Bangladesh has honoured 83 foreign nationals and organisations for their outstanding contributions in the Bangladesh\u2019s war of independence.
\nPresident Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday conferred two categories of honours on distinguished personalities from different countries and organisations at a gala ceremony at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
\nAs many as eight foreign dignitaries\u2014an incumbent president, a former king, three former presidents and three former prime ministers – were awarded the \u201cBangladesh
\nLiberation War Honour\u201d, while 67 individuals, six organisations, people of India and Mitra Bahini were given the \u201cFriends of Liberation War Honour\u201d for their
\ninvaluable contribution during the nation\u2019s struggle for freedom.
\nIn all, 19 distinguished foreign nationals received the honours themselves, while 56 of such honours were received by the recipients\u2019 next of kin or representatives,
\nas many of them have passed away, while some are unable to come. On behalf of the six organisations, representatives have received the awards.
\nPankaj Saran, Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, received the honour for People of India, while the Indian state minister for defence, Pallam Raju received the honour
\nfor Mitra Bahini.
\nOf the 75 overseas personalities awarded on the day, 46 have already passed away.
\nPresident Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tribute to the foreign dignitaries for their contribution to Bangladesh\u2019s war of independence.
\nForeign minister Dr Dipu Moni and AB Tajul Islam, state minister for liberation war affairs, also spoke on the occasion.
\nCabinet secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan read out the citation, while Mizanur Rahman, secretary to the liberation war affairs\u2019 ministry, delivered the vote of
\nthanks.
\nMichael Barnes, former member of the British House of Commons, who along with some of his colleagues visited the erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971, delivered the
\nacceptance speech on behalf of the recipients.
\nThe honoured 75 personalities include heads of states and government, ministers, lawmakers, politicians, artistes, humanitarian activists, journalists, military
\npersonnel and lawyers. They are from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, former Yugoslavia, Ireland, France, Sweden, Italy, Denmark and
\nUnited States of America. Indian nationals dominated the number with 26 recipients, followed by USA (14), Russia (10) and the UK (7).
\nPeople of India and members of the Mitra Bahini have been collectively honoured for their contribution.
\nThe six organisations that were honoured are\u2014Akashvani (All India Radio), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),
\nKolkata University Shahayak Samiti, Oxfam and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
\nSpeaking on the occasion, the President described the honour conferred on the dignitaries as just a token of appreciation, as it is very difficult for a nation to
\nreciprocate the support extended by its foreign friends during a very difficult time.
\n\u201cThis is merely a material means from our people, so that you can remember them,\u201d he said.
\nBangladesh is grateful to recognise contributions of the country\u2019s foreign friends and well-wishers who whole heartedly supported the war of independence and rendered
\ninvaluable endeavour in favour of freedom from their respective positions.
\n\u201cTheir precious inspiration and support put impetus to achieve our victory,\u201d he said.
\nThe President appreciated the dignitaries for accepting the honours and said: \u201cYour endless generosity, exemplary courage and firm spirit will remain in our hearts for
\never.\u201d
\nExpressing gratitude to the foreign friends, the Prime Minister said that the nation was indebted to those who had stood by the people to extend their direct and
\nindirect support. \u201cActually we are honouring ourselves by honouring you,\u201d she said.
\nThe Prime Minister, who spoke in Bangla, said: \u201cIt would not have been possible to achieve the victory so quickly had we not received assistance from our foreign
\nfriends.\u201d
\n\u201cWe cannot forget your contribution. We\u2019ll not forget,\u201d she added.
\nHasina also expressed gratitude to the unknown people who had contributed during the liberation war.
\n\u201cI was in captivity with my mother during the war of independence. There was a radio. Any word of support used to strengthen our belief,\u201d she said.
\nThe Prime Minister said that it had taken a long time to honour the foreign friends as those who believed in the spirit of the liberation war could not be in power for
\nlong.
\nHasina said that a list of over 560 foreign nationals had been prepared and they would be honoured in phases.
\n\u201cMany have already passed away, and we might not be able to find some of them. But we\u2019ll try to find out all the names,\u201d she added.
