Nation to celebrate Victory Day today

The nation is set to celebrate the Victory Day today as the country was liberated from the Pakistani occupation forces on that day 54 years back through a nine-month-long bloodstained War of Liberation.

On December 16 in 1971, Bangladesh was born as an independent country at the cost of supreme sacrifice of three million people and the honor of two lakh women.

On the occasion, the government has taken extensive programs to celebrate the great Victory Day while the day will begin with a 31-gun salute in the city.

The programs include placing wreaths at the monuments to pay homage to martyrs, hoisting of the national flags, three day victory fair, parachuting with the highest number of national flags, band show, cultural events, arrangement of recitation, essay writing and painting competitions on the Liberation War for children and acrobatic show.

The President and the Chief Adviser are expected to pay tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War by placing wreaths at the Savar National Martyrs' Memorial on the outskirts of the capital in the morning.

Then, the Bir Shrestha families, war-wounded Freedom Fighters and brave Freedom Fighters, under the leadership of the Liberation War Affairs Adviser, will lay wreaths there.In addition, foreign diplomats in Bangladesh and various political and social organizations, including people from all walks of life, will pay tribute to the martyrs who made supreme sacrifice during the great Liberation War.

On the occasion, the national flag will be hoisted in all government, semi-government, autonomous and private buildings and Bangladesh embassies and missions abroad while important buildings and establishments will be illuminated.

The main roads and road islands of Dhaka and various cities of the country have already been decorated with banners, festoons and colorful flags, including the national flag.

As part of the nationwide grand celebrations of the Victory Day, Bangladesh is set to make a world record by parachuting with the highest number of national flags.On the occasion, the Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force will conduct separate fly-past demonstrations at the Tejgaon old airport in the city from 11:00 am. A special Victory Day band show will also take place there.

Besides, 54 paratroopers of "Team Bangladesh" will perform a flag-bearing skydive from at 11:40am to mark 54 years of the country's independence, which would be the largest-ever flag-parachuting display in the world, setting a new Guinness World Record.

Similar fly-past demonstrations will also be conducted by the armed forces in other cities across the country. Alongside them, the police, BGB, and Ansar will organize band shows nationwide. All of the events will be open to the public.