Khaleda named for Independence Award-2026

Staff Reporter :

The government has decided to confer the Independence Award for 2026 on 15 distinguished individuals and five institutions in recognition of their outstanding contributions at the national level.

Among those selected is former prime minister and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Khaleda Zia, who has been nominated for her overall contributions to nation-building, including in the areas of independence, democracy and women’s education.

Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani disclosed the names of the award recipients to journalists on Thursday following a cabinet meeting at the Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

According to the cabinet secretary, the award will be given to individuals from a range of fields including the Bangladesh Liberation War, science, literature, culture, sports, public administration, social service and environmental conservation.

Among the recipients, Major Mohammad Abdul Jalil will receive the honour posthumously for his role in the Liberation War. Professor Zohurul Karim has been selected for contributions to science and technology, while Ashraf Siddiqui will be honoured posthumously for literature.

In the cultural field, the award will go to Hanif Sanket and Bashir Ahmed, the latter posthumously. Jobera Rahman, widely known as Linu, has been selected for sports.

For social service, the recipients include Zafrullah Chowdhury (posthumous), Md Saidul Haque, and Maherin Chowdhury (posthumous).

The award for public administration will be given posthumously to Kazi Fazlur Rahman. In the field of research and training, the honour will go to Mohammad Abdul Baki, Professor M A Rahim, and Professor Sukomal Barua.
Meanwhile, Abdul Mukit Majumder, also known as Mukit Majumder Babu, will receive the award for environmental conservation.

Five institutions have also been selected for the honour. Faujdarhat Cadet College will be recognised for its contributions to the Liberation War, while Dhaka Medical College Hospital will receive the award for achievements in medical science.

The other institutional recipients are Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation for rural development, SOS Children’s Villages International in Bangladesh for social service, and Gonoshasthaya Kendra for social service.

The Independence Award is the country’s highest civilian honour, conferred annually by the government to recognise exceptional contributions in various fields of national life.