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Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram stated that the 1971 Liberation War was not a war of any single political party; it was a war of the entire nation, of the people. At the same time, he called for preserving the true history of the Liberation War and upholding the democratic system.
He made these remarks as the chief guest at a program organized at Kurmitola Golf Club in the capital on Friday (August 7) night, marking the 54th Commissioning Day and Fellowship Day of the Second Bangladesh Liberation War Course.
Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said that many events of the Liberation War still remain unknown. Those in power after independence were not interested in presenting the true history of the Liberation War to the general public. In his view, the history of the Liberation War needs to be recorded impartially and accurately, and there is no need to give exclusive credit to anyone.
He stated that if the East Bengal Regiment had not revolted in 1971, Bangladesh’s independence would not have been achieved, and the country might have remained a part of Pakistan. He further added that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the principal political leader during the Liberation War, and Major Ziaur Rahman declared independence on his behalf.
The Acting President said that independence was achieved due to the courage and sacrifices of Bengali soldiers and young freedom fighters. Their contributions should be duly evaluated in history.
He also said that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as the leader of the majority party, wanted to become Prime Minister, which was natural. However, he commented that at that time, the political leadership was trying to solve the crisis politically, and their positions on progressing towards independence were different.
Regarding democracy, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said that the mass uprising occurred demanding the re-establishment of democracy. He alleged that in the past, there had been a mockery of democracy, and some inhumane events had taken place in the country that remained unknown to the public.
He stated that the dream of establishing a democratic, equitable, and humane state through the Liberation War has not been fully realized even five decades after independence. For this, he blamed the failure of political leadership.
Towards the end of his speech, he urged the government to correct its mistakes if any, stating that the democratic system should not be destroyed under any circumstances. He called for preventing the rise of any more dictators in the country and for strengthening democracy to move forward.