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Prime Minister Khaleda Zia Thursday called for intensifying the present struggle for strengthening the foundation of democracy and making the nation prosperous, reports UNB
"The struggle for independence is a long-drawn process and it has now been passed onto another dimension and level. Today's struggle is against illiteracy, malnutrition, ill health and poverty," she observed.
The Prime Minister was addressing a function on the occasion of distribution of Independence Award 2006 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium.
She said the present struggle is a struggle for establishing social justice and the rule of law to ensure social security and peace by defeating all kinds of terrorism.
"We have to continue this struggle to face the challenges of the new century, overcoming all problems and backwardness," she said.
Khaleda called for maintaining national unity to carry forward the nation-building activities and development efforts.
"We have to forge national unity, burying all differences of opinion, to march together on the path of development to attain the targeted goals of national progress," the PM told the function.
"Though we successfully passed a stage in 1971 with the independence war, the final victory and the success of the struggle of national emancipation have not been achieved yet," she said.
Bangladesh Betar (independence) and Rapid Action Battalion (public service) received the Independence Award 2006 for their extraordinary contributions in the liberation war and public services respectively.
Prime Minister Khaleda distributed the awards among the representatives of the two institutions.
DG of Bangladesh Betar AFM Matiur Rahman and DG of RAB Abdul Aziz Sarker received the awards on behalf of the respective institutions.
The award carries a gold medal, Tk 0.1 million and a citation.
The function was attended, among others, by ministers, diplomats, MPs, eminent personalities of different professions and senior officials.
Begum Zia said each individual and group need to be committed to attaining a national consensus on maintaining peace and national security. "In the changed perspective, I think this is the key message of the independence," he PM observed.
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