India offers help to 1971 war researchers in B'desh

India has offered all possible assistance to Bangladeshi researchers and scholars seeking to work on the 1971 War of Liberation.

India has offered all assistance to Bangladeshi researchers and scholars seeking to work on the 1971 War of Liberation that resulted in the country's independence from Pakistan.

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Indian High Commissioner Veena Sikri renewed the offer at a function here to commemorate the role of Indian general, late Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, commander of the Joint Command of the allied forces during the war.

Sikri said the Bangladesh-India friendly relations were historically proven and would be strengthened in future through the commemoration of the great soldier.

Gen Aurora died last year. Several Bangladeshis associated with the freedom movement paid tributes to him.

"The spirit of the Liberation War is still alive today and both the countries will share friendship and goodwill and freedom and democracy for the betterment of bilateral interests," The Independent newspaper quoted Sikri as saying.

Presided over by Air Vice Marshal (Retd) AK Khandker, the wartime deputy chief of staff of the liberation forces, the function was addressed, among others, by valiant freedom fighter Abdul Kader "Tiger" Siddiqui MP, wartime sector commander, who later rose to be the chief of the Bangladesh Army, Major General (Retd) KM Shafiullah, Major General (Retd.) Amin Ahmed Choudhury (Bir Pratik), Syeed Ahmed (Bir Protik), Masudur Rahman (Bir Pratik) and Abdul Halim.

In his address Khandker said that Indo-Bangladesh friendship would help both countries contribute to building good neighbourly relations.