India joins Bangladesh in celebrating golden jubilee of victory over Pakistan

The president said that history will always be a witness to the unique foundation of India-Bangladesh friendship

‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s vision for a free and inclusive Bangladesh is now being realised under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, President Ram Nath Kovind said in Dhaka on Thursday, as India joined its eastern neighbour in celebrating the 50th anniversary of its liberation from Pakistan in 1971.

Kovind was speaking at an event that marked the Golden Jubilee of the independence of Bangladesh and the conclusion of “Mujib Borsho” (Mujib Year) celebrations at the National Parliament of Bangladesh. He was also the Guest of Honour at the National Victory Day parade in Dhaka earlier on the day, on an invitation from Bangladesh President M Abdul Hamid.

A tri-service contingent of 122 soldiers of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force marched with the personnel of the armed forces of Bangladesh. Wing Commander Asha Jyothirmai of the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a joint skydiving demonstration along with the skydivers of the Bangladesh Air Force.

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The Victory Day celebration commemorated the surrender of the Pakistan Army to the Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971. The surrender at the Ramna Race Course ground in Dhaka had marked the end of the war and the liberation of erstwhile East Pakistan into Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the celebration, commemorating the victory of India against Pakistan and the birth of the new nation of Bangladesh.

“Together, we fought and defeated oppressive forces,” Modi posted on Twitter. The Prime Minister also went to the National War Memorial and paid homage to the soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who had made supreme sacrifices during the war against Pakistan in 1971. He merged four flames, which traversed across the country over the past 12 months, with the eternal flame at the National War Memorial.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled a commemorative stamp marking the golden jubilee of India’s victory during the 1971 war against Pakistan.

“A little over 50 years ago, the vision of an independent Bangladesh inspired millions. But it seemed a remote and impossible dream then to naysayers, sceptics and detractors. The international context and realpolitik seemed to rule out the prospects of Liberation,” Kovind said, adding: “Set against a brutal, determined and well-armed foe who would stop at nothing, the odds were very much against Bangladesh.”

“But the inspiring statesmanship of Bangabandhu; his clear-sighted moral conviction and his unflinching determination to seek justice for the people of East Pakistan were truly the game-changers,” the President of India said, paying homage to the founder of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “As a result, the world learnt a valuable lesson: that the will of the majority of people cannot be subjugated by any force, however brutal.”

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