President, PM pay tribute at Shikha Anirban

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday paid glowing tributes to the martyred members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day-2022, reports news agency BSS.

The President, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, paid the tribute by placing a wreath at the altar of Shikha Anirban (roughly translated as flame eternal) in Dhaka Cantonment in the morning and stood in solemn silence for a while as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the martyrs.

A smartly turned out contingent of the Army, Navy and Air Force presented a salute at that time.

President Hamid also signed the visitors’ book there.

Earlier, on his arrival at Shikha Anirban, Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan and Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division (AFD) Lieutenant General Waker-Uz-Zaman received the president.

The prime minister also paid the homage by placing a wreath at the Shikha Anirban in Dhaka Cantonment in the morning.

After laying the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the armed forces martyrs, who made supreme sacrifices during the War of Liberation.

A smartly-turned out contingent drawn from Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force presented a guard of honour at that time, while the bugle played the last post.

Later, Sheikh Hasina, also in-charge of the Ministry of Defence, signed the visitors’ book kept on the premises of Shikha Anirban.

Earlier, on her arrival at the Shikha Anirban, the prime minister was received by 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 Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division (AFD) Lieutenant General Waker-Uz-Zaman.

After the wreath-placing ceremony, the prime minister went to the Armed Forces Division (AFD) where her Security Adviser Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique and chiefs of the three services made a courtesy call on her.

On her arrival at the AFD, Sheikh Hasina was received by the PSO and director generals of the AFD.

On this day during the War of Liberation in 1971, the Bangladesh Armed Forces, comprising Army, Navy and Air Force, came into being and launched an all-out attack on the Pakistani occupation forces which sped up the victory in the Liberation War.

Since the independence of the country, this historic day is being observed as the Armed Forces Day every year.