President Hamid, PM Hasina attend Victory Day parade

President Abdul Hamid has inspected a colourful military parade at National Parade Ground marking 48 years of Bangladesh's decisive victory in the bloody War of Independence from Pakistan.

The parade at Sher-E-Bangla Nagar on Monday showcased the activities of the Freedom Fighters Contingent, armed forces, law enforcement agencies and different ministries of the government.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and the heads of the three forces welcomed the president as he reached parade square at 10.30 am on Monday.

The army, navy and the air force, BNCC, Border Guard Bangladesh, police, Rapid Action Battalion, Ansar and VDP, Coast Guard and Fire Service and Civil Defence all participated in the parade organised by the 9th Infantry Division with the directives of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs.

President Hamid, clad in a blue suit, inspected the parade from an open-top jeep before taking the salute of the parade as its chief guest.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, cabinet members, secretaries, armed force personnel, foreign ambassadors, chiefs of mission and other dignitaries were present in the occasion.

Ninth Infantry Division GOC Major Gen Akbar Hossain led this year’s parade.

People from all walks of life enjoyed the two-hour spectacle which was also broadcast live by Bangladesh Television. 

During the parade, the Army, Navy and Air Force exhibited their recently added weaponries.

This was followed by aerobatic displays by the Air Force’s K-8W, F-7 BG1, Yak 130 and Mig-29B fighter planes. Another attraction was the parachute jump by army paratroopers carrying the national flag, president’s flag and flags of different divisions of the armed forces.

A Mig-29 fighter jet also offered a ‘flying salute’ to the president as other planes left trails of coloured smoke. The flypast was led by Air Vice Marshal Md Sayeed Hossain.

A military band of 600 performers led by Lt Col Benazir Ahmed greeted the president towards the end of the event.

A band contingent of the Indian Army headed by Subadar Lakshmidhar Mahapatra also took part in the parade.

The president and the prime minister later exchanged greetings with the contingent commanders.