The Constituent Assembly's session on honoring martyrs and thanking the world
A resolution was tabled by Bangabandhu
10 April 1972
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Mr. Speaker shaheb. Through you, I would like to discuss a few issues today. Today, we have the opportunity to sit here as members of the Constituent Assembly. We have liberated Bangladesh and today Bangladesh is an independent, sovereign state. We are able to serve as members of a sovereign Constituent Assembly today because the people of the country have given us this opportunity by shedding blood. Our independence struggle started long ago. Mr. Speaker shaheb, it is known to you that it was because of the sacrifice of 3 million brothers and sisters, we have obtained this independence. As members of this Constituent Assembly, we must honor their sacrifice. We have achieved independence through blood […] Blood was shed by lacs and lacs of brothers and sisters, innocent civilians. Blood was shed by this country’s farmers, students, workers, intellectuals. Blood was shed by the people of this country. Blood was shed by brothers in the armed forces. Blood was shed by the police […] Blood was shed by the EPR, Ansar. Even blood was shed by civil servants in this liberation struggle. Our mothers and sisters were not spared from the suffering inflicted by the brutal soldiers of Yahya Khan. Lacs and lacs of mothers and sisters were tortured […]
Today, we must remember them and honor their sacrifice. We honor those fellow members who were elected in the last election. They were arrested and brutally murdered. Their names are also in the resolution which I have placed before the assembly through you. We also honor the known and unknown, lacs and lacs of men, the Awami League workers, who have given their lives in the struggle for independence. Those who joined the struggle irrespective of party affiliation and embraced martyrdom, we honor their sacrifice and express gratitude […]
Mr. Speaker shaheb, today we have got independence, along with this I want to enunciate four principles. With these principles in front, we must prepare our country’s constitution – nationalism, democracy, socialism and secularism. We want to give democracy and we sit in this assembly today to give democracy. Because, today we want to give such a constitution, in which the people’s rights to speak and write shall be codified; so that, in the future no one can fiddle with the property and lives of people. We have to pass such a constitution. Today, sitting here in this assembly, we must prepare such a constitution based on the four principles, that our future generations can hold their heads high among the civilized nations of the world. Mr. Speaker shaheb, we have a duty before the nation, this is a big duty. I do not want to prolong my speech. Those who created history by struggling to obtain Bangladesh’s democratic rights; we need not dwell on everyone’s history today. But a few special leaders deserve mention because they were the forerunners of democracy: Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq, and the brutally murdered at the hands of Pakistani forces, Dhirendranath Datta. And the one who struggled through the pen – Tofazzal Hossain, our Manik Bhai. We want to honor them with respect. We honor those who lost their lives in every movement since 1947, who gave their lives in prison. If we do not honor those who struggled to establish democracy in this country, if we do not write their history, then future generations will not be able to know who was behind this struggle […]
If the [Pakistan] army had declared war, then we could have mobilized for that war. But they attacked us without warning on 25 March. Then I understood that this is our final struggle. Through wireless [radio], I informed Chittagong that Bangladesh is today an independent and sovereign state. This message should be conveyed to everyone, so that in every thana, mohokumay, and district, resistance can rise up. Necessary instructions were provided for this […] The people of the country know that resistance movements sprang up in different districts on this date […]
When our population left their homes in fear with their small boys and girls, the people of India welcomed them with open arms. We honor the people of India, the people of West Bengal, the people of Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam, and especially, we honor with respect the government of Smt. Indira Gandhi. Because they welcomed our people with their hearts. We honor the Indian armed forces, and all the jawans who stood by our freedom fighters and struggled […] We honor the people and government of Russia […] We honor the people of Great Britain, the people of West Germany, the people of Japan, and the people of America, for those who supported our movement. Those who supported us, we express thanks to all of them on behalf of this Constituent Assembly. In the UN, without Russia’s three vetoes, the conspiracy against Bangladesh may have succeeded and we do not know what would have happened. We thank those East European countries, especially Poland, who supported us. We thank and honor their peoples on behalf of this Constituent Assembly […]
Mr. Speaker shaheb, we have a special duty today before the nation to give a constitution, and to give a constitution as soon as possible must be our effort […]
Speaker: The motion before this house has been amended and I am reading out the amended version.
“Today’s Constituent Assembly elected by the people of Bangladesh recalls with the utmost respect and honor the revolutionary people, farmers, workers, students-youth, intellectuals, birangona, Bengalis of the Armed Forces Division, former EPR, police, ansar, mujahid, political leaders and workers, and brave freedom fighters who gave their blood to obtain our independence in the Awami League-led historic liberation struggle at the call of Bangabandhu” […]
Those in favor say “Haa”
Members: Haa!
Speaker: This motion has been adopted.
Footnotes
স্বাধীনতা ঘোষণা সম্পর্কিত প্রস্তাব in ভাষণসমগ্র ১৯৫৫-১৯৭৫ শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান by Sheikh Hasina