BD Army should be People friendly: PM

Staff Correspondent: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the members of the Armed Forces to uphold the glory of the country by contributing to its development activities alongside protecting the sovereignty.
“I believe you can earn admiration everywhere by your discipline and professions and can uphold the glory of the country by contributing to the development activities alongside protecting its sovereignty,” she said while addressing a civic and military gathering at a reception on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day 2021.
The Prime Minister attended the reception at Senakunja of Dhaka Cantonment, virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.
Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said the Bangladesh Army should be the People’s Army.
She hoped that the Armed Forces will take the nation forward imbued with the ideology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the spirit of the Liberation War. “We’ll be able to move, raising our heads high in the world arena. This is our main goal,” said the Prime Minister.
An audio-visual documentary was screened on the occasion.
On this day in 1971, the Bangladesh Armed Forces comprising Army, Navy and Air Force, came into being and launched an all-out attack on the Pakistani occupation forces which sped up the victory in the Liberation War.
Since the independence of the country, this historic day is observed as the Armed Forces Day every year.
PM wants country’s advancement without any bar
PM said, “I just want on this Armed Forces Day (AFD) that the advancement of our country will not be allowed to be hindered in any way and Bangladesh can move ahead on the world stage with dignity and honour. The independence achieved by efforts of all people and blood of hundreds of thousands of martyrs cannot be failed, adding, “We cannot even let it happen.”
“Bangladesh will move ahead with keeping the dignity we have achieved so far. InshaAllah, we will build a prosperous “Sonar Bangladesh” as envisioned by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she also said.