The nation has been celebrating the 5oth anniversary of Victory Day, the most precious day of the Bangalee people, on Thursday as the country was liberated from the Pakistani occupation forces on the day 50 years back, after a nine-month-long bloodstained war, reports BSS.

On 16 December in 1971, the Bangladesh was born as an independent country under the leadership of Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the cost of supreme sacrifice of three million people and the humiliation of nearly half a million women.

The celebration of the Victory Day this year has added a new dimension as the day is set to be celebrated coinciding with the two giant celebrations -- birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and golden jubilee of the country’s independence.

President M Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday issued separate messages on the occasion, paying glowing tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War in 1971.

Marking the two celebrations, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Birth Centenary Celebration National Implementation Committee has taken up a two-day special programme titled ‘the Great Hero of the Great Victory’ at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) in the capital city from 16 to 17 December.

At the beginning of the first day’s programme, prime minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to administer an oath to the nation at 4:30pm Thursday as part of the celebrations.

At the second session of the programme, a discussion will be held with prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

President M Abdul Hamid will be present as the chief guest while his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind will be the guest of honour at the discussion.

Liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque and Jatiya Sangsad speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will speak at the event while chief coordinator of the implementation committee Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury will deliver the welcome speech.

On the occasion, Bangabandhu’s younger daughter Sheikh Rehana will present the ‘Sraddha Smarak- Mujib Chironton’ to the guest of honour.

On 17 December, a cultural function will be organised on the Sangsad premises around 5:30pm.

All programmes marking the giant celebrations will be held maintaining the health guidelines in face of the global pandemic Covid-19.

Besides, the programmes taken at national levels marking the ‘Victory Day’ included a 31-gun salute, placing wreaths at the monuments paying homage to martyrs, hoisting of the national flags atop all government, semi-government and private offices as well as offices of autonomous bodies across the country.

The victory day programmes also include decorating city streets with miniature national flags and colourful festoons, and illumination of important buildings and establishments, roads and street islands at night.

President M Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina paid homage to the martyrs of the Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Memorial at Savar on outskirts of the capital early Thursday.

This was followed by placing wreaths by the family members of Bir Sreshthos, wounded freedom fighters and Bir Muktijoddhas, led by liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque.