Zafrullah Chowdhury Named Again Despite Already Receiving the Independence Award
In recognition of glorious and outstanding contributions at the national level, the government has nominated 15 individuals and five institutions, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia, for the country’s highest civilian honour, the Independence Award. The list also includes the name of Zafrullah Chowdhury.
This year, seven individuals, including him, are being given the honour posthumously.
However, according to the list of recipients of the Independence Award, Zafrullah Chowdhury had already received the award in 1977.
The list of individuals and institutions who have received the Independence Award, published on the Cabinet Division’s website, shows that in the first year of its introduction, the honour was given to 10 distinguished individuals. Zafrullah Chowdhury’s name appears on that list for his contribution to population control.
A press release issued by the Cabinet Division on Thursday said he has once again been nominated in recognition of his contributions to social service and public welfare.
The Independence Award is the highest civilian state honour in Bangladesh. Since 1977, the award has been given every year on the occasion of Independence Day to recognise glorious and outstanding contributions at the national level by individuals or institutions.
Usually, a person receives this honour only once.
The same explanation was also given by the previous interim government regarding such a situation.
In a statement last year, the Chief Adviser’s Office said while discussing the possibility of awarding the Independence Award again to Liberation War commander-in-chief MAG Osmani, “There is no precedent of any Bangladeshi receiving the country’s highest award twice.”
The statement added that as Osmani had received the Independence Award in 1985, the discussion about awarding him the honour again was later dropped.
