Daily Bangla Times:  Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today criticized BNP for not observing March 7, saying it is a big question that those who don't observe or deny the historic March 7, to what extent they acknowledge and believe in country's independence.

"Our struggles for independence and the Libration War can't be imagined without the historic March 7 speech (of Bangabandhu)," he said, addressing a discussion organized by the Information Ministry marking the historic March 7 at an auditorium of Tathya Bhaban in the capital.

Hasan called Bangabandhu's March 7 speech as one of the best speeches in the world history and said the speech changed a country and the map of the world.

Additional secretary of the ministry Md Faruque Ahmed and Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) Zafar Wazed, among others, addressed the discussion with Information and Broadcasting Secretary Md Humayun Kabir Khandaker in the chair.

Earlier, the secretary inaugurated photo and book exhibition organized by Department of Films and Publication (DFP) and Press Information Department (PID) at Shikha Chirantan at Suhrawardy Udyan here.

Hasan said the airing of March 7 speech was stopped at state programmes of state-owned radio and television after the brutal killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15 in 1975. Even, the CDs of the speech were removed and destroyed from every place, he added.

The government of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman had arrested many leaders and activists of Awami League on the charges of playing the March 7 speech before allowing indoor politics in 1977.

Describing his own experiences, the minister said that he carried out miking in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981 at Chattogram city as an activist of Chhatra League. "First we would play the speech of March 7, when we went to an important point of the city and the people would gather. After that, I would talk about the public meeting," he said.

He said the historic March 7 speech was recognised by UNESCO as a 'World Heritage Document'. There are many timeless speeches across the world, including the deliberations of Nelson Mandela and Netaji Subhas Bose. But most of those speeches were written, he added.

"But in this speech of Bangabandhu, we see that without any stop, comma, semi-colon and without any hesitation, he stood up and spoke all the words in the language of the people," said Hasan.

The minister said then the population of Dhaka city was about 12 lakh according to the census in 1970 while more than 10 lakh people from Dhaka and its adjacent areas gathered in the rally. A nation was born through the speech.

He said the greatest Bangalee of all times Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's March 7 speech inspired an unarmed nation to turn into an armed nation to achieve independence. "So, in my opinion, this speech is one of the greatest speeches in the recorded history of the world and the United Nations has recognized it," said Hasan.

He said Bangamata Begum Fazilatun Nesa Mujib's had played the key shadow role particularly in major turning points, including Bangabandhu's March 7 speech.

The minister also paid rich tribute to Bangamata and other martyrs of August 15.