India to donate military equipment used in 1971 for museums in Bangladesh

New Delhi, March 29: Commemorating the 50th year of the Liberation of Bangladesh, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India is going to donate the military equipment used in the 1971 Liberation War for Bangladesh museums.

 

Modi made the announcement on Saturday in Dhaka on the last day of his two-day official visit to Bangladesh, During his visit, he also laid the foundation stone for a memorial honoring martyrs from the Indian Armed Forces who were killed during the Liberation War. It will be built at Ashuganj, near Dhaka. This is the first memorial in Bangladesh exclusively honoring the Indian martyrs. 

 

The Bangladesh Liberation War was a revolutionary independence war in South Asia during 1971 which witnessed the birth of the modern state of Bangladesh. The war began after the Pakistani military junta based in West Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight against the people of East Pakistan on the night of 25 March 1971. 1971 war broke out after the sudden crackdown at midnight past on March 25, 1971, in erstwhile East Pakistan. It lasted for 13 days, after which, Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the joint forces of the Indian Army and Bangladesh's Mukti Bahini. The Indian Army brought the Pakistani army to its knees, took 93,000 Pakistani prisoners, and gave 75 million people of Bangladesh their independence. It was also the largest military surrender after World War II.

 

 

 

Besides, India and Bangladesh also signed 5 MoUs in the fields of trade, IT, and sports. They also inaugurated and launched eight projects and made 10 announcements.

 

Modi also expressed India's appreciation for the cooperation extended by Bangladesh in security-related matters. During the visit, Modi also handed over a representational key of 109 ambulances to his counterpart Hasina. He also handed over a representational box as a symbol of India's gift of 1.2 million COVID vaccine doses to Bangladesh.

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