Dhaka, Oct 18 (bdnews24.com)—Bangladesh is set to honour the third batch of foreign friends who helped the nation to win independence from Pakistani in 1971.
This time 61 foreign friends or their representatives would receive 'Liberation War Honour' and 'Friends of Liberation War Honour' at a programme at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Saturday.
"We invited 145 and out of them 61 confirmed their participation," State Minister for Liberation War Affairs AB Tajul Islam on Thursday said.
President Mohammad Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand them gold-plated silver metallic plaques bearing replica of the National Memorial and a citation on silk cloth.
Bangladesh conferred Swadhinata Sommanona award on the late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in July last year, the only person to get the glory.
In March this year, the nation paid homage to 83 foreign friends with 'Liberation War Honour' and 'Friends of Liberation War Honour' at a glittering ceremony.
Of the 61 awardees, 49 are Indians, one each from Nepal, Vietnam and Italy, three are Britons and two each from the US, Sweden and Australia.
The state will bestow Bangladesh Liberation War Honour on former Prime Minister of India Inder Kumar Gujral and late Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. The remaining 59 would get the Friends of Liberation War Honour.
Tajul Islam said the government identified over 500 foreign friends and plans to honour them in phases.
bdnews24.com/ssz/bd/1921h
