Britain expresses solidarity with Bangabandhu’s secular values at Victory Day celebration in London

Bangladesh High Commission in London organised a high-profile Victory Day celebration programme on December 16, where participants including eminent British parliamentarians, ambassadors, senior officials of UK Foreign Office and recipients of Friends of Liberation War honour paid their profound homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and expressed solidarity with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's commitment to uphold Bangabandhu's secular, progressive and pluralistic values in sustaining Bangladesh's growth and prosperity.

Deep homage was also paid to the martyrs, Biranganas (war heroines) and the valiant freedom fighters of 1971 Liberation War.

High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem in her opening remarks said, "Bangabandhu and the martyrs of 1971 made supreme sacrifices to gift our generation a sovereign People's Republic of Bangladesh free from religious exploitations of an Islamic Republic of Pakistan."

Paying respects to the Father of the Nation, Rushanara Ali MP said, "I am proud of the fact that I was born in Bangladesh and came to the UK at the age of seven and take pride in today's Bangladesh that has achieved tremendous socio-economic prosperity despite Covid-19 pandemic under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in disaster management and climate-resilience."

Bob Blackman MP also paid homage to Bangabandhu. He congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the "spectacular 5.21 percent economic growth even in a post-pandemic challenging world."

Indian High Commissioner Gaitri Issar Kumar said, "Bangladesh and India have entered a 'golden age' under the visionary statesmanship and close friendship between Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi."

People of India would like to see an ever stronger, prosperous and peaceful Bangladesh, a nation that would remain true to the ideals of Bangabandhu, she added.

Ambassador Tenzin R Wangchuk of Bhutan recalled Bhutan's 3rd King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk's visit to Bangladesh refugee camps in Kolkata during the 1971 War and his door-to-door campaign to raise funds for humanitarian support to Bangladeshi refugees and decision that Bhutan would be the first country to recognise Bangladesh on December 6, 1971.

Referring to the historic photograph of Bangabandhu with the then British Prime Minister Edward Heath at the Bangladesh Foreign Office, UKFCDO's Gareth Bayley said it symbolises the historic relations between Bangladesh and the UK, which will be witnessing its golden jubilee of diplomatic relations in 2021.