Khaleda Zia among 20 individuals, organisations to get Independence Award

Fifteen individuals, including late BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, and five organisations have been named as recipients of the Independence Award 2026.

Md Humayun Kabir, deputy secretary at the Cabinet Division, issued a notification in this regard on Wednesday.

The awards are expected to be handed over at a grand ceremony on 25 March, a day before the Independence Day.

Former prime minister Khaleda has been nominated for the posthumous award for her contributions in the struggle for independence, fostering democracy, expanding women’s education and overall nation building efforts.

The government has nominated fourteen other eminent individuals, including six posthumous recipients. The posthumous recipients are: Freedom Fighter Major Mohammad Abdul Jalil in the Liberation War category, Kazi Fazlur Rahman in public administration category, Dr Ashraf Siddiqui in literature category, Bashir Ahmed in culture category, and Zafrullah Chowdhury and Uttara jet crash victim Maherin Chowdhury in social work category.

The living recipients are: Hanif Sanket in culture, Professor Jahurul Karim in the science and technology category, Md Saidul Haque in social work, Abdul Mukit Majumder in environmental conservation, and Mohammad Abdul Baki, Professor Dr MA Rahim and Professor Dr Sukomal Barua in research and training category.

The five recipient organisations are: Faujdarhat Cadet College in Liberation War category, Dhaka Medical College Hospital in medical science, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) for rural development initiatives, and Gonoshasthaya Kendra and SOS Children’s Village International in Bangladesh for social welfare.