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PM-MEETING-ARMED FORCES 2 DHAKA
Paying tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the prime minister said Bangabandhu immediately after independence had taken steps to establish modern and time-befitting armed forces alongside rebuilding the war ravaged country.
“The Father of the Nation enacted a time-befitting defence policy at that time and he wanted to advance the country taking with all. But those who were the cohorts of the Pakistani military junta and who didn’t accept the country’s victory in the liberation war could not value his liberalism,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina, also the elder daughter of Bangabandhu, said the country plunged into ominous darkness on August 15 in 1975 due to anti-liberation forces, the conspirators and some high-ambitious elements.
“Not only the president, most of his family members were brutally killed by them and the four national leaders who brought victory of the liberation war by forming the liberation war-time government at the directives of the Father of the Nation were heinously killed inside the jail on November 3 that year,” she said.
She continued: “I don’t know whether the spot of this stigma will be erased or not and through these killings, the spirit of the liberation war was going to be foiled.”
The premier said it’s unfortunate that the honour of a victorious nation after being recognised as the killers of 1975 was destroyed.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has adopted the Forces Goal-2030 on the basis of Bangabandhu’s defence policy. “Bangabandhu had taken initiatives to build modern armed forces by procuring sophisticated arms and ammunition alongside establishing various institutions,” she said.
The prime minister said following Bangabandhu’s footprints, her government after assuming office in 1996 established various military establishments including the NDC War College and purchased modern arms and ammunition for the three armed forces.
“After coming to power for the second time, we took steps so that the armed forces are capable on all sides. We procured army infantry gadget including modern helicopters to increase army’s operational capacity,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said her government first collected a modern frigate for the navy, as well as submarines and military helicopter. “We’ve turned the navy into a tri-dimensional force,” she said.
Referring to earning huge maritime boundary, the premier said, “It’s a must to build navy as time-befitting force to utilise our marine resources. We’re continuing our strides so that we could move keeping pace with the era,” she said.
Turning to the development of the air force, Sheikh Hasina said her government first inducted the MiG-29 fighter planes into the air force. “Besides, we procured most modern transport planes, air defence radar and the missiles which are capable of launching into sky from land,” she said.
The premier pointed out that her government always attaches priority to training, saying that higher training is very essential for members of the armed forces.
“We’ve established aeronautical centre for higher training of the air force personnel as well as maintenance of their war equipment,” she said.
About the digitisation of the armed forces, Sheikh Hasina said the government set up Army IT Support Organisation and Computer War Games Centre. “We’re making all sorts of modern arrangements for the armed forces,” she said.
Mentioning that the Bangladesh Armed Forces are playing an excellent role in the UN peace keeping missions, the prime minister said: “Our armed forces need all types of training to move keeping pace with other countries of the world.”
“We don’t want any member of our armed forces to lag behind, we want all to remain update and equipped with modern technology and knowledge … we’re working by paying attention to this end,” she said.
While talking about the country’s development, Sheikh Hasina requested all concerned to suspend all the less important costs at this moment keeping in mind how much money could be collected amid the coronavirus pandemic despite the government giving a huge budget with adequate allocation to every sector.
“We will do only the urgently needed expenditure and will suspend less important costs bearing the fact how much money we could collect and how much we could expense of those amid the coronavirus pandemic. We will do the expenses once good days return,” she said.
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