Bangladesh Honour ‘foreign friends’ who helped in its Liberation

In a historic recognition spreading over two years, Bangladesh concluded giving awards to its ‘foreign friends’ who played a crucial role for her independence 42 years ago in 1971

The process began on July 25, 2011 and in the seventh and last phase of recognition, the country this week honoured more than 60 foreign dignitaries and organisations, including 44 from India

In all a total of 338 foreign nationals and organisations, mostly from India, were felicitated for supporting the nation’s liberation war against Pakistan.

The State accolades were given in two categories — 

• ‘Bangladesh Liberation War Honour’ and
•  ‘Friends of Liberation War Honour

The former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the first among prominent foreign friends who was given posthumously the highest state honour — Bangladesh Freedom Honour and Sonia Gandhi, received the award in Dhaka on her behalf
President Pranab Mukherjee received the award in February 2013

On October 1, 2013 the ‘Bangladesh Liberation War Honour’ was conferred on the former Indian President, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, and the former Prime Minister, Gulzarilal Nanda

V.K. Krishna Menon was one of the prominent recipients of the ‘Bangladesh Liberation War Honour’ for his contribution to the country’s independence as the Defence Minister of India. The award was received by Radha Anand Menon, grand niece of Menon, from Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

The prominent Indian nationals who received “Friends of Liberation War Honour” are -

• Air Vice Marshal Swaroop Krishna Kaul
• Maj. Gen. Lachhman Singh Lehl
• Film actor Waheeda Rehman
• Zainal Abedin
• Biswajit R. Chatterjee
• Gouri Ghosh
• Shakti Chattapadhaya
• Pannalal Dasgupta
• Shaheed Capt. Manmohan Sagor Duggal
• Asghar Ali
• Snehangshu Kanta Acharyya
• Somnath Hore
• Maulana Syed Asad Madni
• Suchitra Mitra
• Kulwant Singh Pannu
• Kishore Parekh
• Subhash Mukhopadhaya
• Samar Sen
• Shaheed Subedar Mailkiat Singh
• Sukhdev Singh Sanhu and
• Tapishwar Narain Raina.

Four award recipients were each from Pakistan and the U.S., two each from the U.K., Japan and Egypt, and one each from Sri Lanka and Turkey