The country starts its 10-day celebrations of Mujib Borsho and golden jubilee of independence today with colourful events and presence of global leaders.

The celebrations have been planned to coincide with the birthday of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh's Liberation War against Pakistan in 1971. The celebrations will end on March 26 on Independence Day.

The occasion is well worth a celebration and the government has arranged countrywide programmes to mark it, given the country's socio-economic progress in the last decades and its important place in the global arena.

Different countries as well as experts have lauded Bangladesh, which has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. It is well on track to graduate from a least developed country (LDC) to a developing one by 2026.

It stemmed from the country's steady economic growth in the last decade. And for the past four years before the pandemic, the country's growth rate stood at 7 to 8 percent per year. Life expectancy is now 72 years, and the primary school enrolment rate is close to 100 percent, with girls beating boys.

Bangladesh also stands first when it comes to sending peacekeepers to the UN missions. Besides, it has earned an enormous global accolade by sheltering the nearly a million Rohingyas, who fled military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine.

Noted American columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote in New York Times on March 10 that Bangladesh was born in March 50 years ago amid genocide, squalor and starvation and was referred by Henry Kissinger as a "basket case".

"Bangladesh may have once epitomized hopelessness, but it now has much to teach the world about how to engineer progress," he wrote.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday evening, Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, chief coordinator of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Birth Centenary Celebration National Implementation Committee, said, "We are towards the final stage of preparations."

On the occasion, the government has arranged a programme at the National Parade Square. The parliament, government offices and roads have been decorated. City corporations and district administrations have also decorated their government offices, important places and roads across the country.

The Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrives this morning on a two-day visit as the first of the world leaders to join the celebrations. His wife, First Lady Madam Fazna Ahmed, will accompany him. Besides, a delegation of 27, including the Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid and Economic Development Minister Fayyaz Ismail, will also visit the country.

President M Abdul Hamid will receive his Maldivian counterpart at the capital's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Solih will then go to the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar to pay respect to the martyrs of the Liberation War and then to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his portrait in Dhanmondi.

In the afternoon, he will attend the National Parade Square function at Tejgaon where Abdul Hamid will join him.

"The first part of the programme will be held from 4:30pm to 6:00pm. It will be a discussion. The second part of the event will be held from 6:30pm to 8:00pm," Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury said.

President Abdul Hamid will be the chief guest at the event, while Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina will preside over it.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would deliver recorded welcome speeches today. A bust of Bangabandhu, which is 1.9 metres tall, will also be presented to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the event, he said.

Marking the occasion, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen would deliver his speech on March 18, OIC Secretary General Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen on March 20, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on March 22, Unesco DG Audrey Azoulay on March 23, Pope Francis on March 24, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Japanese friend of Bangladesh Takashi Hayakawa's son Osamu Hayakawa on March 25.

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa will join the celebrations on March 19, Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari on March 22, Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering on March 24 and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 26.

According to the foreign ministry, cultural troops from Bangladesh as well as from India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Nepal, Turkey, Malaysia, and Brunei would perform during the celebrations.

The themes of the events are "Bhengechhe Duar, Eshechche Jyotirmoy" today; "Mohakaler Tarjoni" on March 18; "Jatokal Robe Padma, Jamuna" on March 19; "Tarunner Alokshikha" on March 20; "Dhangshastoope Jiboner Gaan" on March 21; "Banglar Mati, Amaar Mati" on March 22; "Narimukti, Sammya O Swadhinata" on March 23; "Shanti, Mukti O Manabatar Agradoot" on March 24; "Gonohattyar Kalratri O Aloker Obhijatra" on March 25 and "Swadhinatar 50 Bochchor O Agragoti'r Subarnorekha" on March 26.

The programmes would be broadcast live on electronic and social media platforms. The number of guests to be present at the celebrations would be kept limited to only 500 due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

"This is a historic event … The global leaders will pay homage to the memories of our Father of the Nation," Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told reporters on Monday.

"It shows the depth of our friendship with other countries. They have confidence in the leadership of Bangladesh, and so they are coming here despite the pandemic," he said.

Shahriar Kabir, a freedom fighter, a human rights activist and also a writer, said this is a great achievement for the generation which fought the war and is now witnessing the golden jubilee of the independence.

Over the decades, the country has made tremendous socio-economic progress, which is surely something to be celebrated.

"Had there been no Bangabandhu, there would have been no Bangladesh," Kabir told this correspondent. At the same time, the political philosophy of Bangabandhu -- democracy, secularism, social justice -- has yet to be achieved in the true sense, he said.

"As the country celebrates the golden jubilee of its independence and Mujib Borsho, it is my earnest request that we sincerely work for the promotion of Bangabandhu's principles," Kabir said.

SECURITY IN PLACE

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) Director General Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said the elite force has taken all measures to ensure strict security during the celebrations.

Rab will install its newly-launched on-site identification and verification devices at all its check points, the DG while addressing a views-exchange meeting with journalists at the Rab Media Center in the capital.

Rab will monitor the security arrangements during the event from a central control room at the Rab headquarters. Control rooms will also be set up at all Rab battalion offices.

Rab Bomb Disposal Unit and Special Forces will monitor every important venue.

"We are ready …  We have already completed our preparations to avoid any untoward incidents," he added.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed has directed the officers and other members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to perform their duties with utmost professionalism during the visit of five heads of state and government.

He gave the directives while addressing a meeting at Bangladesh Police Auditorium at Rajarbagh in the capital yesterday.

IGP Benazir said, "The heads of state and government of different countries are our honored guests and we have never seen such important guests coming to Dhaka together. Such a visit is a matter of great honour and pride for the country and the nation.

"Every venue will be covered by a security blanket."

Benazir then appealed the city dwellers to restrict their movement during the 10 days of celebrations. He urged them not to organise any gatherings during the time.

Besides, he warned that the police would not hesitate to take action if the safety of any foreign guests was at risk. He ordered police officers to show zero tolerance in such cases.

In addition, the IGP instructed all the operational commanders to give a thorough briefing to each and every police officer and member about their duties.