Dhaka, Feb. 21 -- Bangladesh has paid deep respect and homage to the immortal martyrs of the Language Movement. On this day in 1952, February 21, young students took to the streets of Dhaka and shed their blood to establish the dignity of their mother tongue, Bengali.

The West Pakistani regime had declared Urdu as the sole state language of Pakistan. In protest, students in Dhaka rose up, and the regime opened fire on the demonstrators. However, the movement continued to grow, and eventually the West Pakistani authorities were forced to recognize Bengali as a state language.

In 1999, UNESCO declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day. Like people around the world, Bangladesh appropriately pays tribute to the immortal marty...