Former President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman
Dhaka: India on Saturday recalled former Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman’s historic radio broadcast, in which he, invoking Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, declared the country’s independence and called on the people to resist the Pakistani army amid a military campaign marked by widespread killings and mass atrocities.On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Zia’s death, India remembered Zia-ul-Haq, the father of current Prime Minister Tariq Rahman, and his famous radio speech in March 1971, in which he described him as one of the bravest sons of the nation.“As the people of Bangladesh gather today to commemorate one of their nation’s bravest sons – martyred President Ziaur Rahman, Pir Uttam – we remember his famous radio speech of March 1971, which enthused the masses, inspired them on the path of resistance against oppression and led to national liberation,” the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said in a message.“Today, as before, India stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Bangladesh in an epic of shared sacrifice and a shared journey towards progress and prosperity,” the message added.When Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh, resistance began in Chittagong and many other areas. On behalf of Bangabandhu, Major Ziaur Rahman, at 7:45 pm on March 27, made a radio broadcast from Swadhin Bangla Pitar Kendra in Kalurghat, north of Chittagong city.