Yesterday was 21 February the International Mother Language Day. We paid homage to language movement martyrs in Central Shaheed Minar (Language martyrs monument) in the first hours of 21 February. BKF and BKS also organized a discussion there after pay tribute on language movement. BKF president Badrul Alam, General Secretary Abdul Mannan Azad and BKS central member Shipra Rani along with other central and local leaders were participated in the program.

This day in 1952, students and people from all walks of life took to the street in Dhaka in protest against the then Pakistan government’s refusal to recognize Bangla as one of the state languages and imposition of Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan.

Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Shafique, Jabbar and a few other vanguards sacrificed themselves to establish Bangla as one of the state languages of the then Pakistan.

The day has since been observed as the Language Martyrs Day, which the UNESCO later declared as the International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999.

02/21/2011