Editing International Mother Language Day (section)

== History and Origin ==

* The observance of 21 February as a special day originates from '''the Bengali Language Movement''' in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
* On '''21 February 1952''', police in Dhaka opened fire on students protesting for the recognition of Bengali as one of the state languages of Pakistan. Several students were killed, including '''Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdus Salam, Salam, and Shafiur Rahman'''.
* The movement ultimately succeeded when '''Bengali was recognized as one of the state languages of Pakistan in 1956'''.

=== UNESCO Recognition ===

* In '''1999''', the '''United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)''' declared 21 February as '''International Mother Language Day''', promoting '''awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity worldwide'''.
* UNESCO aims to preserve and protect all languages, especially those at risk of extinction.

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