Dhaka, March 28 -- Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan has warned that equating the 2024 mass uprising with the nation's independence would lead to a "major disaster", asserting that Bangladesh's sovereignty was achieved only once and that was in 1971.

Speaking at a reception for freedom fighters organised by the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) to mark Independence Day on Saturday, the minister underscored the distinction between political achievements and the birth of the state.

"Independence came to Bangladesh only once. It did not come before, and it will not come again," Azam said.

He noted that the 1990 mass uprising successfully toppled autocracy, while the 2024 student-led movement ousted fascism.

"These are und...