<div style="text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has greeted the countrymen vowing to build poverty-hunger free Smart and Sonar Bangladesh marking the 53rd Independence and National Day.</span><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Bangladesh is marching ahead on the highway of development. Let us build poverty and hunger free "Sonar Bangladesh" being inspired by the Father of the Nation's ideal. Bangladesh will be a smart country," she said in an Independence Day message.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the 51-second message of greetings, the premier said: "Assalamualaikum, I am extending my heartiest greetings to all Bangladeshi citizens staying at home and abroad marking the Independence Day."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She recalled with due honour all the martyrs including the great Liberation War ones on the occasion of the Independence Day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said, "We achieved the victory through a 23-year political struggle and a Liberation War of nine months and got an independent and sovereign country under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The premier concluded the message saying: "Stay well, stay healthy".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The audio-visual message was sent to each of the mobile phone users of the country and aired on different media including online platforms. BSS</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>