The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The nation celebrated the 37th Victory Day yesterday with pomp and grandeur and a renewed pledge to build a prosperous democratic Bangladesh based on an equitable and forward-looking society.

This was the anniversary of the nation's glorious victory over Pakistani occupation forces in the Liberation War on December 16 in 1971 and the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent country.

On this day in 1971, Chief of Eastern Command of the Pakistani occupation force Lt Gen AK Niazi surrendered to Commander of Bangladesh-India Joint Command Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Arora at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital. Deputy Chief of Bangladesh Liberation Force Air-Vice Marshall AK Khondoker represented the newborn country at the surrender ceremony.

While rejoicing over the triumph this very day in 1971, the grateful nation paid rich tributes to the martyred war heroes and once again recalled their dreams of an independent country free from exploitation, deprivation and socioeconomic disparities.

The state-programme of the day began with a 31-gun salute at the dawn at the National Parad Ground in the capital.

Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life visited the National Mausoleum at Savar and paid their homage to the 30-lakh martyrs, who sacrificed their lives to have a free nation state in 1971. Solemnly standing in front of the stately memorial, they saluted the valiant sons and daughters of the soil.

President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed led the nation in offering glowing tributes to the Liberation War martyrs by placing wreaths at the national mausoleum. Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed followed him.

They stood in silence at the altar of the National Mausoleum for a short time when buglers played the last post.

A smartly turned out contingent of the Army, Navy and Air Force gave the President and the Chief Adviser guard of honour during the state ceremony.

After the President and the Chief Adviser, Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar and Chief justice Md Ruhul Amin, Advisers of the Caretaker Government, judges, foreign diplomats, Chiefs of three services and top civil and military officials also placed wreaths.

Liberation War Affairs Adviser Maj Gen (rtd) MA Matin received the President and the Chief Adviser at the National Mausoleum.

Members of the seven Bir Shresthas, together for the first time, and freedom fighters placed wreaths at the Monument following the state dignitaries.

The National Mausoleum was opened for the people, who paid their homage to the martyred war heroes amid tight security, after the state function.

Over 3,000 security personnel were deployed in an around the Mausoleum while 4,000 in the capital city on this occasion.

Central leaders of the Awami League, both factions of the BNP, Jatiya Party, CPB, Workers Party, the Gano Forum, Bikalpa Dhara, JSD, LDP and PDP were among the politicians who paid tribute to the illustrious sons and daughters of this soil by laying wreaths at the memorial.

Dhaka University, various cultural and social organisations also paid their homage to the independence martyrs.

Leaders of different socio-cultural organisations, rights groups, professional bodies, educational institutions and wide cross-sections of people also placed wreaths at the altar of the Mausoleum.

In the celebration part of the great occasion, a children's rally and parade was staged at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the morning, where schoolchildren, scouts, Ansar-VDP band party and horse-mounted police enthralled a huge crowd with their various displays.

Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed could not attend the function as chief guest as he left for Makkah to perform Hajj after the National Mausoleum ceremony.

Liberation War Affairs Adviser, MA Matin, inaugurated the function, with a call for the up-and-coming generation to "triumph in life" and build a Bangladesh that truly reflects the spirit and objectives of the liberation war.

The day was a public holiday. National flag was hoisted atop all the government, semi-government, autonomous establishments and educational institutions across the country.

The Government, major political parties, including the BNP and Awami League (AL), and different socio-cultural organisations chalked out programmes to mark the occasion.

Main streets and road islands in different cities, including the capital, were decorated with miniature flags and buntings, while some Government buildings also illuminated.

The Victory Day was celebrated across the country and at Bangladesh missions abroad. Bangladesh missions abroad also organised discussions and cultural functions on the occasion. Bangladeshi communities across the globe also joined the celebration as per tradition.

President Dr Iajuddin Ahmed and Chief Adviser of the Caretaker government Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed issued separate messages on this occasion, felicitating the nation and calling for united effort to attain the prime goal of the liberation war through building a happy, rich and self-reliant country.

The Department of Mass Communication under the Ministry of Information chalked out an elaborate programme in celebration of the Victory Day throughout the country on the day.

Under the programmes folk singers of the dept performed patriotic songs at different spots on the bank of river Buriganga on the department's own launched and at different points of the capital on mobile trucks.

Sixty-four district information offices and four hilly upazila offices of the department arranged the screening of documentary films on the theme of the day across the country.

