President Md. Abdul Hamid has given the following message on the occasion of the National Mourning Day on 15th August :
“Today is National Mourning Day and the 44th martyrdom anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On this day in 1975, the greatest Bangali of all time and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with his wife, sons, daughters-in-law and near and dear ones embraced martyrdom. With heavy heart, I pay my deep homage to them and pray to the Almighty Allah for the salvation of the departed souls on this Mourning Day.
The 15th August 1975 is regarded as a disgraceful chapter in the history of the Bangali. On this fateful night, the undisputed leader and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brutally assassinated at his Dhanmondi residence by a group of killers with the connivance of anti-liberation forces. His wife Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib, sons namely Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel, and some near and dear ones were also assassinated along with Bangabandhu. This barbarous occurrence was rare not only in the history of Bangladesh but also in the history of the world.
Bangabandhu was a visionary leader and the prime mover of independence. He led the nation at every struggle and democratic movement including the historic Language Movement in 1952, Juktafront Election in 1954, movement against Martial Law in 1958, Six-Point Movement in 1966, Mass Upsurge in 1969 and the General Elections in 1970 which all were directed towards attaining the right to self-determination. Bangabandhu never compromised on the question of the rights of our people. He upheld the interest of Bangali and Bangladesh even at the gallows. Crossing manifold acclivities and declivities and ignoring the blood-shot eyes of the then Pakistani rulers, this great leader uttered at the historic address delivered on 07 March in 1971 before a mammoth gathering at the then Race Course Maidan, “The struggle this time is a struggle for emancipation, the struggle this time is a struggle for independence” which was, in fact, the true charter of our independence. In line with this speech he finally declared country’s independence on March 26, 1971 and the Bangali achieved ultimate victory through a nine-month-long armed struggle under his able leadership. For his outstanding contributions, Bangabandhu and Bangladesh thus emerged as a unique symbol to the people of Bangladesh. Though the assassins killed Father of the Nation, they could not wipe out the principle and ideals of this great man. I am confident that the name and fame of Father of the Nation will remain ever shining in the mind of millions of Bangalis so long as the country and its people will stay alive.
Bangabandhu, throughout his life, struggled for independence along with people’s economic emancipation. He dreamt of building ‘Sonar Bangla’ (Golden Bangla) free from hunger and poverty. Therefore, it is our utmost responsibility to build our country a happy and prosperous one by completing the unfinished task of Bangabandhu and in this way we can pay our deep tribute to the immortal soul of the soil. The birth centenary of Bangabandhu and the Golden Jubilee celebration of our independence will be held on 2020 and 2021 respectively. I call upon my fellow countrymen to observe these two important occasions in a colourful and a befitting manner. I hope our new generation will be able to know about the contributions of Bangabandhu and the true history of our independence and they will devote themselves for the sake of country and nation.
The Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangabandhu, has set `Vision 2021′ and `Vision 2041′ in order to transform Bangladesh into a prosperous and developed country. I urge the countrymen irrespective of party affiliation to materialize the programme by putting united and continued support.
On the National Mourning Day, let us translate our grief into strength and devote ourselves to build ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.
Khoda Hafez, May Bangladesh Live Forever.”