'My father died in the hands of Bangalees, it's the hardest thing to accept'
"My father had to give his life at the hands of Bangalees, for whom he had sacrificed his life, faced incarceration for years, and established the dignity of the nation. That is the hardest thing to accept," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today.
Bangabandhu used to like playing with children, she said, adding "When he (Bangabandhu) would play with children, he seemed like a child himself."
She continued that it is unfortunate that even children were not spared in the 1975 carnage. Perhaps such things had not occurred in the Karbala tragedy where children and women had not been killed, she said.
The premier was addressing a programme titled "Tungipara: Hridoye Pitribhumi" at Bangabandhu Mausoleum Complex at Tungipara of Gopalganj on the occasion of the 102nd birth anniversary of Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the National Children's Day-2022.
Bangabandhu's grandsons -- Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser and Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Sheikh Rehana's son Radwan Mujib Siddiq -- were present, among others.
In collaboration with the Women and Children Affairs Ministry, the National Implementation Committee for Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Birth Centenary Celebration organised the programme.
This year, the National Children's Day is being celebrated with the theme -- "Bangabandhur Janmodiner Ongikar, Sokol Shishur Soman Odhikar" (Equal Rights for all children, Commitment of Bangabandhu's birthday).
Sheikh Hasina, also the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, said though there had been a reign of killers, war criminals, Al-Badr and Razakars (collaborators of Pakistani forces) in the country after the assassination of her family members, she returned home to fulfil the dream of her father and change the fate of the people of Bangladesh.
"I returned home to ensure that the children would not live with the pain of losing family members like us, rather they would have a nice and improved life," she added.
The premier said Bangabandhu had ensured the rights of children in the constitution, formulated the children's rights law and established care and protection centres for children in the war-ravaged country after the Liberation War.
Following the footsteps of Bangabandhu, her government, coming to power in 1996, had taken various steps for the welfare of the children, including the establishment of schools in every area and measures to protect them from the social illssuch as terrorism and militancy, she said.
"Coming to power again through the 2008 election, we've done a lot to further the welfare of children," said Sheikh Hasina highlighting various measures and laws taken for the children during her regime.
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