Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's prime minister, paid tribute on the 50th anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's return to the country in 1972 after spending months in a Pakistan prison.She paid her respects by placing wreaths at her father's portrait in Dhaka's Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, after which she stood silently for a while.
Sheikh Rehana, the Prime Minister's younger sister, accompanied her. Rahman's first statement to the media after his return to Bangladesh was, "Gentlemen, as you can see, I am alive and well." He was abducted by the Pakistan Army in the early hours of March 26, 1971, as part of Operation Searchlight, a campaign to terminate Bangladesh's independence movement.
However, Rahman's vision in delegating tasks to loyal deputies and faith in the people meant that they would not only wage, but also win, one of the most intense independence battles ever fought.
Bangabandhu wanted to return to Dhaka as soon as he was released on January 8, 1972. However, because Pakistani planes were no longer allowed to fly into Indian airspace, Pakistan's new President, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had taken over from a disgraced General Yahya Khan, ordered Rahman to fly to Tehran or another 'neutral' location rather than India. He then went to London, where he had a stunning meet-and-greet with the international press at the Claridge's Hotel.
He returned home after a brief visit in Delhi to thank then-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her support for the Bangladesh cause during the Liberation War. Millions of people lined the streets of Dhaka to greet him. Bangabandhu gave a speech at the Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) on January 10 after his return, outlining the principles on which Bangladesh will function as a sovereign state.
"Today, my Bangladesh is independent, my life's ambition has been realised, and the people of Bengal have been emancipated." My Bengal will continue to be free.
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