Photo exhibition on PM’s life opens in Dhaka

A three-day photo exhibition marking the 75th birth anniversary of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened on Sunday at hotel Sheraton in Dhaka, highlighting her life's struggles, works and achievements.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury inaugurated 'Bangladesh: A Decade of Development', organised by the Canadian University of Bangladesh (CUB) on Kamal Ataturk Avenue in Banani in the morning.

"It will give the new generation a glimpse into the 75 years of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's life full of struggle and unique works. The photographs shared various chapters of her life. Everything came up very nicely in the exhibition," Speaker Chaudhury said.

The exhibition is open for all from 10am to 7pm until tomorrow. Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Md Tazul Islam will be the chief guest on the second day. State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak will be present as the special guest.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Adviser on Private Industries and Investment Salman F Rahman will attend the event as the chief guest at the closing ceremony tomorrow. Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam will be the special guest.

Speaker Chaudhury said, "When it comes to writing or speaking about the prime minister, I believe that May 17, 1981, is a turning point in the history of Bangladesh when she came back home and took the helm of Awami League."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the eldest daughter of Bangladesh's founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was barred from returning to the country after the assassination of the nation's independence hero and most of his family members on August 15, 1975. She finally returned home on May 17, 1981, and took charge of the party. Under her leadership, the Awami League returned to power in 1996 and secured a landslide in the 2008 elections. Her party won the two following national elections in 2014 and 2018.

Commenting on the progress that Bangladesh made under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker Chaudhury said, "The world leaders are also saying in unison that Bangladesh is a development wonder."

State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Zahid Ahsan Russel, who attended the event as the special guest, said the party had formed three consecutive governments under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership since 2008. 

"Before the 2008 elections, she announced Vision 2021 to realise Bangabandhu's dream of building a 'Golden Bengal'. She is the most successful prime minister in Bangladesh after 1975. She has taken Bangladesh to unique heights," he said.

Russel said Bangladesh won accolades for sheltering Rohingyas, victims of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. "The prime minister is working not only to protect the rights of the country and the people but also the rights of the world's people. She is now a world leader beyond the borders of the country," he added.

Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Benoit Préfontaine, the guest of honour at the event, said he was delighted to attend the exhibition and added that he had learned a lot about the prime minister. 

The inaugural ceremony was presided by the founder of CUB and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat.

"We had to work for a year to organise this event. The country has developed so much in the last 12 years that many people have forgotten the struggling life of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 

"We have tried to present the daughter of Bangabandhu to the country's people through this exhibition. This event is organised to inspire patriotism by presenting the development philosophy of Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina to the youth," he said.