India has named Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sultan Qaboos for the Gandhi Peace Prize. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is Bangladesh’s father of the nation and Sultan Qaboos was Oman’s longtime ruler. This was announced through an official statement on March 22.
Key Points
- Sultan Qaboos has been awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2019 while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been awarded for the year 2020.
- This is the first time that the prestigious prize for 2019 and 2020 has been awarded posthumously.
- The award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque, and an exquisite traditional handloom item.
- Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman was the Middle East’s longest-ruling monarch and was famous for his diplomatic balancing in the volatile Persian Gulf. He also served as a facilitator of talks between adversaries, Iran and the U.S. He played a major role in meeting India’s energy security needs in the Persian Gulf.
- The decision to confer the award for 2020 on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman comes ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Bangladesh. This will be the first foreign trip of PM since the outbreak of Covid-19.
- On March 26, PM Modi will attend the national day programme of Bangladesh as the guest of honor.
- He will also participate in the commemoration of three epochal events as described by New Delhi Mujib Borsho, the birth centenary of Bangladesh’s father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 50 years of Bangladesh’s war of liberation, and 50 years of diplomatic ties.
- PM’s visit to Bangladesh has scheduled visits to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s memorial in Tungipara. It is the place of birth of Mujibur Rahman. It is also where the architect of the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence lies buried inside a tomb called the ‘Bangabandhu mausoleum’.
- PM Modi will also pay respect to Harichand Thakur, the founder of a religious reformation movement Matua Mahasangha at his shrine in Orakandi.
- On March 27, PM Modi is scheduled to visit the famous Jeshoreshwari Kali temple in Satkhira.
As per the official statement by the Indian government, The Gandhi Peace Prize recognizes the contribution of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in inspiring the liberation of Bangladesh, laying the foundation for the close and fraternal relations between India and Bangladesh, bringing stability to a nation born out of strife, and promoting peace and non-violence in the Indian subcontinent.