\nIn his acceptance speech, former British lawmaker Michael Barnes said: \u201cWe are honoured to be invited here. We accept the honours with grateful hearts and humility.\u201d
\nPaying rich tributes to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he thanked the government for the decision to honour the foreigners with \u201cgenerosity and hospitality\u201d.
\nThe ceremony was attended by Speaker Abdul Hamid, Chief Justice Mohammad Mozammel Haque, Ministers, Prime Minister\u2019s advisers, lawmakers, judges, leaders political
\nparties, members of the diplomatic corp, and senior civil and military officials.
\nAccording to sources, although Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia along with all other BNP MPs was invited they did not attend the ceremony.
\nTwo lawmakers belonging to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami were not invited to attend the event.
\nMeanwhile, Sheikh Hasina in another programme said on Tuesday that the war crimes trial would continue for generations to punish the last of the perpetrators of crimes
\nagainst humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
\n\u201cThe trial has started. It will go on for generations to bring the guilty to justice,\u201d she told a discussion marking Bangladesh\u2019s 41th Independence Day.
\nThe Awami League, which led the Liberation War against Pakistan in 1971 and obtained victory after nine months of armed struggle, organised the discussion \u201cThe nation
\nnow is united to establish a prosperous Bangladesh free from hunger and repression, and to prosecute war criminals,\u201d at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre
\nin Dhaka.
\nAddressing the discussion as chief guest, the Prime Minister, also the AL supremo, assured the gathering of several thousand supporters, leaders and activists of the
\nruling party that the war crimes trial would be completed within her current tenure.
\nThe process has only started, she said, but many of the perpetrators of crimes against humanity are still hiding abroad. \u201cThey should be traced and brought to justice,
\neven if that takes several years,\u201d Hasina said. She assured the gathering that her government would take steps so that the war trials can continue for years and are
\nnot stopped midway.
\nHasina accused the Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its right-wing allies of trying to protect war crimes suspects. She said the Opposition leader, Khaleda
\nZia, was a collaborator in the war crimes and called upon the people to remain alert against the \u201ccollaborators\u201d.
\n\u201cYou have to be remain alert so that these collaborators of the defeated forces can never assume office,\u201d the AL chief said, adding that those who are serving the
\ninterests of the defeated forces, cannot be well-wishers of the people.
\n\u201cAssuming office in the past, these forces turned the country\u2019s development wheel backwards,\u201d Hasina said, adding that these quarters would not be able to stop her
\ngovernment from conducting the war crimes trial.
\nThe Prime Minister said Ziaur Rahman, the slain President and husband of Khaleda, had tried to protect the killers of Bangladesh\u2019s founder, Bangabandhu Sheikh Munjibur
\nRahman. Zia also called off the early initiative by Bangabandhu for trial of war criminals, local collaborators of Pakistani occupation forces responsible for killing
\n3 million unarmed people, raping over 200,000 women and torching numerous houses during the nine-month-long war, said Hasina.
\nShe was also critical about the Opposition leader\u2019s alleged links with Pakistan and its intelligence agency, the Inter Services Intelligence.
\nReferring to Khaleda Zia\u2019s presence at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium on the day of the Bangladesh-Pakistan match, which Bangladesh lost by two runs, the
\nPrime Minister said it is not yet clear which team the BNP chief was supporting. \u201cPeople want to know, as she has never turned up in a stadium to watch a cricket match
\nbefore,\u201d Hasina said.
\nPresided over by AL presidium member, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, the discussion was addressed among others by railway minister Suranjit Sengupta, agriculture minister
\nMatia Chowdhury, jute and textile minister Abdul Latif Siddique, LGRD and cooperatives minister Syed Ashraful Islam, party joint secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif and
\nMofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.<\/p>\n

-With The Independent<\/span> input<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bangladesh has honoured 83 foreign nationals and organisations for their outstanding contributions in the Bangladesh\u2019s war of independence. President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday conferred two categories of honours on distinguished personalities from different countries and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[209,7879,2971],"yoast_head":"\n