Members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces joined the nation in observing the great Victory Day in a befitting manner.

Special prayers were offered at all mosques of Army, Navy and Air Force all over the country seeking divine blessings for the peace and progress of the country and development of the armed forces.

The national flag was hoisted atop the services' headquarters and Armed Forces installations.

Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force bands performed at Crescent Lake (Sangsad Bhaban Area), Farmgate Park Area and Mirpur Stadium respectively from 2pm to 4pm. They played different patriotic and popular tunes.

Special prayers were offered at mosques, temples, churches and other places of worship, seeking divine blessings for peace and progress of the country. Improved diets were served at hospitals, jails, orphanages and vagrant homes.

The state-run Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar and private television and radio channels aired special programmes while the national dailies brought out special supplements highlighting the significance of the day.

Bangla Academy, Shilpakala Academy and Bangladesh Shishu Academy also organised separate cultural functions, film shows and painting competitions on their premises to mark the day.

Staff Reporter

Students of Dhaka University yesterday formed a human chain demanding trial of the war criminals, which was also joined by people celebrating the Victory Day on the campus.

Sector commanders of the Liberation War also participated in the human chain. Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Liberation Army Air Vice-Marshal (Retd) AK Khandoker, Sector commanders Major Gen (Retd) KM Shafiullah, Lt Gen (Retd) Mir Shawkat Ali, Maj Gen (Retd) CR Dutta and former Army Chief Lt Gen (Retd) Harun-ur-Rahsid were present.

People carrying placards, festoons and banners containing slogans 'We Demand Trial of War Criminals', 'Hang War Criminals', 'Constitute Special Tribunal', people stood hand in hand from the National Museum at Shahbagh to the main gate of Arts Faculty of Dhaka University.

Students along with people of all walks of life demanded the trial of those who killed the sons and daughters of the country, raped women and looted valuables of people in 1971, the Razakars, al-Badrs and al-Shams.

Babu, a student of Dhaka University said, "Its shame-full for the country that we could not punish the war criminals. Now we demand trial of those war criminals and urge the government to constitute special tribunal to try them."

Earlier, the sector commanders inaugurated a 'Pillar of Hatred' erected by students in front of the DUCSU building.

While inaugurating the pillar Air Vice Marshal AK Khandoker said, "It is nice to know that the young generation of the country learnt to hate them who should be hated and they would try to know what the Razakars and al-Badrs and al-Shams did in the country."

"Such structures should be built on the campuses of all educational institutions," he said.

Staff Reporter

Thousands of people yesterday rushed to the National Mausoleum to pay homage to the great heroes of the country and celebrate the 37th Victory Day. They paid tribute to the Liberation War martyrs by laying floral wreaths at the mausoleum at Savar.

The national Mausoleum took a festive look for the celebration of the nations biggest festival the Victory Day. People gathered in huge numbers in a beautiful morning of the early winter.

It was an eye-catching scene with thousands of people donning green and red garments and carrying the national flags

in hand and singing patriotic songs paying their utmost respect to those who have snatched independence for the Bangladeshis from the hand of Pakistanis occupation faces on this day in 1971.

The surrounding areas of the National Mausoleum were jam-packed with heavy crowd. The Mausoleum basement was full of flowers--symbol of people's love for the country. Political parties, socio cultural organisations, different educational institutions and civil society representatives placed wreaths at the mausoleum.

"I have come to honour there who had died for the country during the Liberation War," a seven-year-old girl said. Her mother said, "I have brought my daughter here to make her realise the spirit of our Liberation War."

"The martyrs of the Liberation War risked their lives for the country for the good of the coming generations and the new generations should feel their sacrifices and work for the development of the country," one Shahabuddin said.

At the same time people demanded the trial of the war criminals. Some of them chanted slogans demanding trial of war criminals while some took oath to fight until the war criminals are punished.

Mithun, a student, coming to honour the heroes of the Liberation War said, "The demand of the trial of the war criminals have become a national demand, they must be punished."

"At the fag end age of my life I want to see the culprits hanged, those who opposed our independence and killed Bangladeshis," an elderly freedom fighter said.

Daylong cultural programmes were held on the open stage in the Mausoleum compound.

AFP, Jeddah

A multitude of Muslims from around the world gathered in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, making their final preparations for the annual hajj pilgrimage.

Saudi officials say over 1.6 million Muslims have assembled for the hajj, which begins on Monday, the eighth day of the month of Dhi al-Hajja under the lunar calendar.

