Tarique Rahman, acting chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has urged all citizens to work collectively towards building the Bangladesh envisioned by the martyred intellectuals.
His call to action came in a statement issued on Friday (13 December), in observance of Martyred Intellectuals Day.
In his message, Rahman paid tribute to the first-tier intellectuals who were brutally killed during the Liberation War of 1971 by occupying forces and their local collaborators.
"I bow in profound respect to the imperishable memory of the martyred intellectuals and pray for the eternal peace of their souls," he stated.
Describing Martyred Intellectuals Day as a poignant and sorrowful chapter in the nation's history, Tarique Rahman said, "The immortal intellectuals were among the finest sons of our soil, who dreamt of a prosperous and dignified nation. They envisioned a democratic state free from exploitation and grounded in justice. However, as victory neared, the collaborators of the occupying forces orchestrated a calculated massacre to deprive independent Bangladesh of its intellectual treasure."
Tarique Rahman reflected on the aftermath of independence, stating, "Soon after liberation, undemocratic forces unveiled their true faces and, akin to the Pakistani occupying forces, began stripping citizens of their universal democratic rights one after another. The hard-won independence and sovereignty of our nation—earned through rivers of blood and immense sacrifice—were progressively weakened, and the aspirations of the martyred intellectuals for a democratic state and society were thwarted."
Criticising the Awami League, Tarique Rahman remarked, "Carrying the legacy of misrule, their successors—the Awami fascists—fostered division, discord, and narrow-mindedness. Through enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and crossfires, they obstructed national unity and progress while exiling democracy. Instead of transforming the country into a self-reliant, strong, and prosperous state, they created an environment of one-party autocracy."
In the current political landscape, Rahman called for renewed unity.
"We must collectively practise genuine democracy, restore the rule of law, re-establish an independent judiciary, and uphold a pluralistic political system. The martyred intellectuals will remain a source of inspiration in this endeavour," he asserted.
Expressing his condolences to the families of the martyred intellectuals, Tarique Rahman concluded with a poignant appeal: "On this sombre day, I urge the nation to unite in fulfilling the aspirations of the martyred intellectuals and building the Bangladesh they dreamt of."
