PM Breaks Down Into Tears Recalling Her Homecoming

"I faced death many times. But I was never scared or got perplexed in any situation. Because I have nothing to lose again as I have lost everything. I never bowed to anybody and would never do this except Allah. I am ready to make any sacrifice for protecting the dignity of the countrymen," she said in an emotion-charged voice.

Sheikh Hasina said she had firm self-confidence that she would overcome all hurdles and expressed gratitude to the people for helping her to cross the barriers.

"I might have not advanced so much or achieved so many things, had the people of the country not been with me. It's my time to give the people," she said amid the pin-drop silence of the AL leaders.

The Prime Minister said this when leaders of Bangladesh Awami League and its associate bodies came to Ganobhaban, the official residence of the PM, this evening to greet her on the occasion of Sheikh Hasina's 34th homecoming day.

Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Deputy Leader of the Jatiya Sangsad Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Awami League Advisory Council members Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed and Suranjit Sengupta and Presidium Member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and former chief whip Abul Hasnat Abdullah were present on the dais.

On this day in 1981, Sheikh Hasina returned home after six years in exile following the brutal assassination of the architect of independent Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15 in 1975.

Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana escaped the carnage as they were in Germany at that time.

Earlier, the leaders of Bangladesh Awami League and its associate bodies greeted the Prime Minister by presenting bouquets and chanting slogans on the occasion of the Homecoming Day.

While delivering her speech on the occasion, the Prime Minister was seen weeping for the whole time. At that time, senior AL leader Sajeda Chowdhury, who seated beside her on dais, consoled and patted Sheikh Hasina by keeping her hand on the PM's hand.

The Prime Minister said after the assassination of Bangabandhu, four national leaders were brutally killed and numerous leaders and workers of the party were thrown into jail to eliminate Awami League for ever.

Recalling her Homecoming Day on May 17 in 1981, Sheikh Hasina said she returned home on a rainy and stormy day when thousands of people braving the inclement weather assembled at the airport to welcome her.

"When I returned home I didn't have any asset except the courage and inspiration of the Awami League leaders and workers," she said.

"When I returned home, there was a flood of millions of people and there was love for me. But my most beloved persons whose love I expected most were not there," she said referring to the killing of Bangabandhu and others who were assassinated on the fateful night of August 15.

While recalling her tragic and terrible days, the Prime Minister became emotional and tears rolled down her cheek.

She recalled with deep gratitude the expatriate Bangladeshis, leaders and workers of Awami League and pro-liberation forces, intellectuals and the common people of the country for extending great support during bad times of the party and her family.

"It was the courage and love, affection of those for which we advanced so much today," she said.

Referring to ill-efforts of the military dictators after 1975 to erase and distort the history of liberation war, the Prime Minister said, the anti-liberation forces destroyed ideals and spirit of the war of liberation.

In this connection, she mentioned that her government has re-established the spirit of the war of independence through amending the constitution and restored the real history of country's victory in the war of liberation. "It was very difficult to do this," she said.

That was the start of the advancement of Bangladesh and now the country has become a role model of development on the world stage, she said adding that none could undermine Bangladesh any more.

In this regard, Sheikh Hasina stressed the need for maintaining the trend of advancement and upholding the spirit of the war of independence to ensure further progress and prosperity. The Awami League President said like her father she dedicated herself to the welfare of the common people as nothing else could be more precious than that of working for the mass.

"We have to do something for the country being imbued with the ideals of the war of liberation and remaining above to get or expect anything.

Talking about violent politics of the BNP-Jamaat nexus, the Prime Minister said the countrymen witnessed their rampage and destruction like torching and vandalism as well as burning the people to death alive in 2013 and 2015.

"The people saw heinous acts of the BNP-Jamaat nexus, she said adding the mass people no more want to witness such subversive activities.

In this connection, she urged all to remain alert so that the country does not move towards the darkness again in future.

Photo: Saiful Islam Kallol