The day usually go unnoticed. In the month of December,observed as the month of victory in Bangladesh,there are several days that are important. They are,the Victory Day on 16 Dec,martyred intellectuals day on 14 th and the 6th is a no less important one,the Bangladesh – India Friendship day.
When Provisional Bangladesh Government was formed on 10 April1971 military crackdown was clamped on Bangalees on the 25 March late evening;the Prime Minister Mr Tajuddin Ahmad called upon all the countries of the world to realise the ground reality and recognise Bangladesh as a sovereign state. On 17 April,the government took oath in the Muktanchal( liberated area) of Meherpur,henceforth named Mujibnagar; special request was made to Her Excellency Mrs Indira Gandhi to accord the recognition.She assured Mr Tajuddin and his team all support and said that her government will consider the request with all earnest and the recognition will come at an appropriate time.
The Mujibnagar government was in fact a war cabinet,the main objective being liberation of the newly proclaimed Bangladesh from the occupation army of Pakistan and their collaborators. The Pak military junta was carrying out a scorched earth policy and one of the worst genocides in the history of the world was going on. Tajuddin Ahmad and his colleagues had to plan and execute the military operations,recruit and train freedom fighters,coordinate supplies and relief operations with the Indian government,organise internationals campaign to let the world know about the horrendous genocide by Pakistan and seek justice and cooperation. Besides,the government had to plan multi-pronged activities to free the President of the nascent country Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Pakistani unlawful custody and secret trial charged with sedition in a military court. At the same time,Mr Tajuddin had to dilute the hidden efforts by the traitor Khondokar Mustaque Ahmed,who was trying to broker a confederation deal with Pakistan supported by western countries. It was cold war period. Western world was always against Socialist bloc.
Meantime,the efforts by Mrs Gandhi,the support of the Socialist world led by USSR tilted towards the just cause of Bangladesh.Most of the governments of the western world was favouring Pakistan under the pretext of state sovereignty. But due to the steps taken by Bangladesh government,diaspora Bangladeshis and untiring efforts of Mrs Gandhi,the general masses of even those countries were in favour of Bangladesh against Pakistan’s tyranny.
Mukti Bahini,the Liberation forces of Bangladesh grew stronger by every single day and towards end of the year it was evident that the fall of Pakistani regime in Dhaka was a question of time.
In a desperate move to prove that it was a war between India and Pakistan and hence to pursue a face saving ceasefire, Pakistan opened the western front of war in the Indo-Pak border on 3December,1971. It was codenamed Operation Chengiz Khan. Their mission failed. India was now directly involved in the war. In a few days time Indian forces were close to Lahore. In the eastern theatre,strongholds of Pakistan fell one after another in the hands of Joint forces of Bangladesh and India.
On the 6th December,1971 came the long awaited recognition. The affair became an officially tripartite one. The joint forces of Bangladesh and India progressed with lightening speed and the Pakistani authorities had to agree to an unconditional public surrender. It happened on 16 December, in public,at Dhaka Race Course maidan.
To commemorate the recognition of Bangladesh by the government of India on 6 December,the day has been declared Bangladesh India Friendship day. Programmes are chalked out by both the governments to observe the day in a befitting manner.
Public awareness about the day is limited though. In recent years we observe that some civil society organisations are also getting engaged in activities observing the day. Such activities should increase and people to people contact should pave the way to better understanding between the two countries. That will bolster the already existing excellent relationship between Bangladesh and India.
