Five-time Prime Minister, Awami League President, and Daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Hasina has greeted the nation on the 76th founding anniversary of Bangladeshโs largest political party.
With deep sorrow, she said Bangladesh is facing a deep crisis since an unconstitutional regime has illegally banned the partyโs activities, just as Yahya Khan attempted to do in 1971.
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โOver one hundred thousand of our leaders and activists have been unjustly arrested, and millions more are being harassed in false cases. This repression is not just against the Awami Leagueโit is a grave conspiracy against the people, against democracy, and against the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh.
โIn this dark time, I say to our party leaders, activists, and peace-loving citizens: do not lose courage. Just like in the past, the Awami League will once again free Bangladesh from this crisis. The teachings of Bangabandhuโhis courage, patience, and foresightโare the weapons with which we will win this battle.โ
Recalling the role of Bangabandhu, the legendary figure of Bengali nationalist politics, she said the Awami League was never a kingโs party formed through conspiracy. It was born in opposition to the ruling elite of the time. Thatโs why it has always prioritised the peopleโs rights and welfare over the pursuit of power.
The greatest achievement of this experienced 76-year-old party is the creation of an independent, sovereign Bangladesh under the leadership of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Bangladesh and the Awami League are synonymousโno one can erase the Awami League from the soil of this country, she said.
โAs the daughter of the Father of the Nation, upholding his ideals, I have led this great organisation in rebuilding Bangladesh, combating extremism, reducing poverty, and paving the way for technological and infrastructural progress.โ
In the context of the partyโs formation, Sheikh Hasina said the hopes of the people of East Bengal began to stumble immediately after the creation of Pakistan in 1947. A group of young nationalist politicians who had participated in the movement for Pakistan quickly realised that the ruling Muslim League had no interest in representing the democratic aspirations of the people of Bengal.
These progressive young leaders from the East Bengal branch of the Muslim League were followers of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. With veteran leader Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani as President and young leader Shamsul Haque as General Secretary, the first committee of the Awami League was formed on June 23, 1949, at the Rose Garden in Dhaka. From prison, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was appointed Joint Secretary.
She paid deepest respects to one of the visionary founders of the Awami League, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq, the beloved leader of farmers and common people; Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, the โman of democracyโ; and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani.
โThe politics of Bangabandhu, who carried forward the legacy of leaders like Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das and Netaji Subhas Bose, was always the voice of peopleโs aspirations. The ideals of the Awami League are rooted in the shared dreams and hopes of the Bengali nation.
โAfter being elected General Secretary in 1953, Bangabandhu transformed the Awami League into an unstoppable secular political force. Breaking away from the divisiveness of the two-nation theory, the Awami League led the emergence of a nationalist movement.โ
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