DHAKA, Dec 19, 2018 (BSS) – The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is set to celebrate its eighth founding anniversary tomorrow at Pilkhana headquarters as well as its all battalions across the country by holding different programmes.
The programmes include hoisting of BGB’s regimental flags atop BGB headquarters and battalions, and parade at the Pilkhana headquarters.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today issued separate message on the occasion and greeted the BGB members. They hoped that the BGB members would discharge their duties sincerely to keep the country’s border areas safe and uphold its image.
In his message, President Abdul Hamid said: “Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is a paramilitary force of 223 years old. Then EPR (now BGB) personnel took part in the Liberation War at the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. As many as 817 members of the force sacrificed their lives in the war. The force also won ‘Swadhinata Padak’ for its role in the Liberation War”.
He urged the BGB members to discharge their duties with utmost sincerity for protecting the country`s bordering areas by preventing smuggling, woman and child trafficking, combating terrorism, maintaining discipline and contributing to the rescue operations during any emergency.
In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government has taken all necessary measures to make the BGB a modern force.
She said the present government has enacted the Border Guard Bangladesh Act-2010, approved new organisational framework and recruited manpower for making it an efficient force.
“The government has already created five regions, four new sectors and 17 battalions and recruited over 26,000 staff, including 384 women, since 2009 for mobilising the activities of the force. It also set up BGB Welfare Trust and Simanta Bank for the overall development of the force” the prime minister said.
About the mutiny that took place at Pilkhana on February 25-26 in 2009, she said it was a black chapter in the 220 years’ history of the force and all the perpetrators were brought to justice.
The government has already started reform works to make the force a time be-fitting one, Sheikh Hasina said.
She recalled the contribution of this force, saying the border force fought for the country responding to the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971 and some 817 members of the border guards made their supreme sacrifices in the War of Liberation.
The prime minister said BGB is playing an important role in any emergency period or natural disaster and the nation building activities with support from the civil administration.