PM awards Ekushey Padak to nine individuals, one music band

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman awarded the country’s second-highest civilian honour, the Ekushey Padak, to nine distinguished individuals and one music band in recognition of their outstanding contributions in fields including education, journalism, film, and music.

The awards were presented on Thursday (February 26) at 11:00 am at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka. The event was attended by Advocate Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Minister of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and was hosted by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani.

Earlier, on February 5, 2026, the government announced this year’s list of Ekushey Padak recipients. In acknowledgment of notable contributions across various fields, nine individuals and the band Warfaze were nominated for the award.

The recipients honoured by the Prime Minister include Farida Akhtar Babita for film, Professor Abdus Sattar for fine arts, Merina Tabassum for architecture, Ayub Bachchu (posthumously) for music, Islam Uddin Palakar for theatre, Shafik Rehman for journalism, Professor Mahbubul Alam Majumdar for education, Tejos Haldar Josh for sculpture, and Orthi Ahmed for dance. This year, the award for a music group was presented to the band Warfaze.