PM shares Eid joy with army personnel
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has sought cooperation from all sections of society in building a safe and prosperous Bangladesh as desired by the people.
“The government is making its strides gradually to build the country in the way that soldiers and ordinary citizens envision it… We want to take the country to a better place,” he said while joining a grand feast at the Dhaka Cantonment on Thursday afternoon.
Mentioning that everyone has responsibilities in nation-building, the premier said, “We all have specific duties, and if each of us performs our responsibilities properly from our respective positions, then we will certainly be able to gradually build the Bangladesh we desire.”
Bangladesh Army’s 25th East Bengal Regiment also known as “Mrityunjoyi” hosted the feast at Zia Colony in Dhaka Cantonment on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. Officers and soldiers participated in the event.
Earlier, the prime minister arrived at the venue accompanied by his Defence Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) AKM Shamsul Islam.
He exchanged Eid greetings with officers, soldiers and their children.
He also planted a sapling in front of the “Ponchish Mrityunjoyi” building and signed the visitors’ book.
At the beginning of his speech, the Prime Minister reminisced about childhood memories connected with Dhaka Cantonment.
“As I was coming here today, it suddenly felt like I had gone back about 45 or 46 years. I was telling the story to those who were in the car with me. It was around 1975, 1976, or 1977. The gate of CMH is much bigger now; it was not this large back then.”
“I asked the ADC traveling with me whether the small pathology unit that used to be there after entering CMH still existed. In front of it there was a small garden-like area with two or three cement benches. Most probably those are no longer there and things have changed. Then I mentioned that if you went straight ahead, the family ward was on the left side and the staff surgeon used to sit on the right side in a tin-shed room. Whenever I had a fever, I would go there by myself. At that time, the staff surgeon was Major Anwar.”
He also recalled riding bicycles with friends every afternoon along Shaheed Moinul Road.
Tarique Rahman said, “Back then, almost every afternoon, several of our friends would go out on bicycles — seven or eight cycles together — and ride toward the mosque near Signals. The mosque has become very beautiful now, but back then it was painted completely white with limewash. I don’t know if that is still the case.”
He added, “The main thing is that this area is very old. Where we are sitting now used to look like a jungle. There was nothing here at that time. Now you see a very beautiful place. The road was narrow and nowhere near as wide as it is today. I have come today to a place that is deeply connected to a large part of my life. Countless memories of joy, sorrow, pain, and happiness are tied to this place.”
The Prime Minister said, “Today is Eid, a day of joy. I shared these memories with you because whenever I come to this place, I experience a different feeling. I grew up here. Since childhood, I used to visit the soldiers’ barracks, walk around there, and talk with the soldiers. It feels like my own old place.”
“That is why I wanted to share these memories with you today.”
Referring to the sense of duty of officers and soldiers toward the motherland, the Prime Minister said, “Many of you perhaps could not go on leave today because of the country’s needs. Naturally, people want to spend Eid with their families. For the sacrifice you have made, I sincerely thank you on my own behalf.”
He added, “The nation and the country will always remember your sacrifices with gratitude.”
Addressing the army personnel, the Prime Minister said, “The government is aware of all matters related to your welfare and responsibilities. In the video presentation, we saw your milestones of success. We also saw how, during the unfortunate incident when two newspaper offices were set on fire, you rescued around 18 journalists. This is certainly praiseworthy.”
He further said, “Soldiers sacrifice their lives for the needs of the country and its people, and our responsibility is to honour those sacrifices. The first condition of that recognition is that whenever we think about our country, we all want to see it prosper.”
The Prime Minister said, “We want to see a beautiful country. Regardless of social class, we all want our children to have opportunities for proper education, and our parents, spouses, children, relatives, and loved ones to receive healthcare. We are striving to ensure that ordinary people can live safely.”
المصدر: Prothom Alo (EN)