The inaugural program of the Bangabandhu 7th President Cup Fencing Championship was held on Tuesday at Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium, Mirpur 10, Dhaka. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque inaugurated the tournament as the chief guest. It was presided over by Bangladesh Fencing Federation (BFF) President Shoeb Chowdhury. The program was anchored by Bangladesh Fencing Federation Joint General Secretary Rezaur Rahman Sinha. Shoeb Chowdhury paid tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “Bangladeshi fencers have retained their spirit and rhythm despite the turbulent time the world is going through at this moment because of the Russia-Ukraine War,” he said. Read more: FM inaugurates Bangabandhu Gold Cup football tournament in Sylhet  Shoeb Chowdhury applauded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for supporting the expansion of sports across Bangladesh. He also thanked State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russell for upgrading Bangladesh Fencing Association to Bangladesh Fencing Federation. Bangabandhu Chair and Bangladesh Bank’s former Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman gave the keynote speech at the event.  He assured his listeners that Bangladesh’s economy stands on a firm foothold and urged everyone not to trust rumours. Special Guest Lt. General (Retd) Sheikh Mamun Khaled said that leadership is a vital thing. Bangabandhu’s unflinching leadership freed Bangladesh from Pakistan,  he stated. Read more: Bangabandhu Gold Cup: Bangladesh off to good start, beat Laos 1-0 BFF General Secretary Selim Omrao Khan gave the welcome speech. BFF Vice President Mohiuddin Ahmed and Vice President Abdul Mabud PPM also spoke on the occasion.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday handed over prestigious Ekushey Padak, the country’s second highest civilian award, to 21 eminent personalities in recognition of their contributions to various fields.

The government on Tuesday formally included 1,256 more people in the list of freedom fighters after scrutinising around 150,000 applications.

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque on Monday said the role of Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hosaain was ‘mysterious’ during the country’s Liberation War in 1971 and that of his family to accept the rise of Bangladesh was ‘questionable’.

Mentioning that helpless people around the world are being benefited by the services of Rotary, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque on Saturday said it feels good to help others as a Rotarian.

Refuting media reports on spending Tk 60 crore for making the list of Razakars, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque on Thursday said no money was spent for it.