Five South Asian leaders to join celebrations

The foreign heads of state and government will arrive in Dhaka on different dates from March 17 to join the grand celebrations, marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence.
Bangladesh will also organise a number of events to celebrate the golden jubilee of its independence and the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 16 countries, including India, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Poland, Nepal and Bhutan.
A 10-day special programme (March 17 to 26) will kick off at National Parade Square ground in the capital on March 17, marking Bangabandhu's birth centenary and the golden jubilee of independence.
 "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Dhaka on March 26 to join the Independence Day celebrations programme with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. On March 27, Modi will visit "Samamondir" at Isshawaripur in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district. He will travel to Bangabandhu's Mausoleum in Tungipara where Prime minister Sheikh Hasina will receive her Indian counterpart. After this, Modi will visit Urakandi Mondir, the place of worship of 'Matua' community in Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj. The Indian premier will return to the capital, meet President Abdul Hamid and depart Bangladesh on the day," a senior official of the Foreign Ministry told the Daily Observer on Sunday.
Last week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and four other heads of state and government from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives confirmed their participation in the celebrations.  
 "All the five heads of state and government from
    South Asia will visit National Memorial at Savar to pay homage to the martyrs of the Liberation War, watch special military parades, join state banquets and visit Bangabandhu Museum," Principal Information Officer Surath Kumar Sarkar told the Daily Observer on Sunday.
Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed will be the first top foreign dignitary to arrive on a three-day tour of Bangladesh on March 17. Sri Lankan Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa will arrive on a two-day visit on March 19, Surath Kumar said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will deliver welcome speeches at the programme virtually on March 17, while Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on March 18, OIC Secretary General Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen on March 20, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on March 22, Pope Francis on March 24, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Japanese friend of Bangladesh Takashi Hayakawa's son Osamu Hayakawa on March 25.
Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari will be in Dhaka on a two-day visit from March 22, Bhutanese Premier Lotay Tshering will be in Dhaka on March 24 and 25.
Earlier, Foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen made it clear that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would hold talks with all visiting heads of state and government "but the main thrust of their visits was to join our celebrations".
He said Sheikh Hasina would hold the talks with her Indian counterpart on March 27, the second day of Modi's tour while all major bilateral issues were expected to feature their meeting.
The minister said the talks between Sheikh Hasina and the visiting South Asian leaders were expected to yield several memorandums of understanding (MoUs).
Bangladesh originally planned grand celebrations of Bangabandhu's birth centenary last year but the coronavirus pandemic forced the country to revise the plan on health grounds.