BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. File Photo

DHAKA, Jan 18, 2025 (BSS) – BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today paid profound tributes to Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, on the eve of his 89th birth anniversary.

In a message, he said Ziaur Rahman was a great statesman, proclaimer of independence, campaigner of multi-party democracy, commander of Z Force in the Liberation War, and proponent of Bangladeshi nationalist philosophy.

Stating the fact that Shaheed Zia steered the nation during the country’s transitional periods, Fakhrul said, it was Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, who built armed resistance confining Pakistani commander when the military junta attacked the unarmed people of Bangladesh on the black night of March 25, 1971.

“On March 26, he declared the independence of Bangladesh from the Kalurghat Radio Station in Chattogram. He started the Liberation War with boundless heroism by declaring independence. From that day, the countrymen got to know his extraordinary leadership,” he said. 

Mirza Fakhrul said when the country was in extreme despair due to the post-independence misery and autocratic misrule, when the nation’s progress was hindered - at a stage of that crisis, Ziaur Rahman took over the leadership of the people. 

In the post-independence period, the then ruling class deceived the people with the ill-politics of false promises and trampled on democracy, taking away the freedom of speech and expression of the people, pushing the country into a limitless anarchy of famine and Bangladesh had to earn the international title of a ‘bottomless basket’, he said. 

“During such a great crisis of the nation, Shaheed Zia took the state power on November 7 in a historic revolution of soldiers and people,” he said.

Although he started his career as a soldier, the special feature of his life is that he repeatedly appeared as a savior in all the crises of the country, he added. 

As soon as he came to power, he restored the independence of the judiciary and the press and re-established multi-party democracy, said Mirza Fakhrul. 

Ziaur Rahman started the politics of production to make the country self-reliant, he carried out an agricultural revolution, a mass education revolution and a revolution in industrial production, and modernized and expanded the irrigation system by combining voluntary labor and government assistance, he said adding Ziaur Rahman dug and re-dug 1,400 canals. 

By introducing mass education programme, he (Zia) made four million people literate in a very short time, he said adding Ziaur Rahman formed a village defense force and made arrangements to maintain peace and order in the rural areas. 

Ziaur Rahman introduced the rural doctor system, as a result of which 27,500 rural doctors were appointed during his tenure and this increased the access to medical treatment for the rural people, he said. 

As a nationalist leader, Shaheed Zia was an uncompromising, fearless fighter against all kinds of aggression, said BNP secretary general adding therefore, he ignored the pressure of all aggressive powers and adopted an independent foreign policy. 

He said Shaheed Zia's unforgettable contribution to foreign policy is the formation of the South Asian Regional Alliance 'SAARC'. 

Mirza Fakhrul said Ziaur Rahman protected the country's independence and strengthened its sovereignty and also praised the nation's dignity worldwide during his reign. 

Therefore, the anti-national conspirators brutally killed Zia, considering him a thorn in the way of implementing their blueprint, he said. 

But with his sacrifice, a steel-hard mass unity was formed among the people against the anti-national conspirators, he said adding Ziaur Rahman, a symbol of extraordinary patriotism, unparalleled courage, honesty and simplicity, contributed immensely to the country. 

“The true nature of our nationhood is revealed in Shaheed Zia's Bangladeshi nationalist philosophy, which gives a specific identity to our geographical nationhood.  'Bangladeshi nationalism' is an indestructible philosophy to preserve our independence and sovereignty,” he said. 

On the birth anniversary of this great statesman, he called upon the countrymen to work together to protect independence and sovereignty; restore democracy, people's right to vote, human equality, justice, and establish the lost fundamental and human rights of the people.