Staff Reporter: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed hope that every member of the Armed Forces will be inspired by the spirit of the Great Liberation War and will fulfill their responsibilities with devotion in the ideals of patriotism, professionalism and morality.

Noting that the Armed Forces has become a symbol of the nation's confidence today, he said that in addition to performing their professional duties, the Armed Forces are participating in various activities such as disaster management, infrastructure construction, humanitarian services, assistance to the civil administration and nation building. The members of the Armed Forces are brightening the image of the country in the international arena by faithfully performing their duties in the UN peacekeeping operations.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this in a message on the occasion of 'Armed Forces Day 2020' on Saturday. On the occasion of Armed Forces Day, he extended his heartfelt greetings and congratulations to all members of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Besides, on this historic day, the Prime Minister paid homage to all the heroic martyrs of the freedom struggle and liberation war of Bangladesh and the martyrs of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives for the motherland and wished overall success to the day.

Sheikh Hasina said the Bengali nation jumped into the great war of liberation in 1971 in response to the exalted call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Under his visionary, courageous and magical leadership, the Bengali nation broke the shackles of subjugation and snatched the red sun and red and green flags of independence.

"November 21 is a very glorious day in the history of our great war of independence," he said. On this day in 1971, during the war of liberation led by the Awami League, the fearless members of the army, navy and air force jointly launched a counter-attack against the occupying forces. The freedom fighters, members of various paramilitary forces and the patriotic masses united in this concerted attack. The occupying forces were forced to surrender.

The Prime Minister said, "We achieved the final victory on December 16 by defeating the invading Pakistani forces." Armed Forces Day is observed on 21 November every year to commemorate the progress and victory of the Bengali nation in the great war of liberation.

Noting that after independence, the Father of the Nation started building a modern and sophisticated armed force, Sheikh Hasina said, adding that for the army, she formed military academies, combined armed schools and training schools for each corps and many more military institutions and units. He inaugurated Isa Khan, a Bangladesh naval base in Chittagong. On Bangabandhu's personal initiative, two ships were procured for the navy from the then Yugoslavia. For the Air Force, he procured helicopters, transport aircraft and radar, including supersonic MiG-21 fighter jets from the then Soviet Union.

The Prime Minister said her government has been working tirelessly to modernize the armed forces since she took charge of the government in 2009. Equipped the Army, Navy and Air Force with state-of-the-art equipment including providing advanced training at home and abroad. At the behest of the Father of the Nation, the Forces Goal-2030 has been formulated in the light of the Defense Policy enacted in 1974 in favor of an independent and sovereign state. Under this, the restructuring and modernization activities of the three forces are being implemented in phases.