Harmony Is Our Strength and Must Be Preserved at Any Cost, President Says at Bangabhaban, Calling for a National Committee for Equal Citizen Facilities
President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said harmony is our strength and our existence, and it must be preserved at any cost. Calling for a national committee to ensure equal citizen facilities for people of all religions, he said religion belongs to each person while the state belongs to everyone, and the rights to security and justice also belong to everyone.
The President made the remarks in a greeting message addressed to dignitaries of the Hindu community and Hindus across the country at a greetings-exchange ceremony held at Bangabhaban on Wednesday morning (21 October) on the occasion of Sharodiya Durga Puja 2026 and Bijaya Dashami. His wife Rahat Ara Begum was present. The President's press wing shared the information in a press release.
Noting that Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians are all citizens of this country, the President said the constitution has given everyone equal rights, dignity and religious freedom. The government is committed to realising that goal, he added.
The President said that while war, violence and communal conflict rage in many parts of the world, people of all religions here are celebrating their own festivals peacefully — and that is our greatest achievement. He called on everyone to stay alert to protect this harmony.
He warned that attempts are sometimes made to create division through rumours, propaganda and religious extremism. Everyone must remain firm and uncompromising against such attempts. He especially urged the younger generation to speak up for truth, justice and humanity.
The President said this country belongs to all of us and must be built together. No evil force can be allowed to destroy national unity and progress by creating division. He called for building a safe, democratic, humane and welfare-oriented Bangladesh on the basis of mutual respect, equality and social justice.
Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony, the President said, adding that its people are non-communal and that people of all religions have lived together in this land for thousands of years in bonds of mutual respect and brotherhood. The participation of people of all religions in the Liberation War and in every democratic struggle and fight against injustice is the foundation of national unity, he noted.
Greeting followers of the Sanatan faith on Bijaya Dashami, the President said he was delighted to welcome the guests to Bangabhaban. The festival's inner message, he said, is the destruction of evil forces and the victory of truth, beauty and welfare. No citizen being subjected to discrimination or oppression because of religion, caste or group identity is acceptable, he remarked.
The President also said law enforcement agencies and the administration have been instructed to remain on the highest alert so that people of all religions can practise their faith in a safe and joyful environment.
At the start of the ceremony, as the President arrived at Bangabhaban's Credential Hall, leaders on behalf of the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust, the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Welfare Front, the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and the Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee greeted him with flowers. The President later exchanged greetings with the visiting guests.
Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain, State Minister Mohammad Shamim Kaiser, the Prime Minister's special assistant (with the rank of state minister) for Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and ethnic community affairs Bijan Kanti Sarkar, and senior government officials were present at the ceremony.
The message from Bangabhaban on Bijaya Dashami stressed protecting harmony, ensuring equal citizen facilities and staying alert against rumours and extremism. Attention will now turn to the government's next steps regarding the proposed national committee.
