4. Victory day is a National Holiday in Bangladesh celebrated
on December 16 to commemorate the victory of the
Bangladesh forces over the Pakistani forces in the
Bangladesh Liberation war in 1971. The Commanding
Officer of the Pakistani forces General AAK Niazi
surrendered with his forces to the allied forces of
Bangladesh, which marked the end of the 9 month-long
Bangladesh Liberation War and 1971 Bangladesh genocide
and official secession of East Pakistan into Bangladesh.
5. History Of Victory Day
In 1971 Bangladesh fought the Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan to become an
Independent country, which resulted in the secession of East Pakistan from the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan and established the sovereign nation called Bangladesh. The war pitted East Pakistan and
India against West Pakistan, and lasted for a duration of nine months. One of the most violent wars of
the 20th century, it witnessed large-scale atrocities, the exodus of 10 million refugees and the killing of
3 million people by the Pakistani armed forces.
On 16 December 1971, Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, CO of Pakistan Armed Forces
located in East Pakistan signed the Instrument of Surrender. The Instrument of Surrender was a written
agreement that enabled the surrender of the Pakistan Eastern Command in the Bangladesh Liberation
War, and marked the end of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in the Eastern Theater.
The surrender took place at the Ramna Race Course in Dhaka on 16 December 1971. Lieutenant
General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi and Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, Joint Commander of
Indian and Bangladesh Forces, signed the instrument amid thousands of cheering crowds at the
racecourse.
6. Air Commodore A. K. Khandker, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Armed
Forces, and Lieutenant General J F R Jacob of the Indian Eastern Command, acted as
witnesses to the surrender. Also present were Vice-Admiral Mohammad Shariff,
commander of the Pakistani Naval Eastern Command and Air Vice-Marshal Patrick D.
Callaghan of the Pakistan Air Force's Eastern Air Force Command, who signed the
agreement. On behalf of Bangladesh, Air Commodore A. K. Khandker acted as witness
to the surrender. Lieutenant Jacob Rafael Jacob, Chief of Staff of the Indian Eastern
Command, along with the other commanders of Indian naval and air forces, acted as
witnesses on behalf of India. Aurora accepted the surrender without a word, while the
crowd on the race course started shouting anti-Nazi and anti-Pakistan slogans.
In 1996, the Bangladesh Bank issued a 10 Taka note with an overprint
commemorating Victory Day's Silver Jubilee (the 25th anniversary).
7. The speech that changed history of
Bangladesh
7th March in race-course
8. The first phase of the history of Bangladesh Liberation war
The women in our Liberation war
The first phase of the history of Bangladesh Liberation war
11. The celebration of Victory Day has been taking place since 1972. The
Bangladesh Liberation War became a topic of great importance in cinema,
literature, history lessons at school, the mass media, and the arts in
Bangladesh. The ritual of the celebration gradually obtained a distinctive
character with a number of similar elements: Military Parade by the
Bangladesh Armed Forces at the National Parade Ground, ceremonial
meetings, speeches, lectures, receptions and fireworks displays. Victory
Day in Bangladesh is a joyous celebration in which popular culture plays a
great role. TV and radio stations broadcast special programs and patriotic
songs.The main streets are decorated with national flags. Different
political parties and socioeconomic organizations undertake programs to
mark the day in a befitting manner, including the paying of respects at
Jatiyo Smriti Soudho, the national memorial at Savar in Dhaka District.
12. The day's highlight is the national holiday
parade on Dhaka's National Parade Ground,
hosted by the Bangladesh Armed Force and
involves personnel from the Bangadelsh Police,
Border Guard Bangladesh, Bangladesh Jail and
Bangladesh Ansar. Presided by the President of
Bangladesh in his capacity as Commander in
Chief through the Armed Forces Division, it has
been held since the 1970s as the principal
national celebrations of the victory of the
Bangladeshi people against the government of
Pakistan, assisted by the Indian Armed Forces,
and as such it is the principal holiday of the
Armed Forces. A televised event with
nationwide radio simulcast provided by
Bangladesh Television and Radio Bangladesh, it
is the country's main military parade event of
the year and is one of the biggest annual
military parades in South Asia.
Military parade
