Former Prime Minister Kazi Zafar Ahmed on Thursday called for a strong movement with the spirit of self-sacrifice by taking lessons from the late Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani to safeguard the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh.
Talking as the keynote speaker at a discussion meeting on “Language movement and Moulana Bhashani” organised by the National Awami Party (NAP Bhashani) at the National Press Club he said, ‘We shall fight to the last to safeguard independence, sovereignty and resist fascism.’Kazi Zafar, chairman of his faction of the Jatiya Party said that there was no general election in the country, and elections were shown won without contest in 153 seats depriving more than 50 percent of the electorate of their right to voting, including those of his home constituency.
Language hero Abdul Matin was the chief guest at the discussion meeting which was presided over by NAP Bhashani president Sheikh Anwarul Huq. The function was also addressed by Mostafa Kamal Majumder, Editor, GreenWatch Dhaka, Advocate Abdul Mobin, president Bangladesh Islamic Party, Alamgir Majumder, general secretary NDP, Senior vice-president, M Akhtaruzzaman, vice-president, Hasrat Khan Bhashani, secretary general of NAP Bhashani among others.
Terming Moulana Bhashani as the dreamer of Bangladesh Kazi Zafar Ahmed said the late leader had said in the late fifties that the then East Pakistanis would be compelled to bid farewell to then West Pakistan if the injustices and disparities were not done away with. He described how Moulana Bhashani had fomented the 1968-69 mass movement that led to the ouster of strongman Gen Ayub Khan from power and ultimately culminated in the War of Independence of 1971.
Kazi Zafar strongly protested the remaning of Bhashani Novo theatre, and removal of lessons on his life-sketch from text books, and demanded their reintroduction. He said that leaders like Moulana Bhashani and Ziaur Rahman were needed now when expansionists were extending their hands towards Bangladesh. ‘But this not Sikkim, Bhutan or Hyderabad,’ he cautioned.
Language hero Abdul Matin narrated the 1948 event when he had protested the proposal to introduce Urdu as the state language of then Pakistan right in front of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to safeguard the language and culture of the people.
The lesson of the language movement was that the people should protest injustice. If we fight to establish truth and justice there is no reason to be afraid of anything.
Bhasha Matin said as we have achieved independence we should safeguard it fighting against all injustices. The farmers of the country should get two bighas of land each, have a house. All people should be able to marry and have safe and healthy family life in the country, he said.
Other Speakers dwelt on the life and works of Moulala Bhashani and called for united movement to protect the people of killings, enforced disappearances and other forms of repression unitedly. – Staff Reporter
