We will further modernise, consolidate our border forces: PM

Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has said that after a long struggle, an elected government is now running the country based on the people's mandate. "We will further modernise and consolidate our border forces in matters concerning the country. Our members will perform their duties at the borders with patriotism and professional excellence."

He made these remarks while speaking at a views-exchange and iftar programme with family members of martyred army officers on the occasion of National Army Day 2026 on Wednesday, February 25.

The Prime Minister addressed the families and close relatives of those martyred in Pilkhana in 2009, and those army officers who were serving at Pilkhana and still carry those traumatic memories.

He said, "On this late afternoon of the month of Ramadan, I recall with respect the martyrs of the great Liberation War, and all the students and masses who attained martyrdom in the mass movement of 1990 and the mass uprising of 2024. With profound respect, I remember the 74 martyrs, including 57 patriotic army officers, who were martyred in the barbaric killings at Pilkhana on February 25 and 26, 2009. I seek forgiveness for their departed souls and express deep condolences to the members of the bereaved martyr families."

Calling February 25 a bloody and sorrowful day in the nation's history, Tarique Rahman said, "When this day arrives, nature itself seems to fall silent under the weight of memory and grief, and the cries of those horrific moments echo in the air. Our hearts become heavy with deep sorrow. This brutal incident of February 25 and 26, 2009, has created a deep wound in our national life, the pain of which continues to flow even after time has passed."

He said, "Standing here today on this premises, which holds the memories of the martyrs, 17 long years after the incident, my voice becomes heavy. I stand before you not only as a people's representative, but as a member of an army family, like the child of a comrade-in-arms. In that horrific incident of 2009, a total of 74 lives were lost, including 57 brilliant and patriotic army officers. Each name represents a story of a family's light being extinguished, a sorrowful chapter of losing a loved one, a history of a child becoming fatherless, an unfinished epic of a dream."

"Shortly after returning to the country, I went to Banani Military Graveyard and stood beside the graves of the martyred army officers, and realised—your unbearable struggle over these 17 years, your immense sacrifice, and the profound agony of going door to door without receiving justice."

He stated, "I believe it is our national duty to commemorate the Pilkhana incident with state honour. If the events of February 25 and 26 are not given state honour in history, future generations will not forgive us. Therefore, after discussions with the army and you all, the current government will work to keep the memory of February 25 and 26 alive."