The 1971 war to liberate Bangladesh has ushered in an era of peace and stability in the entire region, which otherwise would have witnessed a “nightmarish situation” today, Bangladesh High Commissioner Syed Muazzem Ali said on Thursday.
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“Bangladesh’s success will always be your success as you [India] were directly involved in the birth of our nation. When everybody called us a bottomless basket, you stood by us, and today, we are the fastest growing economy in the world and you should be proud that you have taken part in our liberation war,” he said at a seminar on the war organised by India Foundation, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Indian War Veterans Association.
However, the younger generation was not fully aware of the impact of the war, he said. Recalling his stint as Ambassador in Paris, Mr. Ali said any boy who had come from South Asia knew everything about the Second World War. “Victory day, D-Day, The Guns of Navarone … Just name it, everyone has memorised it... The war was portrayed very brilliantly by the filmmakers to make the younger generation aware of its importance. Unfortunately, we have not been able to do it so far [for the 1971 war].”
But he was confident that it would happen. “One day, people will understand what this war was all about,” he said.
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December 16 is celebrated as the Victory Day to commemorate the surrender of Pakistan’s Army in East Bangladesh and the creation of Bangladesh by Mukti Bahini and the Indian forces.