The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party announced a two-day programme on Monday to observe the Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day with due respect on February 21.

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programmes at a press conference at the party’s Naya Paltan central office.

February 21 will be observed simultaneously as Shaheed Dibash and International Mother Language Day on Wednesday in recognition of the nation’s supreme sacrifice to the cause of their mother tongue. In 1999, UNESCO declared the 21st of February as the International Mother Language Day.

As part of the programmes, Rizvi said their party will hold a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh on Tuesday, marking the day.

He said they will keep their party and national flags at half-mast and hoist black flags at the BNP’s Naya Paltan central office at 6 am on February 21.

The leaders and activists of the party will also gather in front of Balaka Cinema Hall at Nilkhet at 6m wearing black badges the same day. Later, they will first offer fateha at the graves of Language Movement martyrs at Azimpur Graveyard and then go to the Central Shaheed Minar to pay tributes to the martyrs.

Besides, BNP’s different units across the country will also observe the day with due respect through various programmes.

Rizvi said that the nation was going to observe the Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day when they were deprived of their rights

‘The voters of this country now can’t cast their votes and the people of this country can’t sleep at home without fear…Numerous leaders and workers of numerous nationalist forces can’t stay at their villages and homes with their wives, sons, daughters or with their fathers and mothers,’ he said.

The BNP leader said that many of their party leaders and workers were now driving auto-rickshaws and even pulling rickshaws to make a living.

In this circumstance, he said, the sacrifices of the martyrs of February 21, 1952, would encourage the country’s people to continue their struggle to restore their rights, bring back democracy. ‘It will also give us courage to return people’s ownership of the country to them and establish the rule of law, freedom of expression and the rule of people.’