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BSS-14
VICTORY-DAY-USA
Victory Day celebrated in Washington, New York
DHAKA, Dec 17, 2019 (BSS) – The 49th Victory Day was celebrated at Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Permanent Mission to the UN and Consulate General in New York City (NYC) on Monday amid patriotic zeal to build “Golden Bangla” imbibed with the spirit of the Great War of Liberation.
In DC, the daylong celebration started with the hoisting of the national flag by Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Mohammad Ziauddin and the playing of national anthem on the embassy premises.
Later, the ambassador, accompanied by officers and employees of the embassy, placed wreath at the bust of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and stood in silence for a while as a mark of respect for the great leader.
Speaking on the occasion, the ambassador recalled the history of Bangladesh’s liberation war.
“The ruthless brutality of the genocide stunned the conscience of the world,” he said, adding in the USA, the American people had taken the side of the brutalized Bengalis.
In the evening, a cultural soiree, largely attended by foreign diplomats, officials from the US administration and leading figures of Bangladesh diaspora, was organized highlighting Bangladesh’s long struggle for the independence.
In NYC, the permanent mission to the UN and consulate office jointly celebrated the Victory Day at the mission’s ‘Bangabandhu Auditorium’ in the evening while the day’s programme began in the morning playing national anthem and observing one-minute silence as a mark of respect for the martyrs.
The event turned into a congregation of a huge number of expatriate Bangladeshis, including the freedom fighters, cultural and political personalities, businesspersons and journalists.
In the open discussion, they spoke about the undisputed leadership of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent country, the history of the Liberation War as well as pragmatic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for implementing the Vision 2021 and the Vision 2041.
The discussants also vowed to make Bangladesh a ‘Golden Bangla’ ahead of the upcoming birth centenary of the Father of the Nation.
The event was chaired by the Permanent Representative (PR) of Bangladesh to the UN, Ambassador Rabab Fatima where she mentioned that the activities of the expatriate Bangladeshi citizen are enhancing the image of Bangladesh in foreign lands.
She urged the Bangladesh diaspora to come forward for observing the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation in a befitting manner at the UN as well as in the USA, next year.
The Consul General of Bangladesh in New York Sadia Faizunnesa also spoke on the occasion where she sought assistance of expatriate Bangladeshis to send killers of Bangabandhu to Bangladesh for ensuring rule of law.
All the speakers thanked the Sheikh Hasina government for publishing the list of ‘Razakars’ on the eve of the Victory Day.
They urged the freedom fighters and pro-liberation forces to join hands for combating any kind of conspiracy of Razakar, Al-badar, Al-Shams and their allies against Bangladesh.
The discussion was followed by a captivating cultural programme with rendition of patriotic songs and dances and recitation of poems.
In both celebration programmes, the V-Day messages of the president, the prime minister, the minister and the state minister for foreign affairs were read out and a special prayer was offered seeking divine blessings for the departed souls of the Father of the Nation and members of his family assassinated on August 15, 1975, the four national leaders and martyred freedom fighters.
BSS/PR/TA/GA/1722 hrs