BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday paid tribute to the martyred intellectuals of the Liberation War, describing their killing as a deliberate attempt to cripple the nation and urging collective efforts to build a democratic and progressive Bangladesh in line with their ideals.
In a message issued on the occasion of Martyred Intellectuals Day, Tarique Rahman expressed deep respect for the teachers, doctors, writers, journalists, artists and other intellectuals who were killed by the Pakistani occupation forces and their collaborators on 14 December, 1971.
He also prayed for the salvation of their souls and conveyed sympathy to their families.
Tarique Rahman said 14 December stands as a solemn reminder of the nation’s finest sons and daughters who stood beside the people, protested injustice and used their intellect in support of independence. Their lives and contributions, he said, continue to inspire the nation.
He described the targeted killing of intellectuals as a calculated conspiracy to render the country intellectually barren and to obstruct the victory of independence. Although the tragedy continues to cause deep national grief, Tarique Rahman said the ideals left behind by the martyred intellectuals, knowledge, science, free thought and harmony beyond religion, ethnicity and community, remain a guiding force for building a modern state.
The BNP acting chairman lamented that more than five decades after independence, the dreams of the martyred intellectuals remain unfulfilled. Democracy, he said, has repeatedly been undermined by authoritarian and one-party rule, while freedom of expression continues to face serious challenges.
He expressed hope that following the fall of fascism through the July mass uprising, the establishment of the rule of law, an independent judiciary and a diverse political system would help realise the vision of the martyred intellectuals.
Calling on the nation to unite, BNP acting chairman urged citizens to work together to build the Bangladesh envisioned by the intellectuals who sacrificed their lives. The statement was issued by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
