Ties with India cordial, everlasting: Muktijoddhas, Bangladesh army officers
The Indian armed forces on December 16, 1971, defeated the Pakistan Army and liberated Bangladesh, formerly ‘East Pakistan’.
Amid the ongoing strain in ties between India and Bangladesh, Muktijoddhas, military veterans and serving army officers of the neighbouring country who came to India to take part in the Vijay Diwas celebration in Kolkata on Monday, said that relations between the two countries are cordial and hostile statements being made by a section of people won’t have any effect on it.
“We always appreciate the contribution of India (in the Bangladesh Liberation war). We received huge support from the Indian Army and the people of India. The relation between the two countries is still cordial and will remain so,” said Brigadier General Mohammed Aminur Rahman of Bangladesh while speaking to the media in Kolkata.
A nine-member delegation from Bangladesh came to Kolkata to take part in the celebration on the 53rd anniversary of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. An Indian delegation has gone to Dhaka.
Asked about the anti-India statements that are being publicly made by a section of leaders in Bangladesh, Rahman said, “We received the same hospitality this year. Everyone I met and interacted with were very nice. I don’t think that such statements would have any effect on the relations between the two countries. It is not important who is making the statements. What is important is that the good relation.”
The Indian armed forces on December 16, 1971, defeated the Pakistan Army and liberated Bangladesh, formerly ‘East Pakistan’. Over 3,000 Indian soldiers were killed in the war that lasted over 13 days. Around 93,000 Pakistan soldiers laid down their arms before the Indian forces, marking the largest military surrender after the second world war. The day is commemorated as ‘Vijay Diwas’.
“There are some groups with vested interests. They make stories here (in India) and there (in Bangladesh). The true story is totally different. This is my perception. People are thinking that everything has gone wrong. How have we come to India then and how have the Indian team gone to Bangladesh? The relation, not just between the two countries but the people of the two Nations will remain. It is everlasting. It is not a cheap relation,” Major General (retd) Abdus Salam Chaudhury said while speaking to the media after laying a wreath at the Vijay Smarak in Eastern Army Command headquarter Fort William in Kolkata.
Every year on this day, a delegation from Bangladesh comprising Muktijoddhas, serving military officers and war veterans of Bangladesh, come to India on invitation to participate in the Vijay Diwas celebrations. This year was no exception despite some initial uncertainty.
“The people of Bangladesh are peace-loving. Only a handful may be hostile. But their numbers are very small. The majority doesn’t think like that. 99.9% of Bangladeshi citizens think India is our close friend. We are dependent on India on multiple fronts. The reports which surface are not always right,” said Mohammed Nurul Alam, a Muktijoddha who was a member of the delegation.
