Bangabandhu Military Museum will encourage youths to join armed forces: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the state of the art Bangabandhu Military Museum (BMM) would inspire the youths to join the armed forces and protect the country's independence and sovereignty.

"Youths will be encouraged being imbued with patriotism by the Bangabandhu Military Museum and to join the armed forces -- army, navy and air force -- to defend the country's independence and sovereignty," she said.

She came up with the remark while inaugurating the museum virtually from her official Gono Bhaban residence.

The premier said the museum would be a milestone initiative for the country's armed forces through which the youths would learn about the forces' contribution to independence alongside the real history of the great Liberation War.

It would also be a "place of inspiration" for the armed forces personnel who have been working in various peacekeeping missions abroad to maintain global peace, she mentioned.

The prime minister said that her government would make the museum more modern and time-befitting.

She added separate galleries for the army, navy and air forces to showcase their glory and contribution to the Liberation War, peace-keeping missions and other works will attract the youths to join the armed forces with a patriotic zeal.

The prime minister said they have taken time-befitting measures for the overall development of the armed forces following the footprints of the Father of the Nation referring to various steps taken by her government since 1996.

Sheikh Hasina said she had to face two cases each for building a planetarium, purchasing MIG-29 planes for the air force and frigates for the navy, adding that she did not know why the cases were filed against her.

"But they were not able to prove anything against me," she said.

Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan, and Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, spoke on the occasion from the museum site at Bijoy Sarani Road.

Cabinet members, lawmakers, high civil and military officials were present at the museum end.

The museum has been built on 10 acres of land on the west side of the Bangabandhu Novo Theater where equipment of the military, before and after independence, would be presented.

The museum has six separate parts including designated galleries for Army, Navy and Air Force.

To educate people about the glorious history of the military forces, Bangladesh Military Museum was established in 1987 in Mirpur Cantonment which was later shifted in 1992 to the present location on the west side of Bangabandhu Planetarium along Bijoy Sarani in Dhaka.

The military museum was upgraded under a grand initiative which has led to the development of a state of the art establishment that will be known as 'Bangabandhu Military Museum'.

The museum promises to provide authentic information to the country's people, specifically the youths, about the glorious past, challenges, achievements, and key developments of the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force. The information displayed can also be used for research purposes.