Popular television presenter and producer Hanif Sanket and renowned singer Bashir Ahmed (posthumously) have been named recipients of Bangladesh’s highest civilian honor, the Independence Award 2026. The award recognizes individuals and institutions for their distinguished contributions at the national level. The final list of awardees was approved on Thursday, March 5, during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tareque Rahman at the Secretariat, according to Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani.

The list places A.K.M. Hanif (Hanif Sanket) at number seven and Bashir Ahmed at number eight. Former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, the country’s first female head of government, will also receive the award posthumously for her contributions to independence, democracy, and women’s education. The Independence Award, instituted in 1977, is presented annually on March 26 to honor the memory of the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War.

The recognition underscores the government’s continued effort to honor individuals and organizations that have made exceptional contributions to national life and development.