Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the Bangladesh army, a force imbued with the spirit of the War of Liberation, is very much ready than ever before to foil any evil force.
“The people’s confidence in the army has been strengthened as the force is equipped with vast resources of modern war machines and capable to operate those efficiently,” she said at an army exercise, at Swarna Dweep (island) in Noakhali district.
Hasina said modern armament of the army and their tough activities manifest their professionalism. “Excellent maneuver is an example of modern and strong military force,” she said praising the exercise of the 11 Infantry
Division.
“We don’t want war, but we have to have every preparation to foil any attempt against our independence and sovereignty,” she said, adding, “Our armed forces are growing up as befitting enough required for an
independent country.”
“I’m confident about the overall capacity of the army after seeing the use of newly inducted MBT-2000 tank, APC BTR-80, Self-Propelled Artillery Gun, NORA-B-52, Radar Vehicle SLC-2, anti-tank missile METIS-M-1 and professionalism
of the army,” she said.
Army Chief General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq gave the welcome address on the occasion, attended by ministers, chiefs of navy and air forces, parliament members, general officers commanding (GOCs) of 11 and 33 infantry divisions.
The island popularly known as the Jahaijjar Char surfaced in 1978. The inaccessible island for long had been used by pirates as a safe haven, disrupting the activities of the civil
administration.
Situated at a 3mn height above sea-level, the island is about 360sq km in area. In 2013, the island was renamed as Swarna Dweep and the government allocated it to the Bangladesh army in 2013 for training as well as development of the island for habitation, improved law and order and afforestation.
Over the last three years, the island witnessed tremendous progress in terms of infrastructural development with construction of two cyclone centers and a container based camp.
Hasina expressed her pleasure for planned use of the newly developed island located at the estuary of the Meghna.
She said the army, born through our War of Liberation in 1971, secured its position globally as a competent, disciplined and well-organised force.
She announced plans to construct three more cyclone centres in the island within a very short time and extend all services to the islanders to make them self-dependent.
The prime minister said the government has taken steps to produce different varieties of saline tolerant paddy and crops in addition to plantation of coconut trees and creation of ‘keora’ garden to check erosion.
“The government has also taken initiative to support the island people for dairy and poultry farming,” she said, adding that Mujib Killa (Mujib Fort) is being constructed for shelter of the people and livestock resources during any natural disaster.
The prime minister inaugurated a multipurpose cyclone shelter centre and planted a sapling of coconut tree. She also visited a dairy farm run by the army and a coconut
garden.

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