Islamabad (Adnan Hameed): The High Commission of Bangladesh in Pakistan organized a prestigious ceremony of the 52nd Anniversary of the Independence and National Day of Bangladesh in the federal capital Islamabad on May 4, 2023. The ceremony was attended by a large number of diplomatic community, Pakistani Govt officials, civil society and media outlets.
Senator Muhammad Talha Mehmood, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony was the chief guest of the event who also cut the cake of the 52nd anniversary of the Independence and National Day with Shah Zain Bugti, Federal Minister for Narcotics and Control alongwith High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Ambassador of Bangladesh, Dean of Diplomatic Missions.
The High Commissioner of Bangladesh Mr. MD Rahul Alam Siddiqui warmly welcomed the guests.
During his opening remarks, MD Rahul Alam Siddique elaborated the progress made by Bangladesh since its establishment from 1971 and talked about the economy and the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Mr. Siddique further emphasized the unique relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan, which is based on shared history and commonality of faith and culture.
He expressed his happiness about the growing bilateral trade between the two countries, which has grown over 50 percent during the last fiscal year. He also expressed hope that this trend will continue in the future.
High Commissioner said that, the journey of Bangladesh until now was not smooth one. As you are aware, Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation after a nine-month long bloody and devastating War. The amount of losses due to the War were enormous in public capital assets, agriculture, trade etc. Additionally, the loss due to the death of humans, destruction of private houses and psychological trauma was immeasurable. As such, I would say, the beginning of the journey of Bangladesh was not started from zero but from minus.
Faced with huge odds, obstacles and challenges, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took the helm of the country in January 1972 and steered it towards the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the economy. However, the journey did continue for long. With the brutal assassination of him in August 1975, the journey was stalled.
The able daughter of the Father of the Nation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assumed office for five years in 1996 and re-embarked on the journey of Bangladesh towards development. She again became the Prime Minister in 2009, and presently serving the fourth term.
Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress in socio-economic sectors and it has been transformed into one of the vibrant economies of the world. Bangladesh is now a knowledge-based middle income country. During the last fifty-years per capita income increased 30 times from merely 94 US Dollars in 1972 to 2824 US Dollars, foreign currency reserve rose to 35 billion US dollar from almost zero in 1972 and life expectancy increased to 72 years from 47 years after independence. During the last 14 years, Bangladesh has registered around 7 percent GDP growth.
He also spoke about Bangladesh’s role in global peace, security, and stability and its important contributions to the United Nations Peace Keeping Operations.
Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Senator Muhammad Talha Mehmood on Thursday participated in a ceremony to celebrate the 52nd independence anniversary and national day of Bangladesh. He, on behalf of the Pakistan government, offered his heartiest congratulations to the people and government of Bangladesh.
Addressing the event, the minister said Pakistan and Bangladesh share a common history, culture and geography, which play an important role in shaping the deep ties between the two countries. “We have always valued the bond of brotherhood that unites our people, and we are determined to take it to new heights,” he added.
Talha said it was gratifying that there had been significant improvement in the mutual relations between the two countries in recent years. “We should continue working to further improve our relations in the future,” he maintained.
He said there were immense possibilities of cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh in various fields including trade, culture, and people-to-people contact. He said, “We must use all avenues to strengthen the ties and enhance cooperation for the mutual benefit of people.”