The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar yesterday underscored the need for talented people like Nawab Sir Salimullah for the progress and prosperity of the nation.

Addressing a Nawab Sir Salimullah memorial citation programme organised by the Jatiya Lekhak Forum at the Shilpakala Academy as the chief guest he said the political process initiated by Nawab Salimullah led to the creation of Pakistan and then the independence of Bangladesh.

The recipients of the Nawab Salimullah memorial citation include Prof Anwarullah Chowdhury and Prof SM Lutfur Rahman of Dhaka University, Enayetur Rahman of Ntv, Mohammad Abdul Mannan of Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, Dr Syed Naquin Muslim, Chairman of Tariff Commission, Music Director Azad Rahman, Editor of The New Nation Mostafa Kamal Majumder, Idol of Dhaka Cinema Abdur Razzak, Alhajj Golam Nabi Alamgir, Shayamal Chandra Saha, Abu Zafar Chowdhury, Md Abdus Shukur and Dr AHM Iskandar Ali.

Justice Abdur Rouf, former CEC, was the special guest at the award distribution ceremony, which was presided over by Mohammad Anwar Hossain, President of the forum.

Jamiruddin Sircar said Sir Salimullah made huge of the initiative taken by the British rulers after the Sepoy Revolution of 1857 to involve natives with the administration and facilitated the 1905 partition of Bengal to help improve the lot of the people of the region. When the partition faced stiff resistance he founded the All India Muslim League that subsequently shaped the future of the subcontinent as the spokesman of the Muslims.

The Speaker also made mention of Nawab Salimullah's role in the establishment of Dhaka University. This institution helped create the educated middle class that led this part of the subcontinent in different spheres of life.

A history of the subcontinent cannot be complete without making mention of contribution of this great soul.

Justice Abdur Rouf thanked the Lekhak Forum for honouring people for their contribution to different fields through the distribution of Salimullah memorial awards.

He deplored that the present generation of people have started forgetting the contributions of great leaders who laid the foundation of the country.

Justice Rouf called for developing the population of Bangladesh into the human resources to ensure rapid development of the country and drew the attention of the recipients of the award to this.