DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over the country’s highest national award ‘Swadhinata Padak’ (Independence Award) for the year 2019 to 13 distinguished persons and an organization on Monday (March).

The premier handed over the awards to the recipients in recognition of their significant contribution to their respective fields at a ceremony organized by the Cabinet Division at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in Dhaka, in the morning.

The recipients are – martyred intellectual Mufazzal Haider Chowdhury (posthumous), martyred ATM Zafar Alam (posthumous), AKM Mozammel Haque, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Kazi Misbahun Nahar, Abdul Khalek (posthumous), Professor Mohammad Khaled (posthumous) and Barrister Shawkat Ali Khan (posthumous) in independence and Liberation War, Brigadier General Dr Nurun Nahar Fatema Begum in medical science, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad in social service, Murtaza Bashir in culture, Hasan Azizul Haque in literature, Professor Dr Hasina Khan in research and training and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) in science and technology.

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam moderated the ceremony.

Chief Justice, cabinet members, PM’s advisors, lawmakers, chiefs of the three services, foreign diplomats, freedom fighters, and high civil and military officials were present on the occasion.

Each of the recipients was given a medal weighing 50 grams of gold of 18 karat, Tk 3 lakh and a citation.

BDST: 1234 HRS, MAR 25, 2019
SI