The Directorate of Students’ Welfare (DSW), University of Asia Pacific (UAP) arranged a “Provat Feri” towards the Central Shaheed Minar to pay rich tribute to the martyrs of the 1952 historic Language Movement on Tuesday, 21st February 2023 marking the Language Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day.
Students and officials led by Assistant Director, DSW Md. Tarek Khan paid rich tribute to the martyrs of the language movement offering floral wreaths at the altar of the Shaheed Minar.
Among others, Aktarun Yesmin, AAO, DSW and Md. Sadique Hasan Polash, APRO, PRD, and students from various departments of the university were present on the occasion.
On this day in 1952, the then Pakistan police shot dead several students and activists who, under the All-Party Students Action Committee, were demanding Bangla as the state language of Pakistan. Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Shafique, Jabbar and some others embraced martyrdom on that day. The incident on 21st February 1952 sparked a province-wide public agitation that finally compelled Pakistani authority to recognize Bangla as the state language in the constitution of Pakistan promulgated on 23rd March 1956.
On 17 November 1999, the United Nations declared February 21 to be the International Mother Language Day. It is our national pride that 21st February is being observed all over the world as International Mother Language Day.