At an event marking August 14 as “First Independence Day” from British colonial rule, speakers claimed that the creation of Pakistan in 1947 freed Bengali Muslims from the dominance of Hindu zamindars. Retired Colonel Hasinur Rahman Bir Protik asserted that before 1947, Bengali Muslims were oppressed farmers, forbidden from wearing shoes, carrying umbrellas, or attending school without a dhoti. He said Pakistan’s creation liberated them from such feudal control. Shamsuddin Preeti added that the independence milestones of 1947, 1971, and the political movements of 2024 are interconnected, describing them as mutually reinforcing rather than contradictory.