Nation to pay homage to language martyrs

The nation is set to pay homage to the martyrs of the 1952 historic Language Movement with the clock striking one minute past midnight Friday marking ‘Amar Ekushey’, the Language Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day. Walking barefoot to the Central Shaheed Minar with wreaths and flowers singing ‘Amar bhaiyer rokte rangano Ekushey February’, people will pay their deep respects to the heroes of the Language Movement, who sacrificed their lives for the recognition of Bangla as one of
the state languages of erstwhile Pakistan. President Md Abdul Hamid will pay tributes to the language martyrs by placing wreaths at the altar of the Central Shaheed Minar at 00:01 am on Friday, followed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina along with her cabinet members, advisers, lawmakers and party leaders will place another wreath on behalf of her party. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will place wreaths along with acting party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other leaders. Besides, different political parties and their front organisations as well as sociocultural organisations will pay their homage to the language martyrs placing wreaths all day long. Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies have taken all-out security measures in and round the Central Shaheed Minar to ensure smooth observance of the Amar Ekushey. In a message on the occasion of the great International Mother Language Day, President Abdul Hamid said the great language movement
is a historic and significant event in nation’s history. “This movement was aimed at establishing the rights of our mother tongue
and saving ethnic entity and the country’s own culture.” In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extend her best wishes to the Bangla-speaking people at home and abroad, and the people of all languages and cultures across the world on the occasion of the glorious Martyrs and International Mother Language Day. In a message, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, also a former prime minister, recalled with deep respect all the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement and wished the success of the all programmes taken by different socio-cultural and political organisations to mark the day, according to a news agency.