The government has removed the Swadhinata Padak of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman from the National Museum on Wednesday, said a museum keeper. Dr Swapan Kumar Biswas, a museum keeper at Department of History and Classical Art, told the Dhaka Tribune: “On Tuesday, we received a letter from the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs asking the museum authorities to handover Zia’s Swadhinata Padak to the ministry. “Later on Wednesday afternoon, we removed Zia’s crest and other accessories from the museum and handed those over to the ministry.”Recently, the Cabinet Committee on National Awards recommended the cancellation of late president Ziaur Rahman’s Swadhinata Puroshkar in line with a High Court order. During the time, former president Ziaur Rahman led the autocrat government.”Zia was awarded with the Swadhinata Puroshkar in 2003, during the BNP-Jamaat alliance rule. The award – a medal and a citation – has been kept in the National Museum.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 07, 2016 12:56 UTC