Golden Jubilee Of Independence: What Awaits In The 10 Days Long Celebration?

Bangladesh is launching a grandeur programme to celebrate the occasion of it’s 50 years of liberation war and birth centenary celebration of father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The occasion is taking place when Bangladesh is elapsing through the alarming rise of new Covid-19 cases. Although the authority is cautious enough to follow every protocol of health hygiene including multiple Covid-19 negative tests for the invited guests among other provisions. But the government is not backing up from implementing its blueprint to celebrate two of the nation’s most paramount occasions.

The 10 days programme will kick off from March 17 till March 26.

Chinese president Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will deliver welcome speeches in the inauguration program virtually on March 17. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will conclude the occasion as chief guest on March 26 at National Parade Ground in Dhaka, stated by Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, chief coordinator of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Birth Centenary Celebration National Implementation Committee.

Five heads of state and government of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) countries will be present in the celebration on each day of the celebration.

“Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on March 17, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on March 19, Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari on March 22, and Bhutan President Lotay Tshering on March 24 will attend the celebration in person,” Naser said at a press conference at Dhaka’s International Mother Language Institute on Friday afternoon.

Additionally, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and Pope Francis will deliver speeches virtually at the programmes.

What treaties are going to be signed? Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said on Saturday that many agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) are going to be signed with a number of countries during the visits of their heads of state and government, including that of India.

Although the issue of water distribution of the Teesta river will be annulled once again during the visit of Indian PM Narendra Modi after he last visited Bangladesh in 2015. But as the Minister said, “The most important thing is that the Indian prime minister, leader of the world’s biggest democracy and our biggest neighbor, will visit Bangladesh, it’s a matter of pleasure.”

“During the meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina might raise some issues which have already been discussed or settled so that those continue and get implemented. We all know the issues and know how much they’ll do, and they’re also aware of it,” he added.

The minister hasn’t disclosed any further details about any other bilateral treaties with the respected heads of state of other countries.