"The nation is proud of the valiant freedom fighters," said Khaleda while speaking at a reception to gallantry award winner FFs and members of the families of martyrs at the Armed Forces Division (AFD) in Dhaka Cantonment yesterday.

She recalled the courage and sacrifice of the martyrs of the War of Independence and prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls.

Khaleda said the government has formed a separate ministry to carry out massive programmes for welfare of the FFs and their heirs.

She said steps have been taken to honour and recognise the contributions of the FFs at state level by building mausoleums at the places where the Birshresthas embraced martyrdom.

The prime minister said each family of the Birshresthas was being given state honorarium of Tk 5,000 per month. At present families of 5,734 wounded and martyred FFs are being provided monthly honorarium and other facilities through Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust.

She handed out gifts to the nearest ones of 51 gallantry awardees including Birshresthas captain Mohiuddin Zahangir, sepoy Hamidur Rahman, sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Kamal, Mohammad Ruhul Amin, flight lieutenant M Matiur Rahman, lance naik Noor Mohammad Sheikh and lance naik Munshi Abdur Rauf.

Shipping Minister Akbar Hossain, Bir Pratik, former chief of staff Major General (retd) KM Shafiullah, Bir Uttam, and Major General (retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury, Bir Bikram, were among the recipients.

The reception was attended, among others, by State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Rezaul Karim, chiefs of the three services, principal staff officer of the AFD and senior civil and military officials.

Earlier, Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Shah Iqbal Mujtaba and Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshall Fakhrul Azam paid a courtesy call on the prime minister at the AFD.