PM Narendra Modi invited to celebrate Bangladesh’s 50 years of Independence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited by Bangladesh to celebrate the country’s 50 years of Independence on March 26, 2021.

The news was shared by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, AK Abdul Momen when the newly appointed High Commissioner of India, Vikram Doraiswai made a courtesy call on him in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

HC Sh. Vikram Doraiswami (@VDoraiswami) called on Hon'ble Minister of Foreign Affairs, Govt of #Bangladesh, H.E. Dr. AKA Momen, today, 18/10/2020. Reaffirming the strength of ever growing bilateral relations, Hon'ble FM wished HC a successful tenure. pic.twitter.com/bvWXWAnb3t

— India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) October 18, 2020

During the call, Dr. Momen stated that India and Bangladesh will be celebrating Bangladesh’s 50 years of Independence together in 2021 and he hopes that PM Modi will be joining in the celebrations in Dhaka.

Improved relations between Bangladesh and India:

The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh while discussing the invitation to PM Modi to celebrate the 50th year of Bangladesh’s Independence stated that the existing relations between the neighbouring countries have set an example for the world by resolving bilateral issues through discussions and dialogues.

Dr. Momen was referring to land and maritime boundary issues as an example in this context. A virtual meeting between PM Modi and his Bangladesh’s counterpart is also likely to take place in 2020.

Earlier PM Narendra Modi was also scheduled to visit Bangladesh to join in the birth centenary celebrations of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but the visit was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Independence of Bangladesh: Background

The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated on March 26 as it commemorates the country’s independence from Pakistan in the early hours of March 26, 1971, by the leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Earlier, Bangladesh was East Pakistan, a part of the newly formed Dominion of Pakistan. East Pakistan was formed with the partition of Bengal, at the time of India’s partition in 1947. This region later started demanding its own nation due to political, social, and religious differences.  

The people of Bangladesh had taken part in the war against Pakistan to get independence. It was gained through the nine-months of guerrilla war against the army of Pakistan and their collaborators. The Bangladesh Forces later with the support of the Indian military defeated the Pakistani army and ended the war on December 16, 1971, after the surrender of the Pakistani army.