The Bangladesh Awami League, the ruling party of the country, will celebratie its 75th founding anniversary on Sunday.
To mark this special occasion, the party, the country's oldest and largest, has chalked out a detailed program across the country.
Party President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the anniversary celebration before Bangabandhu Bhaban on Sunday morning.
Later in the afternoon, a discussion will be held at Suhrawardy Udyan, followed by a cultural event.
Additionally, a cultural program will be held at Rabindra Sarobar, and a boat race and cycle rally will be organized at Hatirjheel in the capital.
Earlier, the party’s General Secretary Obaidul Quader announced a three-day celebration for the 75th founding anniversary.
All registered political parties of Bangladesh, including the BNP, have been invited to participate in the anniversary program of the ruling party.
The founding anniversary of the country's oldest political party will also be celebrated at the union and ward levels around the country, according to a press release of the Awami League signed by its Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua.
For over seven decades, the party has steered the nation through various socio-political challenges. The country achieved independence under the leadership of Awami League leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and is now prospering under the leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter, Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Following the Liberation War, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the party's leader, began giving shape to Bangladesh as a nation-state with the spirit of inclusiveness. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has continued this legacy, propelling the nation towards significant development and progress.
On June 23, 1949, the Awami Muslim League was formed by supporters of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy at the Rose Garden in old Dhaka.
Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Shamsul Haq of Tangail were the party's first President and General Secretary, respectively, while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the time in prison, was appointed Joint Secretary. The party later secularized its name by dropping "Muslim” in the mid-1950s.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assumed leadership of the Awami League in 1966, eventually becoming the undisputed leader of the Bengali nation and the architect of independent Bangladesh.
The Awami League led the 1969 Mass Upsurge against Pakistani rule, culminating in the Liberation War of 1971.
The party faced a leadership vacuum after the assassination of Bangabandhu and most of his family on August 15, 1975, followed by the killing of four national leaders on November 3, 1975.
Sheikh Hasina took over the party leadership upon her return to Bangladesh in 1981, unifying the Awami League once more. Under her leadership, the party has governed five times and spearheaded various democratic movements.
Post-independence, the Awami League held power for approximately three and a half years until Bangabandhu's assassination, and from 1996 to 2001 under Sheikh Hasina.
After its defeat in the 2001 general election, the Awami League launched a successful movement against the then BNP-Jamaat-led alliance government.
Awami League invites six BNP leaders to its 75th founding anniversary eventIn 2007, the military-backed caretaker government declared a state of emergency, during which Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and top party leaders were arrested, placing the party in crisis.
Despite these challenges, the Awami League and its grand alliance achieved a landslide victory in the national parliamentary election on December 29, 2008.
Since 2009, the party has had four consecutive terms in power under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.
In line with its electoral pledges, the Awami League government has been working relentlessly to build a poverty- and hunger-free, advanced, ICT-based, and prosperous Bangladesh, aiming to transform the country into a developed 'Smart Bangladesh' by 2041.
