It was only 52 years ago that the Pakistani army, on this very day, systematically murdered a vast number of Bangalis in order to cripple the future of the nation that would become Bangladesh.
One of the absolute darkest chapters in the history of our nation, it is a day that testifies to the abject brutality and darkness that some human beings are capable of, for on March 25 we commemorate what the Pakistani occupation forces called Operation Searchlight, an entirely disgraceful strategy on Pakistan's part that there no words can capture the grimness of their atrocious actions.
But, as history stands witness, Bangladesh did earn its liberation. And while March 25 is indeed a grim day for all of us who call this nation home, we should observe it as a day of mourning, of remembrance, of solemn introspection.
As innocent, defenseless civilians were gunned down by the cold and calculating Pakistani occupational forces, and houses were set on fire, property and businesses were destroyed, they all left an indelible stain on Bangladesh.
Even though it has been decades, it is very clear that present-day Pakistan has no intention of recognizing the atrocities its army had committed in Bangladesh let alone apologizing for it, which has only further frayed the relations between our two nations, directly getting in the way of mutual prosperity.
Never again, we say after any atrocity, and it is our solemn duty to uphold and repeat the truth of March 25, so that brutality on this scale never happens again, to anyone.
Not just as Bangladeshis but as human beings.
