Bangla speaking community all over the world pays tribute to language martyrs

Bangla speaking community all over the world pays tribute to language martyrs of the historic Language Movement of 1952, marking the Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day on 21 Feabruary. In 1952, the autocratic Pakistan government imposed Urdu, the language of less than 20 percent people of then Pakistan, as the only official language of East Pakistan. But students and people of the East Pakistan rose in revolt against the government’s decision to impose Urdu as the state language. On February 21, police opened fire and killed a number of protesting students, including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar, triggering more vigorous movement. In the face of strong opposition in 1956, the Pakistan government was compelled to make Bangla alongside Urdu as the state language of Pakistan. The Language Movement was a watershed in history as it fortified Bangali nationalism and its spirit which ultimately led to the country’s independence in 1971. The day is being observed as the International Mother Language Day in 193 countries across the globe after UNESCO recognised Ekushey February on November 17 in 1999.

Shaheed Minar at Dhaka Bangladesh Source: Getty