Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair today paid a courtesy call on Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at the latter’s office here.

During the meeting, they discussed the UK’s contribution to the Great War of Liberation, the development of democracy in Bangladesh, the ongoing development of Bangladesh, women’s empowerment and the steps taken by the Bangladesh government to build a better country, a press release said.

The speaker said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman fought for 23 years to bring smiles to the faces of the miserable people of the country.

The protest movement for language started in 1948 and ended in 1971 with the achievement of great freedom, she said, adding that the dark chapter of Bangladesh started with the assassination of the Father of the Nation in 1975.

Now, Bangabandhu’s worthy daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been making her allout strides for the development of democracy in the country, the speaker said.

Referring to Bangladesh as a true friend of the United Kingdom (UK), Tony Blair said that the popular English artist of pop music organized the ‘Concert for Bangladesh’ on August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York during the Bangladesh’s War of Liberation, which played a historic role in creating world opinion in favour of Bangladesh’s War of Liberation.

Bangladesh’s graduation into a developing country and the Padma Bridge construction are highly commendable, he added.