Thank you all

Shri Jagdish C Sharma, left, receives Friends of Liberation War Honour from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. Jagdish trained freedom fighters during the Liberation War and actively took part in battles as a member of the Indian Mitra Bahini. Photo: Focus Bangla

Bangladesh yesterday honoured 60 more foreigners and two organisations for their outstanding contributions to the country's War of Independence 41 years ago.
Honouring the foreign friends, whose support came when the Bangalees stood up against the atrocities and genocide and contributed to the eventful emergence of sovereign Bangladesh through a nine-month war, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said: “Your help had accelerated the defeat of the occupational forces in 1971.”
“The country is celebrating its 41st anniversary of victory tomorrow [Sunday]. It marks the victory for our foreign friends, too, the cause they had stood for. So honouring you in this month of victory makes the occasion more special,” she added.
In absence of President Zillur Rahman, who could not attend the function due to illness, Hasina presented the "Muktijuddho Moitri Sammanana" [Friends of Liberation War Honour] awards to them at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.
The premier offered the nation's deepest sense of gratitude to the foreign friends of the Liberation War as they had inspired people around the globe and played the leading role in mobilising support for the birth of Bangladesh.
“Each and every freedom fighter who joined Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971 felt that they were fighting for justice and human rights,” said former army officer and Ambassador of India Jagdish C Sharma Sena Medal, who spoke on behalf of the recipients.
Sharma recalled Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who gave birth to Bangladesh's independence. Ambassador Sharma provided training to the soldiers of 1 Mujib Battery Artillery of the Muktibahini and played an important role in preparing them for military operations.
He also actively took part in the battles of Kasba, Bhairab, Akhaura and Brahmanbaria. Three of his brothers also fought in the Liberation War as members of the Mitra Bahini.
Twenty-two recipients received the honour by themselves, while representatives of the remaining 40, mostly deceased, took the award on behalf of them.
Indian Minister for Law and Justice Ashwani Kumar received the honour on behalf of his father former minister and author late Prabodh Chandra. State Minister of Health and Family Welfare of India Abul Hossain also received the award on behalf of his father former minister and politician Abu Barkat Ataur Ghani Khan Choudhury.
This was the fourth phase of awarding foreign friends as the government had earlier honoured 145 foreign nationals and organisations in three phases.
The recipients, mostly from India, include prominent communist leader late Ila Mitra and her husband Ramendra Mitra, music legend late Salil Chowdhury, singers late Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Manna Dey, acclaimed filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, writers late Sunil Gangopadhyay and Tara Sankar Bandyopadhaya and famous painter late Maqbool Fida Husain.
Other recipients are from Australia, Bhutan, France, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the UK and the USA including late William AS Ouderland of Australia and Syed Asif Shahkar, a Pakistani origin Swedish.
Ouderland, the only foreigner to have been awarded Bangladesh gallantry award, Bir Protik, was also honoured for his support to the cause. He was the General Manager of Bata Shoe Company in Tongi during the Liberation War.
He secretly dispatched pictures of genocide to the western media and supplied important information on the Pakistani army to the freedom fighters ignoring the risk of his life. For this great contribution he has been awarded with the Friend of Liberation War Honour posthumously.
Australian High Commissioner in Dhaka Gregory A Wilcock received the award on behalf of Ouderland.
Pakistan origin Swedish judge Syed Asif Shahkar, who was joint secretary of Punjab students union in Pakistan, had mobilised public opinion against the genocide and distributed leaflets and organised demonstrations in West Pakistan.
Shahkar was arrested, tortured and given long-term jail sentence. The Pakistan government also branded him as a traitor. Later he migrated to Sweden. For his great moral contributions to the Liberation War, Shahkar has been conferred with the honour.
Each of the awardees received a citation on a piece of silk cloth and a gold-plated silver plaque in which the replica of the national mausoleum is engraved.
Earlier, the government had conferred honour to late Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, who was the first foreign friend presented with this honour. Her daughter-in-law and Congress President Sonia Gandhi received the honour on her behalf on July 25, 2011.
In the second phase, Bangladesh awarded 83 foreigners with "Bangladesh Liberation War Honour" and "Friends of Liberation War Honour" on March 27 and 61 received the state honour in the third phase on October 20 this year.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Captain (retd) AB Tajul Islam spoke on the occasion, while Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan read out the citation of the recipients.