A conference titled “Proclamation of Independence: 10th April 1971 and Birth of a Sovereign State” was held on Monday, April 10th, 2023, at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka. The conference, organized by the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA), focused on the proclamation of independence and the birth of Bangladesh as a sovereign state.
During the conference, Barrister M. Ameer-ul-Islam, the author of the declaration of independence, presented the main article titled “Birth of Bangladesh.” Ameer-ul Islam demanded that the Declaration of Independence be recognized as Bangladesh’s “birth certificate” and proposed that April 10th be declared as “Republic Day” as a national celebration.
The chief guest, Tawfiq-e-Ilahi Chowdhury Vir Bikram, expressed his gratitude to BILIA for organizing the conference. He stated that the presentation by Barrister Ameer-ul Islam revealed many unknown facts about Bangladesh’s independence and enriched the knowledge of all attendees.
Chowdhury also emphasized the importance of analyzing the events of history continuously and preventing the distortion of historical facts. He referred to the speech given by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 7th, 1971, which led to the de-facto independence of Bangladesh. According to Chowdhury, the non-cooperation movement in Bangladesh serves as an example to the whole world that ignoring or suppressing a peaceful movement can lead to a terrible war.
The conference shed light on the significance of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of Bangladesh as a sovereign state, emphasizing the need to preserve the accurate portrayal of historical events.