Bangladeshi-Pakistani: Did Bangladeshi-Pakistani Preaching Fail? Dhaka will commemorate the birth of an independent Bangladesh and the surrender of Pakistani forces in 1971
Bangladeshi-Pakistani: Bangladesh has reevaluated its foreign policy after the August 2024 student movement and the ensuing government transition, demonstrating more diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan while taking a more combative position towards India. According to media sources, Dhaka will celebrate Bijoy Dibos (Victory Day) on Tuesday, December 16, which commemorates the 1971 surrender of Pakistani troops and the establishment of an independent Bangladesh, despite its outreach to Islamabad, which is characterized by a tentative diplomatic thaw in 2025.
Official ceremonies and public celebrations will commemorate its independence from Pakistan’s military’s persecution and repression, as they do each year. This will serve as a subtle but powerful message to Islamabad that history cannot be changed, and 1971 will always be remembered.
The Daily Sun, located in Dhaka, reports that plans are in motion to mark Victory Day with a grand celebration that would include a world record-breaking parachut with the most national flags.
A major event is scheduled in Bangladesh.
Every year, December 16 is celebrated nationwide with governmental ceremonies, military parades, and public remembrances to mark the conclusion of the Liberation War and the beginning of an independent Bangladesh. These customs remain an integral component of civic life and the national calendar.
“On the occasion, the government has taken extensive programs to celebrate the great Victory Day, while the day will begin with a 31-gun salute in the city on Tuesday morning,” said the Dhaka Tribune.
“The programs include placing wreaths at the monuments to pay homage to martyrs, hoisting of the national flags, a three-day victory fair, parachuting with the highest number of national flags, a band show, cultural events, arrangement of recitation, essay writing and painting competitions on the Liberation War for children and an acrobatic show,” it explained.
Yunus will make homages
According to the source, at daybreak on Tuesday, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus are scheduled to lay wreaths at the Savar National Martyrs’ Memorial on the outskirts of the city in remembrance of the heroes of the Liberation War.
Bangladesh’s political transition
Coincidentally, the President’s announcement of his intention to resign after the February legislative election raised doubts about the nation’s transitional political phase once again. He claimed that the Yunus-led interim government had frequently ignored and “humiliated” him.
Additionally, employment quota reservations in public service positions for the offspring and descendants of independence fighters who fought in the Liberation War were a major target of the 2024 student protest.
The interim government’s foreign stance underwent a dramatic shift upon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s removal in August 2024. As a result of both political realignment and strategic rethinking, Bangladesh, which has historically been strongly associated with India, has attempted to diversify its alliances and lessen Indian influence.
How Pakistan attempted to get Bangladesh to support it
After a 13-year break, the two nations resumed high-level diplomatic contacts, including Yunus’ talks with Pakistani officials and planned visits by Islamabad ministries. has started military relations by participating in multinational naval drills conducted by Pakistan, exchanging officers, and conducting cooperative training exercises.
Additionally, visa limitations were lifted, facilitating commerce and facilitating people-to-people interactions. There have been reports of Bangladesh covertly aiding Pakistan in regional fora, including by supporting Pakistan’s demands for a humanitarian corridor in conflicts involving Kashmir and rejecting a joint UN Human Rights Council censure of Islamabad.
Given the circumstances, celebrating Victory Day explicitly acknowledges Bangladesh’s independence and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s leadership in the liberation fight. The same Mujibur Rahman, whose monument was torn down and desecrated during the violent demonstrations while everyone saw, and whose daughter Hasina was subsequently sentenced to death while living in exile.