RIYADH, 20 December 2004 — The new Bangladeshi ambassador to the Kingdom has called for concerted efforts by his community members to help develop their country.
Ambassador Maj. Gen. (Retd) Ikramul Haque, who hoisted the national flag to commemorate his nation’s Victory Day on Thursday, said: “Every Bangladeshi should do his best for a self–reliant Bangladesh.”
The liberation war began on March 26, 1971, culminating in the victory on Dec. 16, the same year. “Thus Bangladesh came into being as a sovereign and independent state in the globe,” the envoy recalled.
The early morning function was followed by a meeting attended by representatives from the Biman Airlines, Bangladesh community schools — International and Bengali sections — and Bangladeshi professionals from public and private sector enterprises.
Paying tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives in the liberation war, the envoy said that Bangladeshi expatriates in the Kingdom should work hand in glove with the mission to consolidate and strengthen the existing development sectors back at home.
“The present government has embarked on several national projects for the well-being of the country and this needs support and assistance from its countrymen living abroad,” he stressed.
Messages of President Prof. Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan were read during the conference.
The Bangladesh International School held a colorful cultural show by its students to mark the occasion.
