High Commissioner for Bangladesh to the UK and Ireland Saida Muna Tasneem along with Canary Warf Group Chairman and CEO Sir George Iacobescu CBE have inaugurated the special lighting of the UK’s second tallest building in London’s high-profile business district Canary Warf in red and green, marking the 50th Anniversary of Bangladesh’s Independence.

The national anthems of Bangladesh and the UK were played and the podium and nearby waterfront were magnificently illuminated in red and green, marking the occasion, said a media release on Wednesday night.

While lighting up the ‘One Canada Square, the Canary Warf Group’s headquarters recently, High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem said, “I am delighted to illuminate the most important building in the historic borough of Tower Hamlets where Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made several visits, including his historic visit in 1969. Tower Hamlets is also the home to the largest British-Bengali community in the UK.”

She said the Bangladesh flag was raised at the Westminster Abbey, Tower Hamlets Mayor office known as Town Hall and Bromley Public Hall at Tower Hamlets at the initiative of the London High Commission on the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence. 

Speaking on the occasion, Canary Warf Group Chairman Sir George Iacobescu highly commended Bangladesh’s spectacular successes in the socio-economic fronts in the past decade and achievements of the British-Bangladeshi community in the UK.

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He chanted the historic ‘Joy Bangla’ slogan in Bangla to express solidarity with the spirit of the War of Independence of Bangladesh.

Canary Warf Group Managing Director Howard Dawber, Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs, Speaker Councillor Mohammed Ahbab Hossain and Cabinet member for Culture Councillor Sabina Akhtar attended the inaugural ceremony and paid their deepest tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the martyrs of 1971 War of Independence.

Lighting up of the Canary Warf is a part of Bangladesh High Commission’s nine-month celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Bangladesh’s Independence that began in London on 26 March.

Canary Warf Group is the UK’s largest corporate group that employees many British-Bangladeshis and promotes charity and sports between Bangladesh and the UK.

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Earlier on 26 March, the iconic London Eye was lit up, marking the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s Independence.

The High Commissioner along with Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs and Speaker Councillor Mohammed Ahbab Hossain launched a nine-month celebration of Bangladesh’s 50 years of independence by raising the Bangladesh’s flag at the Altab Ali Park in East London known as Bangla Town.