Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the World Peace Council awarded Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman its highest prize- the Joliot-Curie Peace Medal-for his commendable contributions to global peace and freedom.
"Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's uncompromising stand in favor of global peace earned him the profound admiration of the masses around the world," she said in a message issued on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Joliot-Curie Peace Medal Award to Bangabandhu.
Sheikh Hasina said inclusion of the name 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib' on the same list as that of other globally renowned recipients of this award like Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Jawaharlal Nehru, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Pablo Neruda, Martin Luther King, Yasser Arafat, Leonid Brezhnev once again demonstrated the high esteem with which the global community honored and respected Bangladesh's Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
When the world is troubled by so many wars and conflicts at the present juncture, his acceptance of this award fifty years ago reminds us that there is no alternative to peace for the well-being of humankind, she added.
She said Bangabandhu was dedicated to the cause of peace in his lifelong struggle. In his student life, he fearlessly rushed to rescue the helpless people facing danger, risking his own life during the horrific riots in Kolkata, she said, adding that as a young politician, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman participated as a delegate in the first-ever Asia-Pacific Regional Peace Conference held in Beijing and in 1956, he participated in the World Peace Conference held in Stockholm.
The premier said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib was imprisoned for more than a decade during his quest for economic and political freedom for the people of Bangladesh.
After being released from a Pakistani prison in January 1972, he declared at his first press conference in London- 'friendship with all and malice towards none' as the core principle of peace, which was later adopted as the guiding principle of the foreign policy of newly independent Bangladesh, she added.
"Bangabandhu always supported the freedom-seeking people of Asia, Africa, and Latin America and expressed unequivocal support for the oppressed," she said.
The Prime Minister expressed her happiness for taking many programmes, including publication of a souvenir book by the Cabinet Division to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the conferment of the Joliot- Curie Peace Medal to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
"I believe that celebration of the 50th anniversary of Joliot-Curie Peace Medal Award to Bangabandhu will be beneficial for learning more about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib-the immortal exponent of global peace," she said.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha