Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman wanted to build a “peaceful, stable and developed” South Asia and would have been proud of what has been achieved under the leadership of his daughter, speakers in New Delhi said on Wednesday.
The discussion - held to mark the 43rd anniversary of the Father of the Nation’s death - praised the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had overseen the rapid economic development of the country.
Titled “Bangabandhu's Vision for Peace, Stability and Development in the South Asian Region and Beyond," the program was arranged by the Bangladeshi High Commission in New Delhi and moderated by Deputy High Commissioner ATM Rokebul Haque.
“Bangladesh and India have reached a golden era in their relationship - the foundation of which was laid by Bangabandhu," the Bangladeshi High Commissioner to India, Syed Muazzem Ali, said, reports UNB.
Muazzem was joined on Wednesday by high commission staff members and their family members as she placed flower petals at a portrait of Bangabandhu at the mission's Maitree Hall.
The high commissioner earlier hoisted the national flag to half mast, followed by the observance of a minute’s silence.
The mission also paid homage to Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib and the couple’s three sons - Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel - and other family members who were all killed by assassins on August 15, 1975 at their residence in Dhanmondi Road 32.
A special prayer seeking blessings for Bangabandhu and other martyrs of the August 15 massacre was also offered.
As part of the commission’s “glowing tribute” to the Father of the Nation, officers read out National Mourning Day messages from Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.
The program ended with a documentary titled “Those Golden Days featuring the life and achievements of Bangabandhu.”
Other attendees of the program included panelists Prof SD Muni from Jawaharlal Nehru University; Venkat Narayan, president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia; and Dr Kavita Sharma, president of the South Asian University.
There were also special features in the Indian media to mark the occasion.
A special edition of the India Empire magazine produced with the support of the high commission included a cover page titled “Remembering Bangabandhu,” while the Indian Express, a mass circulation English daily, also published an article on Bangabandhu written by Muazzem Ali.
