Shafique to attend state ceremony at Shaheed Minar

Staff Reporter  :

Opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman, Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, will attend the state ceremony marking International Mother Language Day early Saturday, according to a party press release issued today.

He is scheduled to visit the Central Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka University campus at 12:01am to pay homage to the language martyrs.

The solemn observance will mark the 74th anniversary of the historic Language Movement of 1952.

Members of Parliament from the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance will accompany Shafiqur Rahman during the tribute ceremony, the statement said. Leaders and activists of the alliance are also expected to be present.

Following the state ceremony at the Shaheed Minar, the opposition leader will visit the Azimpur graveyard to pay respects at the graves of the language martyrs.

He will offer prayers seeking eternal peace for their souls, the party added.

The programme forms part of nationwide observances commemorating the sacrifices made on February 21, 1952, when students and activists laid down their lives demanding recognition of Bangla as a state language of the then Pakistan.