Bangladesh Victory Day is celebrated every year on 16 December. It’s a public holiday in Bangladesh. It commemorates the victory of Bangladesh and Indian forces over Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Over three million Bangladeshis were killed during the war, and ten million became refugees. Bangladesh’s Independence Day is March 26 but that’s when the atrocities started. It ended almost nine months later, on December 16.
Manekshaw, popularly known as ‘Sam Bahadur’, was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
It’s an historic day for a few Asian countries. Kazakhstan gained independence too.
History of Bangladesh Victory Day
In 1971, Bangladesh fought the Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan to become an independent nation, leading to the secession of East Pakistan from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the establishment of Bangladesh.
East Pakistan and India fought West Pakistan for nine months. The war was one of the worst of the 20th century, with large-scale atrocities, 10 million refugees, and 3 million people killed by the Pakistani military.
Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, CO of the Pakistan Armed Forces, signed the Instrument of Surrender on 16 December 1971. A written surrender agreement that allowed Pakistan to surrender in the Bangladesh Liberation War, marking the end of the Indo-Pakistani War in 1971
On 16 December 1971, the surrender happened at the Ramna Racecourse in Dhaka. Thousands of people cheered as Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi and Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora signed the agreement.
Celebration on Bangladesh Victory Day
Victory Day has been celebrated since 1972. The day’s highlight is the national holiday parade on Dhaka’s National Parade Ground, hosted by the Bangladesh Armed Forces and involving police, border guards, jails, and the Bangladesh Ansar.
Read Also : Victory over Japan Day