New Delhi: Bangladesh High Commissioner M. Riaz Hamidullah Tuesday acknowledged the role of the Indian military in the 1971 Liberation War and the “sacrifice of 1,668 Indian soldiers”, asserting that India-Bangladesh relations are “based on dignity, shared values and mutual trust”.
“Bangladesh’s relations with India are deep and multi-layered. The organic relationship that our two people share merits going beyond numbers, where interactions are based on dignity, shared values, mutual trust and respect,” Hamidullah said at the Victory Day celebrations in Delhi to commemorate the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War fought against then West Pakistan.
“The 1971 Liberation War and the values and aspirations remain deeply etched in Bangladeshis,” he added.
The envoy recalled the “valour and leadership of (Indian military commanders) Lt-Gen J.S. Aurora, Lt-Gen Jacob, Lt-Gen Sagat Singh” and others, and of ordinary families in Tripura and West Bengal “who endured so much during the war”.
He cited the efforts of diplomats K.R. Rasgotra and Mani Shankar Aiyar for the cause of Bangladesh and cultural icons including Pandit Ravi Shankar, Lata Mangeshkar, Kaifi Azmi and Bhupen Hazarika who stood up for Bangladesh “during its darkest hour”.
“Premised on our treasured past, it is necessary that we appreciate our mutual inter-dependence and accord practical and impactful meaning to values and ethos towards a sustainable future,” Hamidullah said.
He also paid tribute to Bangladesh’s freedom fighters (muktijoddhya), including the Biranganas (female freedom fighters).
“In an asymmetric war against a large Pakistan Army, most of the young Bengali officers were second-in-command, who revolted against their commanding officers. It’s only three units from 20th, 4th and 8th Bengal Regiments which revolted in their entirety and formed Mukti Bahini’s (guerrilla resistance movement formed by Bengali military, paramilitary and civilians) core! In other words, just a dozen Bengali Majors and a handful more young Captains led the charge in the front,” he said.
“As people in Bangladesh and India share culture and contiguous geography, more so shared agro-ecology, securing peace, stability and prosperity of both the people remains in our shared interests,” he added.
The envoy’s statements come amid rising anti-India rhetoric in Bangladesh as two leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by students who led the July 2024 protests that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, now in exile in India, issued warnings directed at New Delhi.
Hasnat Abdullah, NCP’s southern chief organiser, said that instability in Bangladesh would have consequences beyond its borders, explicitly invoking India’s northeastern states, collectively known as the “Seven Sisters”.
“If Bangladesh is destabilised, the fire of resistance will spread beyond borders,” Hasnat said at a rally Monday. “Since you are housing those who destabilise us, we will give refuge to the separatists of the Seven Sisters too.”
“I want to say clearly to India that if you shelter forces who do not respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, voting rights and human rights, Bangladesh will respond,” he added, alleging that even after 54 years of independence, the country continued to face attempts by “vultures” to exert control.
NCP convenor Nahid Islam called for nationwide rallies on Victory Day itself.
“On Victory Day tomorrow, we will not take to the streets for celebration. We will take to the streets for resistance. In Dhaka and across Bangladesh, we will hold resistance rallies against Indian hegemony and all anti-Bangladesh conspiracies,” Islam said Monday.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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