Eight distinguished individuals including poet Al Mahmud are getting Swadhinata Award. They are receiving Swadhinata Award-2025 this year in recognition of their glorious and meritorious contribution at the national level.

The distinguished individuals are MAG Osmany, Azam Khan, Badruddin Umar, Fazle Hasan Abed, Novera Ahmed, Al Mahmud, Professor Jamal Nazrul Islam and Abrar Fahad.

The Swadhinata Award is the highest state award of the country. The government has been giving this award every year since 1977 on the occasion of Independence Day on March 26. The independence proclaimer, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, introduced the Swadhinata Award. This award is given every year on Bangladesh's Independence Day in memory of the distinguished individuals for their contributions for the country.

Each recipient is given Tk. five lakh, an 18-carat 50-gram gold medal, a replica of the medal and a certificate of honor.

The chief adviser to the interim government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has hinted that the next national parliament election will be held by December. On the other hand, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said that preparations are underway assuming the election in December as announced by the chief adviser.

However, the comment made by Sarjis Alam, the chief organizer of the northern region of the National Citizen Party, that 'no one should talk about elections before Sheikh Hasina's trial' has once again sparked a debate about the date of the election. Leaders of political parties have given mixed reactions to this. According to the reactions of politicians published in the press, none of them agree with Sarjis Alam's statement.

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader said, 'Trial is a continuous process. The trial process cannot be limited to a time frame. It can take any time for the trial. It takes a lot of time to do the trial, even five years, six years, twenty years, its time frame is uncertain. However, the election must be held within a specific time frame. Elections cannot be kept in uncertainty. It is not reasonable to link the issue of elections with trials.’

He also said, ‘It is not good for the people of the country for an unelected government to remain in power for a long time. This is the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The subjects are its owners. They must be given this ownership right as soon as possible. The role of the people is very important here. It should not be managed without the role of the people for a moment.’

GM Quader believes that it can never rest on the opinion of one person. Elections must be held. Whatever reforms are made by the elected representatives, the subsequent management of the country, the creation of such a situation as an accountable government, must be given as soon as possible.

Former President of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Mujahidul Islam Selim, said in this regard, ‘Reforms cannot be made without elections because reforms will require the consent of the people. The reform process will not last long without the consent of the people’s representatives. But those reforms are essential for holding free and fair elections; they must be done before the elections. And other reforms will have to be done after the elections.’

‘So it is possible to hold elections even before December because after the fall of the dictator Ershad, the Shahabuddin government held elections within three months and formed a task force and made recommendations although the situation is different now. Even then, instead of three months, one and a half years is a long time,’ he added.

Stating that to be relevant in politics, the youth will have to pass a test of their principles and ideals, Mujahidul Islam Selim said, ‘We think that all criminals should be tried. Why only the Awami League, those who were involved in looting in the past should be tried. Now the party is being formed by spending crores of taka, what is the source of that money? Where do Mercedes cars come from? Everything should be tried. No wrongdoer should be left out of the trial.’

BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said, ‘Sheikh Hasina’s trial has nothing to do with the change of government. If we believe in the legal process, Sheikh Hasina will still be punished, it will still be, it will still be. There are many cases in Sheikh Hasina's name; they will continue to be resolved one after another through the judicial process. So the judicial process has nothing to do with the elections.'

Addressing the youth, he said, 'People come to parliament with a mandate, there will be discussions and debates, then it will be passed. Simply put, no one has any objection to the decisions that are made on the basis of consensus. But I propose, so it has to be, if there is such a mentality, then it reminds us of Sheikh Hasina's attitude. If the people give a mandate, then they will be implemented in the next elections. There is no other way.'

Jamaat-e-Islami Naib-e-Amir Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, however, believes that the AL trial and elections will go together. He said, 'We have proposed some reforms to the interim government. We have also demanded that the reforms be carried out very quickly. So we have been demanding that elections be held as soon as possible with minimum reforms. This is our party's position. The trial of the Awami League and the organization of elections by next December are both possible. If the government does all this seriously and with due responsibility, then it is possible.’

Chairman of the Jatiyo Oikya Mahmudur Rahman Manna said, ‘The students are saying and showing many things without understanding. They have talked about the trial of the Awami League, has that changed the government’s decision? We must always speak logically. The elections will be closed; this cannot be a matter of talk.’

Stating that it is possible to organize elections in the country by next December, this politician said, ‘It is not possible to judge the Awami League and give a verdict. The legal or judicial process is a very long time. I think it will not be possible to judge the Awami League, give a verdict of hanging or punishment by December. However, the initial stage of the trial can be started.’

