Scene 1 – The Prison Gate Opens
Rawalpindi, 8 January 1972
The winter morning was pale and cold. In the secure compound of Mianwali Jail, a convoy of black government cars stood idling. The heavy gate creaked open, and a solitary figure stepped into the frosty air.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, thinner than before, his hair streaked with more silver, adjusted his shawl and surveyed the small welcoming party: senior officials, British diplomats, and a Pakistani colonel assigned to escort him.
> Pakistani Colonel: "Sheikh Sahib… your flight to London is ready. You will travel under full security."
Mujib: (quietly) "Security? I have been in your custody for months… I think I can handle the outside air."
The colonel avoided his eyes. Mujib walked toward the waiting car with the slow, deliberate steps of a man who knew he was walking out not just of a prison, but of one era into another.
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Scene 2 – The London Stopover
London, 9 January 1972
Snow dusted the tarmac at Heathrow as the Pakistan International Airlines jet touched down. Waiting at the VIP lounge was British Prime Minister Edward Heath and Foreign Secretary Sir Alec Douglas-Home.
Inside the ornate Lancaster House, Mujib faced the press for the first time since his arrest in March 1971. Flashbulbs erupted.
> BBC Reporter: "Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, will you now return to Dhaka as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh?"
Mujib: "My people have suffered enough. My duty is to go to them, to build our nation from the ashes."
His voice was calm, but there was a glint in his eye that hinted at the fierce resolve beneath.
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Scene 3 – Journey Home
From London, Mujib flew to New Delhi. As the plane taxied in, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi waited at the base of the stairs. She extended her hand warmly.
> Indira Gandhi: "Sheikh Sahib, welcome… and congratulations."
Mujib: "Madam Prime Minister, I thank you. But I will not rest until I set foot in Dhaka."
Crowds in New Delhi cheered him, but Mujib insisted his visit be brief. By the next morning, he was boarding an Indian Air Force aircraft bound for Dhaka.
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Scene 4 – The Homecoming
Dhaka Airport, 10 January 1972
The tarmac was a sea of humanity. Tens of thousands had gathered—farmers, laborers, students, war veterans, and women in bright saris—to greet the man they now called Bangabandhu ("Friend of Bengal").
When Mujib stepped out of the aircraft, the roar was deafening. People waved the new green-and-red flag of Bangladesh, tears streaming down their faces.
> Elderly Woman in the Crowd: "We waited, and we prayed… and he came back!"
Young Veteran: "Now we can start our new life!"
Mujib walked down the steps, clasping hands, touching foreheads with old comrades, his shawl tugged by eager hands reaching for a blessing.
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Scene 5 – Speech to a Free Nation
That afternoon, Mujib stood on a raised platform at the Racecourse Ground—the same place where Pakistani forces had surrendered less than a month earlier.
The microphone crackled. He looked over the crowd, his face somber.
> Mujib:
"My brothers and sisters… after nine months of struggle, we are free. This victory belongs to our martyrs, to our mothers, to our Mukti Bahini, and to every soul who dreamed of Bangladesh."
"We have won our independence, but now begins the harder task—feeding the hungry, rebuilding our homes, healing our wounds. We must be united, for the eyes of the world are upon us."
The crowd roared, chanting "Joy Bangla! Joy Bangabandhu!"
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Scene 6 – Recognition Spreads
Over the following weeks, telegrams poured into the newly formed Bangladesh Foreign Ministry. India, Bhutan, and the Soviet Union were among the first to recognize the new nation, followed swiftly by dozens of others.
In a cramped office in Dhaka, Foreign Secretary Abul Fateh read out the latest cable.
> Abul Fateh: "Sir, Japan has recognized Bangladesh."
Mujib: (smiling faintly) "Good. Let the world know—we are here to stay."
The United States was cautious, awaiting political clarity, while China withheld recognition entirely at first. Still, the list of nations acknowledging Bangladesh grew daily.
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Scene 7 – The Challenges Ahead
Despite the celebrations, Dhaka bore the scars of war. Buildings lay in ruins. Roads were cratered. Food was scarce. Millions of refugees were still in camps across the border.
One evening, Mujib sat with his cabinet in the Prime Minister's residence.
> Finance Minister Tajuddin Ahmad: "We have recognition from forty countries already. But we have no reserves, no currency stability."
Mujib: "We will seek aid—but on our terms. Bangladesh will never be a puppet."
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Scene 8 – A Nation's New Dawn
On the morning of 12 January 1972, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was formally sworn in as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The ceremony was simple—wooden chairs, a plain table, and the new national emblem behind him.
As the oath ended, a shaft of sunlight fell across the flag, illuminating the golden map of Bangladesh on the red circle.
Outside, schoolchildren sang Amar Shonar Bangla, the anthem of the newborn nation. For the first time in centuries, Bengal had its own sovereign state.
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Scene 9 – Closing Reflections
That night, standing by a window overlooking the city, Mujib thought of the years ahead. Freedom had been won, but the real test—building a just, prosperous, and united Bangladesh—was only beginning.
In the streets below, bonfires burned, and people danced to the sound of drums. But in Mujib's heart, there was both pride and a deep sense of responsibility.
> Mujib: (to himself) "We are free… now we must prove we deserved it."
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