Hundreds of thousands of Saudi faithful as well as foreigners living in the desert kingdom will also be taking part.

All Muslims are required to make the hajj to Makkah, in the western region of the kingdom, at least once in their lifetime if they have the means to do so.

Among this year's pilgrims will be Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Nearly 2.4 million people flocked to Saudi Arabia to perform the last hajj, including more than 1.6 million from outside the kingdom, which is the birthplace of Islam.

Saudi Arabia has announced that the high point of the hajj, when pilgrims converge on Mount Arafat near Makkah, will take place on Tuesday.

The following day will be Eid ul-Azha.

A total of 11,000 doctors, nurses and paramedics will be on hand to provide medical care, with 4,200 beds at 21 hospitals and 145 health centres in the holy sites of Makkah, Mina and Arafat, local media reported.

According to the official SPA news agency, 85 ambulances have also been mobilised for the occasion and health alerts will be issued in case of any outbreaks of disease.

The precautions and security measures are in place to try to prevent a repeat of the high death tolls that have often characterised past pilgrimages.

"Saudi Arabia has mobilised all the needed security and municipal forces for a smooth hajj, so hopefully we will not see any problems," the Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who heads the hajj supreme committee told reporters on Saturday.

Local media reported that oil-rich Saudi Arabia planned to build a five billion dollar monorail network that would provide safer and faster transport for pilgrims travelling between holy sites.

Staff Reporter

Homebound people have already started to return home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, second largest religious festival of the Muslims.

Sale of advance tickets of Bangladesh Railway (BR) closed yesterday with huge rush of homebound people at the Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka.

The city dwellers started crowding the railway station from Friday evening to collect their advance tickets for journey on December 20.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) opened its Eid special service from December 12 to facilitate trouble free journey of the passengers on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.

Tickets of different bus operators have already been sold out although it is alleged that sale of tickets in black market is still continuing.

Kawsar, a university student, who queued up yesterday night and left the station at about 2:00am was replaced by one of his relatives in the line, while departing the station he said, "I am going to sleep and come back again in the morning. Then my relative will go home and I shall take over from him to get the tickets for our journey to Jamalpur."

In such a way, more than 200 people queued up on Sunday morning to buy advance tickets for their respective destinations.

A railway officials said that tickets for standing passangers would be available at the station counters every day to cope with the rush of additional passengers for the Eid festival.

Some 22 inter-district trains with extra coaches would ply every day different routes from December 16, he said.

Meanwhile, a special train on the Dhaka-Dewanganj route and two special trains on the Chandpur-Chittagong route will start plying from December 17 and continue till December 31. Therefore, the weekly holidays of the railway employees had been cancelled till December 31.

During the Eid-ul-Azha about 50,000 people will leave Dhaka by train every day availing the Eid train service from December 16 to December 20, before the Eid day.

Meanwhile, bookings of advance cabins in all launches, which ply different southern routes, have also have been completed, according to the launch owners' association.

However, passengers alleged that cabins are still available if anyone wants to pay a section of the launch staff at least Tk 500 more than the normal fair.

UNB, Dhaka

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed arrived in Jeddah Sunday afternoon on his way to Makkah to perform holy hajj. Army Chief General Moeen was also in the entourage.

The VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Air Ltd that carried the Chief Adviser and his entourage landed at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport at 2:15pm (local time and BDT 5:15pm) in Jeddah.

A royal reception was accorded to the Chief Adviser on behalf of the Saudi government at the Royal Terminal of the Airport. Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia SM Ikramul Huq, Consul General in Jeddah M Ali Akbar and other officials of the Embassy were present on the occasion, according to a message received here.

After performing Umrah prior to hajj on Sunday, the Chief Adviser will stay at the Royal Palace in Makkah Al Mukarrama.

Wife of the Chief Adviser Neena Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff Gen Moeen U Ahmed and his wife Begum Naznin Moeen, among others, are accompanying the Chief Adviser.

The Chief Adviser and his entourage members will go to Mina today(Monday) and will stay till Tuesday Fazr prayers.

Earlier, the VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Air Ltd, carrying the Chief Adviser and his entourage, took off at 10:15 am from the Zia International Airport.

Law and Information Adviser Barrister Mainul Hosein, Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Food and Disaster Management Adviser Tapan Chowdhury, Saudi Ambassador in Dhaka Abdullah M Al Obaid Al Namla, Quarter Master General (QMG) of Bangladesh Army Lt Gen M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Navy Chief Vice Admiral Sarwar Jahan Nizam, Air Force Chief Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman and senior civil and military officials saw off the Chief Adviser at the VVIP tarmac of the airport.

