The 44th ‘Homecoming’ Day of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is being celebrated by the ruling Awami League in Bangladesh on Friday.

Sheikh Hasina returned to Bangladesh on May 17, 1981, after a long exile in India following the brutal killing of her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, along with most of his family members, on August 15, 1975. Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, survived as they were out of the country on the day the ghastly incident took place.

She arrived in Dhaka from Delhi, where she was provided a safe house by the government of India after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Earlier, in February 1981, she was elected the President of the Awami League in her absence. Addressing the party workers after her return from India, Sheikh Hasina declared that she came back to Bangladesh to participate in the struggle for freedom by staying beside the people of the country.

A delegation of senior Awami League leaders offered greetings to Prime Minister Hasina at her official residence, ‘Gano Bhaban,’ in the morning. The ruling party has organized programs across the country to mark the occasion.

A seminar titled “Sheikh Hasina’s Homecoming: Incredible Development of Communication System” was held today at the National Press Club, Dhaka.

Special prayers were also offered at mosques, temples, churches, and pagodas to mark the day. Doa was offered at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after Jummah prayers.

-Navalsang Parmar (Dhaka)