On the occasion of the great Independence and National Day, I convey my heartfelt greetings and congratulations to my fellow countrymen living at home and abroad.
The great Independence Day is a historic and glorious day in our national life. On this solemn day, I recall with deep respect the immortal martyrs who sacrificed their lives for achieving our long cherished independence in the war of liberation. I pray for the salvation of the departed souls who embraced martyrdom in this great war of liberation.
I express my deep sense of gratitude to the valiant freedom fighters, organizers and the people from all walks of life for their supreme sacrifices, ceaseless cooperation and all out support in achieving our cherished independence.
The supreme sacrifices and heroism of the freedom fighters are written in letters of gold forever in the history of our independence.
One of the prime objectives of our independence was to establish a happy, prosperous and self-reliant country. Keeping that in mind, we have already achieved significant progress in the fields of education, health care services, family planning, food production, micro-credit, telecommunication, rural infrastructure, sanitation, empowerment of women etc.
Our achievements are significant not only in national life but also in international arena.
In UN Peacekeeping Missions, Bangladeshi troops have been acclaimed by the world community due to their professional excellences. The huge contributions being made by our professionals including doctors, engineers, teachers as well as experienced and nonexperienced manpower working both in developed and developing countries have brought reputation for the country.
The award of Nobel Peace Prize 2006 to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has lifted the image of Bangladesh to a great height in the international arena.
However, we have to go a long way to realize a self-reliant Bangladesh, which was the desired goal of our independence. I believe concerted efforts are imperative for continuing our progress and success.
It is my firm conviction that progress and prosperity in all areas of national life will be achieved if we devote ourselves to nation building and keep national interest above everything.
On this great Independence and National Day, I urge all citizens, living at home and abroad, to work unitedly with continued efforts aimed at expediting overall development, economic self-reliance and democratic progress.
Allah Hafez, Bangladesh Zindabad
Professor Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed
President, People’s Republic of Bangladesh