BGB Day today

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will observe its sixth founding anniversary on Tuesday amid holding different programmes at its Pilkhana headquarters as well as its all battalions across the country.

The programmes include hoisting of flags after Fajr prayer atop BGB battalions and headquarters, holding parade at the Pilkhana headquarters where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would take salute at 9 am, said a BGB spokesman.

President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday issued separate statement on the occasion greeting the BGB members. They hoped that the BGB would discharge their duties with honesty and sincerity to keep the border areas safe and uphold the country`s image.

The traditional paramilitary border guards are specially deployed in the frontiers to protect the country from enemies abroad. The flag of the BGB was raised on January 23, 2011 to expedite the operational activities of the force in line with the Border Guard Bangladesh Act-2010.

Earlier the mutiny that took place at Pilkhana on February 25-26 in 2009 was a black chapter in the 220 years` history of the force. BGB is working under its four regions, four sectors and 15 battalions with about 22 thousand members countrywide.

In his message, President Abdul Hamid urged the BGB members to discharge their duties with utmost sincerity for protecting the country`s bordering areas by preventing smuggling, woman and child trafficking, combating terrorism, maintaining discipline and contributing to rescue operation during natural calamities.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her message said her government has taken all necessary measures to make the BGB a modern force. She said the present government has enacted the Border Guard Bangladesh Act-2010 and approved new organizational framework and manpower for making it an efficient force.

She recalled the contribution of this force saying the border forces fought for the country responding to the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971 and some 817 members of the border guards made their supreme sacrifices in the War of Liberation.

The force, she said, is playing a better role than in the past in any emergency period and natural disaster and nation building activities and in aid of civil administration.

Source: BSS