

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday issued separate messages ahead of this red-letter day, paying glowing tributes to the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War. The celebration of Victory Day this year adds a new dimension as it coincides with the two galas-birth centenary of Bangabandhu and the golden jubilee of the country's independence.

The liberty was purchased at too great a price: at the cost of the supreme sacrifice of three million people and the honour of nearly half a million women. On 16 December 1971, Bangladesh achieved its independent statehood under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after a nine-month bloody war against the Pakistani hyenas. “Together, we fought and defeated oppressive forces.Today is the 51st Victory Day, the most precious day of the Bangalees, as Bangladesh was liberated from the Pakistani occupation forces on this day 50 years ago. “I recall the great valour and sacrifice by … the Indian Armed Forces,” Modi, who laid a wreath in New Delhi to mark the anniversary, tweeted on Thursday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour in March to mark the outbreak of the conflict – a recognition of his country’s crucial aid and support at the time. We are looking at green technologies, renewables in this era of climate change to create employment, IT and digital platforms, startups,” said India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.īangladesh has held celebrations throughout the year to mark the golden anniversary of its independence, though some events were called off because of the coronavirus pandemic. “In 10 years, we will see very changed and different countries.

Hasina and Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen also received Kovind. India’s President Ram Nath Kovind pays homage to Bangladeshi independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Museum in Dhaka Īfter arriving on Wednesday, Kovind held discussions with Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid in Dhaka.Īrindam Bagchi, a spokesman for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, said the two leaders discussed issues of interest, including connectivity and trade, cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 and development partnerships. Thursday’s celebrations were attended by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, who was on a two-day visit to the Muslim-majority country. The war began on March 26 and continued for nine months – killing as many as three million people – before victory was declared in December, aided by India under then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. On December 16, 1971, Pakistani soldiers surrendered to a joint India-Bangladesh force, formally making Bangladesh a new nation under the leadership of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Women across the country wore saris of green and red, matching the national flag, as they watched concerts where musicians performed patriotic songs. Veterans who lost their limbs in the war laid wreaths – watched by thousands of solemn observers – at the National Martyrs’ Memorial, a concrete monument near Dhaka symbolising the campaign against Pakistani rule. Huge crowds paid tribute to Bangladesh’s war heroes in the capital Dhaka and other cities on Thursday. Bangladesh has marked 50 years of victory over Pakistan in a bloody war for independence by hosting a military parade with the Indian president as a guest of honour.