Dr Fakhruddin, attired in two pieces of white clothes - a ritual dress for hajj pilgrims, shook hand with the dignitaries in the presentation line.

After performing hajj and offering prayers at Masjid-e-Nabobi and ziarat at the holy Rawja Mubarak of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (SM) in Madinah, the Chief Adviser is scheduled to attend a meeting of Bangladesh community in Jeddah.

He is scheduled to return home on December 24.

Staff Reporter

President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed and his wife Prof Dr Anwara Begum have hosted a reception at Bangabhaban on the occasion of the Victory Day yesterday.

The President exchanged greetings with the invitees in the lush-green lawn of the Bangabhaban.

Renowned artistes rendered patriotic songs at the reception.

Speaker Barrister Mohammad Jamiruddin Sircar, Chief Justice M Ruhul Amin, Advisers, Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda, judges of the Supreme Court, diplomats, politicians, freedom fighters, editors, business leaders, academics, artists and senior civil and military officers attended the function.

Sector commanders and leaders of the Awami League, BNP group led by Khandaker Delwar Hossain, Jatiya Party, Gano Forum, Bikalpa Dhara, CPB, LDP, Workers Party, JSD and their allies did not join the reception protesting the invitation of leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed the Liberation War, at the function.

Reformist BNP leaders M Saifur Rahman, Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, Dr Moyeen Khan and Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, including its Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Maulana Abdus Sobhan and Mohammad Qamaruzzaman, attended the programme.

The Awami League and its allies in the 14-party alliance had earlier taken a stand that they would not attend the reception if 'anti-liberation elements' and 'war criminals' were invited.

Of late, they have been vocal in their demand for trial of the 'war criminals' in the interim period.

BBC Online

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has put the country's nuclear weapons under the control of the president, rather than the prime minister.

The president issued an ordinance - which has to be ratified by parliament some time over the next six months - which formalised his control on Friday.

His move comes amid concern abroad that the nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of Islamist extremists.

The military says that its nuclear weapons security is "foolproof".

President Musharraf assumed control of his country's nuclear weapons by taking command of the National Command Authority (NCA), the body which is responsible for operating them.

General elections are due to be held in Pakistan on 8 January and many commentators predict that if the vote is fair, a government hostile to President Musharraf could emerge.

Army spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said there was a consensus among political parties in Pakistan that nuclear weapons should be controlled by the NCA.

He said it was important that the make-up of this body should be put on a firm legal footing before the elections.

"There is a transition in process and the country is returning to full democracy, so whatever things were left to be done are being done," he said.

The security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal has been of worldwide concern in recent months because of spread of pro-Taleban militancy.

President Musharraf established the NCA in 2000, two years after Pakistan detonated several atomic devices to establish itself as the Islamic world's only declared nuclear weapons power. Four years after the first tests, the country's top nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, was exposed as the head of an international black market in nuclear technology.

Today Pakistani officials remain sensitive to suggestions that Pakistan's nuclear weapons - the country's main source of defence against arch-rival India - might not be under firm control.

Last month the authorities strongly condemned suggestions by two American academics that American forces could enter Pakistan to prevent radical militants Islamists from getting their hands on a nuclear device.

"The NCA took note of the hostile campaign in a section of the international media with regard to Pakistan's nuclear assets," said a statement on Friday.

"While reiterating that the security of Pakistan's nuclear assets was foolproof, it advised against creating irresponsible alarm."

The statement said that Pakistan was capable of defending its interests and cautioned those "contemplating misadventures".

Last month Pakistan confirmed that the US was helping ensure the security of its nuclear weapons.

Earlier Pervez Musharraf has said his emergency rule saved the country from destabilisation.

Speaking just hours after he lifted the state of emergency, Musharraf also pledged that January's general election would be "fair and transparent".

He imposed it on 3 November, arresting hundreds of people, sacking Supreme Court judges and curbing the media.

Its lifting has been widely welcomed as an important step forward, says the BBC's Jill McGivering in Islamabad.

But there is still a long way to go before the political environment here is seen as conducive to free and fair elections, our correspondent says.

In a televised speech to the nation, President Musharraf said he had been forced to impose the state of emergency "as a last resort".

He said the country had faced a conspiracy within the judiciary and the threat of instability amid a surge in attacks by militants.