UNB, Dhaka :
President Abdul Hamid welcomed his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind to Bangladesh upon the the latter’s arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Wednesday morning.
A special flight of national carrier Air India carrying the Indian President, the First Lady of India, their daughter, and his entourage landed at the Dhaka airport around 11.10 am.
President Hamid and his wife Rashida Khanom, the First Lady, welcomed the Indian President and his family with a flower bouquet at the VVIP lounge.
At the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Abdul Hamid, the Indian President has come here to attend the 50th Victory Day celebrations of Bangladesh, the closing ceremony of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of Bangladesh-India diplomatic relations.
President Kovind was also given a guard of honour at the airport upon his arrival from Delhi. He also paid homage to the martyrs of the great Liberation War at the National Mausoleum in Savar.
On the same day at noon, he visited Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 and paid homage to the Father of the Nation.
In the evening, the Indian President will hold a delegation-level meeting with President Hamid at Bangabhaban. After that, the Indian President will attend a banquet to be hosted by President Hamid.
A cultural programme conducted by artistes of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy will be presented before the official dinner in the honour of the Indian President.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will also have a meeting with the Indian President on the same day at Bangabhaban, while Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will also call on him.
Before going for the meeting, President Kovind will present a replica of T-55 tank and a MiG-29 fighter jet which was used during the Great Liberation War of Bangladesh, to President Hamid for display at Bangladesh National Museum.
On Victory Fay, President Kovind will attend the the two-day colourful programme on the theme ‘The Greatest Hero of the Glorious Victory’ organised by the National Implementation Committee for the celebration of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
President Hamid will join the programme as the chief guest while the Indian President will be present as the Guest of Honour at the programme of Bangladesh National Parliament.
Prime Minister and daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Hasina will preside over the ceremony.
On the third day of his visit, on Friday, the Indian President will inaugurate and inspect the newly renovated section of the “Kali Mondir” at Ramna.
The Indian President will leave Dhaka for Delhi on Friday noon.
Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a state visit to Bangladesh from March 26 to 27 to join the celebrations of the golden jubilee of the independence of Bangladesh, the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh.
Minister of State for Education, two Members of Parliament, the Indian Foreign Secretary and other high-ranking officials are accompanying the Indian President.