Chairman of the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, Mojibur Rahman Manju said, ‘This government will not be able to finish the trial of the Awami League. However, we hope that this government will be able to start the trial process of the Awami League. If the trial process starts, there will be no debate about the election. Seven months have passed since the interim government. They should seriously think about the trial process of the Awami League. If they neglect this issue, the trial may drag on.’ National Citizens Party (NCP) Senior Joint Convener Samantha Sharmin said, ‘The media is not reporting the election. We do not think the statement about the judicial process is entirely correct. We think that if the Awami League's judicial activities are visible and effective, the elections will be convenient for everyone. The rehabilitation of the Awami League in the elections will not happen again. However, the judicial process will proceed at its (own) pace. We do not want any political party to interfere with the judicial system here.

Abrar Fahad is not just a name but a journey in the fight against Indian aggression, said Asif Mahmud, Adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

He said these things during the inauguration of Shaheed Abrar Stadium in Kushtia on Thursday (March 6) afternoon.

Asif Mahmud said that Abrar Fahad, a residential student of Sher-e-Bangla Hall and a second-year student of the Department of Electrical Engineering of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), was brutally beaten to death by the organization’s cadres on the night of October 6, 2019, after he posted a Facebook status on the Assam Agreement between Bangladesh and India and water aggression.

Later, the police recovered his body from the stairs of Sher-e-Bangla Hall. I remember the next day we marched without thinking about anything, demanding justice for the murder.

Asif Mahmud further said, to keep the name of martyr Abrar Fahad in mind, this Kushtia stadium has been named after Abrar Fahad as a form of state recognition. Similarly, so that the names of those killed in the July uprising remain alive, the mini stadium will also be named after them.

Regarding the sports and cultural activities of Kushtia, the adviser said, how to take this Kushtia forward in all sectors including sports, national players must be produced from here. At the same time, more sports must be organized here. He also said that the importance of sports and cultural activities is immense to make the young society drug-free.

He said, the conspiracy is still ongoing, so the superpowers are plotting around various minor issues. And they are trying day and night to mess up the overall situation. Abrar Fahad has created a foundation in the fight against aggression. We are participating in that fight.

The interim government is working to develop various infrastructures in Bangladesh. He sought the involvement of the people in these developments and in building a new Bangladesh.

The program was inaugurated by Shaheed Abrar Fahad's father Barkat Ullah.

Deputy Commissioner Md. Taufiqur Rahman presided over the event. Special guests were present at the event, including Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Md. Rezaul Maqsud Zaheri, National Sports Council and Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Aminul Islam ndc, Kushtia Police Superintendent Mizanur Rahman.

Speaking as a special guest, Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Md. Rezaul Maqsud Zaheri said, today is a historic day. For the people of Kushtia, today is a day of joy as well as sadness.

Shaheed Abrar Fahad's father Barkat Ullah said, Abrar Fahad is not just a name, he is my son. This stadium has been named after Abrar Fahad so that the memory will last for generations. The people of Kushtia also demanded that it be named after him. He acknowledged the gratitude that the advisors and those concerned had done so.

Earlier, the guests inaugurated it by releasing balloons and doves, a symbol of peace, by unveiling the nameplate.

Police have arrested former Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology NM Ziaul Alam. A case has been filed against him for embezzling Tk. 20,000 crore by leaking and selling National Identity Card (NID) data.

He was arrested on Tuesday (March 4) night. However, the matter came to light after the afternoon of Wednesday (March 5). In the afternoon, a team from the Cyber Investigation Division of the CID left for Dhaka with the former secretary.
He did not reach the CID office in Dhaka until 10 pm on Wednesday (March 5). He may be produced in court and remanded for questioning on Thursday (March 6).

Additional DIG of the CID Cyber Police Center Ashrafuzzaman Daula confirmed this information and said that a case was filed at the Kafrul Police Station in Dhaka on charges of granting business permission to a company named Digicon Global Services Limited using NID data. Former senior secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, NM Ziaul Alam, who was arrested in this case is also an accused. A person named Enamul Haque filed the case on October 9 last year.
The names of 19 people, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and former State Minister for Information Technology Junaid Ahmed Palak, were mentioned in the case.

In this case filed under the Cyber Security Act, the plaintiff alleged that the defendants leaked and sold National Identity Card (NID) information through the relevant organization. Through that organization (Digicon), NID information was sold to about 182 organizations in the country and abroad without ensuring national security and personal information security, and about 20 thousand crore taka was embezzled.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chattogram Panchlaish Police Station, Mohammad Solaiman, said that based on information from the CID, former senior secretary NM Ziaul Alam was arrested from the house of a doctor of Chattogram Medical College behind Panchlaish Police Station on Tuesday night. The doctor is the elder brother of the arrested secretary's wife. After the arrest, the CID team left for Dhaka with him on Wednesday afternoon.