President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar; marking the 49th Victory Day.

After placing the wreaths on Monday morning, the president and the prime minister stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the martyrs of the Great War of Liberation in 1971.

A smartly turned out contingent drawn from Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Force presented a state salute on the occasion when bugles played the last post.

Flanked by senior leaders of the party, Sheikh Hasina, also Awami League president, laid another wreath at the National Memorial as the party chief.

The nation is celebrating the 49th Victory Day, marking the most precious day when Bangladesh was liberated from the Pakistani occupation forces after a nine-month-long War of Liberation.

Forty-eight years back on December 16 in 1971, Bangladesh was born as an independent country under the leadership of the Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and for the supreme sacrifice of three million martyrs and the honour of 200,000 women.