Dhaka, Feb. 26 -- Amid the grandeur of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair's inauguration, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called for a bold step: transforming the annual celebration of Bengali literature into an international literary festival, showcasing Bangladesh's language and culture to the world.

He spoke at the opening of the fair at the Bangla Academy on Thursday.

"In honour of the martyrs of the Language Movement, we celebrate Ekushey each year with pride to uphold the dignity of our mother tongue.

"Today, Amar Ekushey is observed worldwide as International Mother Language Day. This venue, the Bangla Academy, embodies the aspirations of the 1952 Language Movement martyrs."

He added, "One of the academy's key creative initiatives is...