It was 6 am, and the sun had yet to grace the horizon. Six-year-old Maliha stood eagerly by the side of the road, clutching her father's hand, a small flag in tow.
The occasion is to pay tribute to the martyrs of the great liberation war, to celebrate Victory Day.
Not only Maliha, but people from all walks of life came to the National Memorial at Savar on Saturday. Throughout the day, they paid tribute with love and respect to the best children of the nation who sacrificed their lives in the great liberation war.
Everyone who came to pay tribute spoke about building the nation in the non-communal spirit of the liberation war. On the other hand, the politicians came up to uphold the spirit of the liberation war.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to pay tributes to the martyrs around 6:30am. They left the memorial area after 25 minutes.
At 7am, the gate of the monument was open to all. The entire area was buzzing with thousands of people. The visitors put flowers on the altar in a row. They vowed to build a non-communal country with the spirit of the liberation war.
Nine years old Maria Akter came to put flowers at the altar with her father from Ashulia. A flag painted on the face. Another flag in her hand. She said: “Freedom fighters gave their lives to form the country. I have come to pay tribute to them with flowers.”
Ashraful Islam came to the memorial with his wife and children. He said: "The factory is closed today. So I came here with my family. I have paid tribute to the martyrs.”
Politicians came to pay tribute on this day and urged to uphold the spirit of the liberation war. The ruling party Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said: “We have built digital Bangladesh. Our next goal is Smart Bangladesh. Then the plan for 2100. Bangladesh is moving forward under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina with a vision.”
He urged to take the country forward with the spirit of liberation war and values.
For the first time since October 28, the opposition party BNP came to pay respects at the memorial with a big public gathering. The party paid tribute with flowers under the leadership of two leaders of the party's standing committee, Abdul Moin Khan and Nazrul Islam Khan.
Moin Khan criticized the government and said: “Today after 50 years of independence, we are here to celebrate which victory? The people of the country should raise that question before the government of Bangladesh. What is this victory? Is this the victory of one-party rule or the victory of dictatorship? Or there is a government that does not allow people to speak. Those who do not allow people to vote. A victory for those who have failed to provide economic emancipation to the people.”
Leaders of left-wing parties including the Bangladesh Biplobi Party, Communist Party of Bangladesh, and Ganasanghati Andolon criticized the government harshly and termed the election as one-sided.
Criticizing the 12th National Assembly elections, Bangladesh Bilpobi Party Secretary General Saiful Haque commented that such jokes about people's right to vote had not been seen before in the country.
Jatiya Party leader Khalilur Rahman claimed that after 1990, there was good governance only during the tenure of Hussain Muhammad Ershad. And good governance has not been ensured in the last 24 years.
The Public Works Department did the renovation and cleaning work in the monument area for about a month around Victory Day. Several teams of Dhaka District Police covered the area around the memorial with a security blanket. Traffic is restricted on the Dhaka-Aricha highway adjacent to the memorial. The day was celebrated in a festive mood under tight security without any hazard.