Dhaka, March 5 -- Former prime minister Khaleda Zia is among the 15 individuals and five institutions who will receive the 2026 Independence Awards, Bangladesh's highest civilian honour, in recognition of their distinguished and meritorious contributions to the nation.

The Cabinet Division announced the names of the recipients of this year's award in a media statement on Thursday.

The media statement was signed by Humayun Kabir, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division.

Among the other recipients of this year's awards are Maj Abdul Jalil, Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, and Dr Ashraf Siddiqui.

Six of the recipients this year are receiving the awards posthumously.

The late prime minister and former BNP chairperson was nominated for the In...