December 6th is celebrated as a ‘Maitri Diwas’ marking the recognition granted to Bangladesh by India in 1971 on this day. Minister of Home Affairs of Bangladesh Asaduzzaman Khan was the Chief Guest on the occasion.

Bangladesh Home Minister in his address thanked India for its support extended to the people of Bangladesh during the Liberation War in 1971. Khan said that without India’s active support, the war of liberation could not have been won in just about 9 months.

Speaking on the occasion High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Pranay Verma said that the liberation of Bangladesh, 52 years ago, changed the political map of South Asia but more importantly it also changed our psychological map. He said Bangladesh's freedom proved beyond doubt that the common bonds of culture, civilization, language, and the connections between our hearts are what fundamentally connect people closer to each other than anything else.

India had stood by the people of Bangladesh in 1971 and will stand ready to walk together with them in the future as well on the roads to greater prosperity and success supporting them to realize their vision of a stable, prosperous, and progressive nation, Verma said.

The High Commissioner pressed that we must also ensure that our future generations, our youth,  imbibe this shared history and preserve the legacy of 1971 to make our partnership irreversible. 

Liberation warfighters, members of civil society, media, dignitaries,  and other prominent people took part in the event organized by the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

Navalsang Parmar(Dhaka)