Staff Correspondent

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of the historic 7 March.

She paid the homage by placing a wreath at the portrait of the Father of the Nation in front of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the capital city at 7 in the morning.

After laying the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of independence.

Later, flanked by senior Awami League (AL) leaders, Sheikh Hasina, also the President of AL, placed another wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu on behalf of the party.

The Prime Minister later released a commemorative postage stamp, a first-day cover, and a data card 7 at her official Ganabhaban residence here marking the historic March 7.

On March 7 in 1971, Bangabandhu through his fiery and soulful address made a clarion call to the people to fight against the Pakistani occupation forces to achieve the long-cherished independence.

Before a rally of a million of freedom- loving people at the then Race Course Maidan (now Suhrawardhy Udyan) on March 7 in 1971, Bangabandhu in an announcement of independence declared, "Ebarer sangram amader muktir sangram, ebarer sangram swadhinatar sangram (the struggle this time is for our freedom, the struggle this time is for our independence)".

The historic March 7 speech of the Father of the Nation was included in the Memory of the World International Register, a list of world's important documentary heritage maintained by UNESCO on October 30 in 2017.