown that they never compromise on Bangladesh’s interests. Bangladesh before all.”
Speaking of the young generation’s duty and the government’s commitment, the prime minister said: “Winning independence is a historic glory. But keeping that flag flying and giving independence meaning is the duty of every generation. The young generation’s duty in particular is to take the core spirit of independence to heart and devote itself to building a safe, prosperous, humane and dignified Bangladesh. Our duty as guardians is to make sure young people have the right conditions to develop their full potential. The present government is determined to build a prosperous future.”
“History is witness that every time there has been a conspiracy against Bangladesh, every time democracy here has been in danger, Bangladesh has stood up again in the spirit of the united uprising of 7 November,” he added. “On this historic day of the uprising of soldiers and people, let the patriotic and democratic people say it loud and clear: ‘Not Delhi, not Pindi, no other country; Bangladesh before all.'”
Three thousand cadets of the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and 500 members of Bangladesh Scouts took part in the event. The army chief, the air force chief, cabinet members, members of parliament, senior government officials and diplomats and ambassadors of various countries were present.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report