The Ministry of Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh on Wednesday issued a statement in an apparent effort to respond to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message on Victory Day, December 16.
"Bangladesh emerged as a sovereign independent country on December 16, 1971, enduring a prolonged struggle and a nine-month long brutal war," the foreign ministry said in a statement titled “Facts in History”.
"Describing the events of that day, in his book titled ‘Liberation and Beyond: Indo-Bangladesh Relations’, former Indian Foreign Secretary, diplomat and National Security Adviser late JN Dixit wrote, “A major political mistake at the surrender ceremony was the Indian military high command’s failure to ensure the presence of General MAG Osmani, Commander from the Bangladesh side on the Joint Command, at the ceremony and making him a signatory. The formal excuse explaining his absence was that his helicopter did take off but could not reach Dhaka in time for the surrender schedule. But there was widespread suspicion that his helicopter had been sent astray so that he could not reach Dhaka in time and the focus of attention at the ceremony was riveted on the Indian military commanders. This was an unfortunate aberration which India could have avoided. The event generated much resentment among Bangladeshi political circles. Osmani’s presence at the surrender ceremony could have helped in avoiding many of the political misunderstandings which affected Indo-Bangladesh relations in the initial days of Bangladesh’s independence.”
"We celebrate our glorious Victory in 1971; we celebrate the Truth," read the statement.
The foreign ministry did not specify whether the statement was in response to Modi's message.
However, it was issued a day after Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain's comment that they would respond to his remarks officially.
In a December 16 post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Narendra Modi referred to the day as Victory Day, praised the Indian soldiers who died in 1971, and described the day as a victory for India, drawing withspread flaks in Bangladesh.
Indian soldiers fought with Bangladesh to liberate the country from Pakistan.
