'Pak tried to finish sons of soil who could take B'desh forward'

Dhaka, Dec 15 Paying tribute to the brightest minds of the soil on Martyred Intellectuals Day, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, a member of the Awami League and the son of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said on Tuesday that the country would have done ever better had they been alive.

Martyred Intellectuals Day is observed on December 14 to commemorate those intellectuals who were killed by Pakistani forces and their collaborators during the 1971 Liberation War, particularly on March 25 and December 14, 1971.

Sajeeb Wazed, who also serves as advisor to the government of Bangladesh on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), made the observation in Facebook post, terming December 14 as a day which 'reminds the shock the nation is still reeling from'.

"Back in 1971, when the occupation army of Pakistan was shaken and started surrendering in different parts of the country, they killed the intellectuals and professionals using Razakar, Al-Badr, and Al-Shams, raised by the Pakistan army from their local collaborators. They blindfolded and murdered them to leave us intellectually bankrupt," Sajeeb Wazed mentioned.

Lashing out at the evil intention behind the orchestrated killings, Sajeeb Wazed said, "Their goal was to deny Bangladesh dignity in the world as an independent and sovereign country. That is why they cut short the lives of the best sons of this soil who could have taken the country forward."

"Intellectuals such as poets, literateurs, journalists, teachers, engineers, physic, artists, singers, and filmmakers made a huge contribution to every stage of the Liberation War of Bangladesh," he added.

In addition to recognising their role in inspiring the whole nation to take part in the Liberation War, Sajeeb Wazed also praised them for "playing their part in the strategic moves such as forming the Mujib Nagar government, dividing the country into different sectors and assigning a sector commander to each of them, establishing different organisations of the government of Bangladesh, appointing able people to these organisations, and ensuring international supports".