‘Demonetisation will not affect purse for the soldiers who died during the 1971 Liberation War’

: Bangladesh will honour 1,668 members of the Indian Army, who were martyred during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Their families will receive a Rs. 5 lakh purse as a mark of respect, said Liberation War Affairs Minister A.K.M. Mozammel Huq. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, will be in Delhi between 18-20 December to hand over the money, in Indian currency, to the martyrs’ family members, the Minister told The Hindu.

‘Not a problem’

Demonetisation will “not be a problem” he added. “I have spoken to the Indian High Commissioner [in Dhaka]. I feel the problem of cash transactions in India will be addressed by the time our Prime Minister reaches Delhi.”

“We will convert Bangladeshi taka into dollars (about INR 100 crore for 1,668 martyrs) and give it to our High Commission in Delhi. They will convert it to Indian currency and the PM [Sheikh Hasina] will give it to the family members of the Indian martyrs. The issue will be addressed soon and depositing the amount [in a bank] will not be a problem,” Mr. Huq said. A letter of gratitude from Ms. Hasina in Bengali, English and Hindi, and a plaque, will also be given. A book on the contribution of the martyrs will be published, too.

“Besides, we will be raising a war memorial in the Brahmanbaria district [in Bangladesh] to pay homage to the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives for our war of liberation and independence,” said Mr. Huq, who himself took part in the armed resistance during the 1971 war and was a senior official of Bangladesh Chhatra League (formerly the East Pakistan Student League), the student’s political wing of the Awami League, at the time of the country’s independence.

A retired Lieutenant-Colonel, Kaji Sajjad Ali Zahir, has worked closely with the Indian Army to identify the soldiers who were killed during the war. The gesture was mentioned in the joint declaration during PM Modi’s visit to Dhaka in 2015.