Armed Forces Must Move Forward with Firm Stance Against Terrorism: PM

"We are committed to international peace and security. Our standpoint against all kinds of terrorism is very clear. Our armed forces must move forward imbued with the same ideal," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing the graduation ceremony of the "DSCSC 2014-2015 Course" of the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) at the DSCSC Mirpur Hall in the Mirpur Cantonment here this morning.

DSCSC Commandant Major General Sajjadul Haque delivered the welcome address.

Ministers, parliament members, advisers to the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, the chiefs of three services, diplomats and high civil and military officials were present on the occasion.

Terming again the armed forces as the symbol of the country's independence and sovereignty, the Prime Minister said the government will do whatever necessary for the development and welfare of the armed forces.

"During our immediate past tenure, we implemented various development programmes under the Forces Goal 2030. We continued the development process and we are committed to doing whatever necessary for the development and welfare of the armed forces," she said.

During her first tenure in office, she said, she took initiatives to expand the armed forces and established a number of units following the Defence Policy 1974 framed by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh's resources are limited, but its intention is to build up a strong, efficient and modern armed force within the available resources. "We need to put emphasis on advanced training and exercise to attain our aim," she said.

The Prime Minister expressed her hope that the every institution of the country would be developed and modernized and keep pace with the world. "We are hopeful that we would be able to achieve the goal," she said.

The Prime Minister said the main objective of her government is to boost up the living standard of the common people through establishing good governance at every sphere of the national life.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh believes in the peaceful resolution of all bilateral, regional and international disputes in all corners of the globe. "The basic principle of our foreign policy is: 'Friendship with all and malice towards none on the basis of equality," she said.

The Prime Minister said alongside discharging the noble responsibility of protecting our freedom, the members of patriotic Armed Forces are also making significant contributions to the fields of tackling natural disasters, construction of infrastructures, socioeconomic development and other nation-building activities.

"Not only inside the country, members of our Armed Forces have also earned name and fame in foreign lands by their honesty, dedication and professional efficiency," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the members of Bangladesh Armed Forces are contributing significantly to restore democracy side by side with social development, health and education in various countries under the emblem of UN mission. "Their success has brightened the image of Bangladesh," she noted.

The Prime Minister said in the backdrop of the changed security scenario in the present day world, role of the armed forces has become multi-dimensional.

"This should be reflected realistically in the education and training programmes of the armed forces. I believe, the Defence Services Command and Staff College has attached due importance to this issue in their training curricula," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said after the independence through the War of Liberation, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave special emphasis to build up a disciplined and professional Armed Forces for Bangladesh.

"During our previous tenure in 1996-2001, we established a number of institutions, including National Defence College, MIST and Armed Forces Medical College," she said.

With the passage of time, she said, Defence Services Command and Staff College has been acclaimed in the international arena as a unique military educational institution.

The Prime Minister called upon all to work together from their respective positions to turn Bangladesh into a middle income country before 2021 and a developed one by 2041.

"We want to turn Bangladesh into a middle income country before 2021. Our ultimate target is to turn Bangladesh into a developed nation by 2041. We have to work together from our respective positions to achieve the target," she said.

Highlighting her government's tremendous success in the field of education, the Prime Minister said her government has been striving to build Bangladesh a self-dignified nation in the world.

"We don't want to beg to anybody, we want to ensure a better and beautiful life for the new generation by building Bangladesh as a self-dignified nation," she said.

Congratulating the graduating officers for completion of the DSCSC course successfully, Sheikh Hasina said it is a matter of pride for any officer of the Armed Forces to achieve the PSC degree from the DSCSC.

Earlier, the Prime Minister handed over certificates to the graduating officers of the 2014-2015 DSCSC Course.

In the course, a total of 214 officers--120 from Bangladesh Army, 23 from Bangladesh Navy, 19 from Bangladesh Air Force, and 52 overseas officers from China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkey, the USA and Zambia--were successfully graduated from the DSCSC.

Photo: Yeasin Kabir Joy