Dhaka: President Ramnath Kovind who is on a three day to visit neighbouring Bangladesh to commemorate the 5oth Anniversary of Vijay Diwas on Thursday presented a replica of the 1971-era MIG 21 Aircraft to his counterpart, Abdul Hamid. He also announced to gift the Bapu Bangabandhu Digital exhibition to Bangladesh which will now be housed in the Liberation War Museum, the Foreign Secretary said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh remembered the courage and sacrifice of the armed forces during the 1971war and called it a ‘golden chapter in India’s military history.’ Taking to his microblogging handle, Rajnath Singh also shared a picture of the ‘Instruments of Surrender’. PM Modi on the occasion of Vijay Diwas merged the four flames with the Eternal Flame at the National War Memorial and paid tribute to the martyrs.
Swarnim Vijay Varsh commemorates 50 years of India’s victory in the 1971 war and the formation of Bangladesh. After battling Pakistan for 13 days, India had won its struggle for independence in East Pakistan. On this day, the then Major-General in the Pakistan Army, Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, surrendered to the joint forces of the Indian Army and Bangladesh’s Mukti Bahini. Niazi, who surrendered with 93,000 Pakistani troops, was the Commander of the Pakistan Eastern Command and had also signed the ‘Instrument of Surrender’ at Ramna Race Course in Dacca (now Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh). This day brought Bangladesh on World Map which was East Pakistan until then. Bangladesh celebrates this day as “Bijoy Dibos’ to mark the country’s formal independence from Pakistan.
Last year, PM Modi on the same day had lit the Swarnim Vijay Mashaal from the Eternal Flame at the National War Memorial. He has also lit four flames that traversed across the lengths and breadths of the country. The flames were taken to key battle areas and also to houses of gallantry award winners and veterans’ of the 1971 war.