Today, Thursday, is the 9th day of March, the month of start of our Liberation War. On this day in 1971 the country was observing a civil disobedience movement called by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Bangabandhu had announced on 3 March the historic civil disobedience movement and called for observing hartal everyday till 6 March.

Accordingly hartal was observed everyday across the country and people demonstrated against military rule.   On 6 March in an address over the radio Yahya Khan summoned the postponed National Assembly Session in Dhaka from 25 March.

On 7 March Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman addressed the historic rally at Race Course outlining the future course of action to realise the demands of the people.

This speech sent to the people the first ever clear instruction from Bangabandhu to get prepared for taking up arms to free the mother land.

Shahebzada Yakub Khan was removed from the post of East Pakistan Governor as he refused to kill people indiscriminately. In his place Tikka Khan known as the ‘butcher of Beluchistan’ was appointed the governor.

But on 8 March East Pakistan Chief Justice B A Siddiqui refused to administer oath to him. Consequently on 9 March the appointment of Tikka Khan as the Martial Law Administrator was announced.

Another important incident took place on 9 March as Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani while addressing a public meeting at Paltan Maidan expressed his solidarity with the freedom struggle led by Bangabandhu. Bhasani in his speech asked president Yahya Khan to accept independence of Bangladesh.

(Amir Hossain was the acting editor of daily sun. He wrote this article before his demise.)