Establishing the spirit of the Liberation War in every sphere of life will be a befitting tribute to the FFs, they thought.

The National Committee for Implementation of Demands of Freedom Fighters organised the rally to mark the first ever freedom fighters' day. Former army chief Maj Gen (retd) K M Shafiullah, member of the committee, chaired the rally held at the Central Shaheed Minar.

The day was observed in the capital and elsewhere in the country. The programmes of the day began with the placing of wreaths at the graves of valiant freedom fighters, the committee leaders said.

Addressing the rally, the FFs demanded trial of war criminals, ban on communalism and fatwa, an end to repression on religious and ethnic minorities and reinstatement of four fundamental principles of the constitution of '72.

They also demanded formation of a national commission to formulate a national policy to prepare a list of the FFs. They also called for introducing the title "National Hero" for the FFs.

The rally was addressed by, among others, acting President of Awami League Zillur Rahman, Abdur Razzak, Maj Gen (retd) CR Dutta, Rashed Khan Menon, president of Workers Party, and Hassanul Huq Inu, president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.

The speakers said Rajakars, Albadars, war criminals and defeated forces of '71 have staged a comeback after the BNP-led alliance assumed power. These elements are out to eliminate the values and spirit of the Liberation War, they said.