Dhaka – Tens of thousands of Awami League supporters greeted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she returned home Friday ending her 17-day visit to Canada and United States.

A large number of leaders and activists of the ruling party and its associate bodies felicitated the Prime Minister at Dhaka airport for receiving the “Planet 50-50 Champion” and “Agent of Change Award” during her stay in the United States.

Hasina was given the honour for her contribution in social change, especially empowering women in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

The UN-Women recognized the Prime Minister as “Planet 50-50 Champion”, while Global Partnership Forum handed over the “Agent of Change Award” to her this year for her outstanding contribution to women empowerment.

The award was handed at a high-level reception at the UN Headquarters on September 22.

Dhaka’s streets remained stagnant for hours as the AL supporters gathered on the Airport Road to greet the Prime Minister, who arrived at Shahjalal International Airport at about 7 pm.

The activists started thronging to the streets since the afternoon. They were seen carrying national flag, banners and placards, portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina and Sajeeb Wazed Joy on both sides of the streets from the Airport Prime Minister’s official residence Ganobhaban.

They showered flowers, flower petals and chanted slogans hailing the Prime Minister’s accomplishments in the international arena.

Deputy Leader of Jatiya Sangsad Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury received the Prime Minister presenting a bouquet of flowers as she alighted from the aircraft.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Minister for Public Administration Syed Ashraful Islam, Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader, Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Engineer Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Minister for Relief and Disaster Management Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Food Minister Quamrul Islam, Railway Minister Mujibul Haque, and  mayors of Dhaka South and Dhaka North City corporations were present at the airport.

Hasina left Dulles International Airport in Washington last night by the Emirates flight, and on the way to Dhaka she made a stopover at Dubai for about four hours.

She left Dhaka on September 14. In the first leg, she paid a four-day visit to Canada from Sept 15-18 to attend the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund (GF) on deadly diseases at the invitation of her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau.

In the United States, she joined the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

During her stay in New York, the Premier also held bilateral talks with world leaders and took part in the discourses on global issues.

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