The nation celebrates the 34th Victory Day today commemorating its triumph in the nine-month war of independence against the Pakistan occupation forces and their collaborators.

It also pays rich tribute to the heroic sons of the soil who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the country with a renewed pledge to materialise the dream of the martyrs, a prosperous Bangladesh.

On this day in 1971, the chief of the Pakistani occupation forces, general AAK Niazi, along with 93,000 troops surrendered to the joint forces, led by general Jagjit Singh Arora of India, at the Ramna Race Course, now Suhrawardy Udyan, in Dhaka following their defeat in the war.

The Pakistani army earlier on the midnight of March 25 had launched a barbarous crackdown killing innocent and unarmed people of the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in one of the worst acts of genocide in human history.

People from different social groups and political, cultural, professional and academic organisations and institutions will throng to the National Mausoleum at Savar to place wreaths to pay homage to the heroes who embraced martyrdom to liberate the nation.

The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, prime minister, Khaleda Zia, and the leader of opposition in parliament, Sheikh Hasina, are also expected to offer wreaths at the monument as part of the Victory Day programmes, which will be featured by the hoisting of the national flag atop all government and semi-government offices and also the public and private buildings across the country.

Iajuddin, Khaldea and Hasina, in separate messages, greeted the countrymen and paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the war of independence.

‘The spirit of the Victory Day should be materialised for ensuring the country’s socio- economic and cultural development. At present our main target is to achieve a self-reliant economy,” Iajuddin said.

He said it was the sacred responsibility of all irrespective of caste, creed and political affiliations to work for establishing an accountable and transparent administration in the country to suit the need of the new millennium.

Khaleda, in her message, sought people’s support in her government’s struggle for making a peaceful and prosperous country through national unity being imbued with the spirit of patriotism as demonstrated during the days of the war of independence.

“On the victory day, I urge everybody, let us join our hands in resisting the dark forces,” Hasina said in her message.

A 31-gun salute at dawn will herald the day at the old airport while army, navy and air force bands will play patriotic tunes at the Crescent Lake, Farmgate and Mirpur Stadium as part of the of the Victory Day programmes.

It is a public holiday.

The Bangladesh Navy will exhibit some of its ships from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at the Dhaka Sadarghat and at the Chittagong, Khulna, Barisal and Narayanganj ports.

Other programmes of the day features rallies at the National Stadium, march past, sports of the police, ansar and VDP, Bangladesh Scouts, Girl Guides and the Bangladesh National Cadet Corp at all district and upazila headquarters.

Improved diets will be served at hospitals, jails, orphanages, child homes and vagrant centres.

The Bangladesh missions abroad will hold discussions and cultural programmes in observance of the day.

A three-day military hardware exhibition began on Wednesday at the National Parade Ground.

The central command council of the Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad organised a procession and a rally of freedom fighters at Muktangon in the city Wednesday afternoon in observance of the day.

The minister for LGRD and cooperatives, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, inaugurated the rally releasing balloons. The minister for forest and environment, Shajahan Siraj, state minister for liberation war affairs, Rezaul Karim, and the Dhaka Mayor, Sadeq Hossain Khoka, were also present.

Several thousand of freedom fighters, wearing white-coloured T-shirts and holding banners and festoons, joined the Victory Day procession. A good number of injured freedom fighters also took part in the procession on wheel chairs.

The chairman of council, Kabir Ahmed Khan, secretary general, Shah Alam Chowdhury, and the vice-chairman, Zakaria Pintoo, led the procession, brought from Muktangon and ended at the council’s office at Eskaton after parading Bijoy Nagar, Kakrail, Malibagh, Mouchak and Moghbazar.

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, an ally of the ruling BNP, organised a discussion at the National Press Club in Dhaka Wednesday.

Today’s programmes:

The Bangladesh Awami League will bring out a victory procession from Paltan Maidan at 2:30pm. Party president Sheikh Hasina will lead. It will also organise a soiree of people’s songs at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmoni at 6:00pm.

The Liberation War Museum will hold daylong cultural programme at the museum. The programme begins at 9:00am.

The Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha, the cultural front of ruling BNP, will hold a cultural function at Ramna Batamul.

The Nazrul Academy will hold a discussion and cultural function at the academy at 5:30pm.

The Dhaka City Corporation will hold a reunion of the freedom fighters of the sector 2 and those who are residing in Dhaka at the Nagar Bhaban at 11:00am.

The Jatiya Samajtntrik Dal will bring out a victory procession from in front of the General Post Office at 3:00pm.

The Shaheed Zia Samajkalyan Parishad will hold a discussion at Shatayu Angan in the Ramna Park at 4:00am.