Staff Reporter:
The Central Shaheed Minar is abuzz with last-minute preparations as the nation prepares to pay homage to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement on the occasion of Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day on the eve of 21 February.
Lawmakers, diplomats and distinguished personalities have already begun arriving at the monument to offer their respects.
The President and the Prime Minister are scheduled to arrive shortly to lay wreaths first, marking the official commencement of the tributes.
Sowing the very seeds of unique nationhood based on language and culture, valiant sons of the soil sacrificed their blood during the Language Movement in 1952 to establish the honour of Bangla as the state language of then Pakistan.
On 21 February, the Pakistani police opened fire on a peaceful procession in Dhaka and brutally killed many people, mostly students, including Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and Shafiur.
