India-Bangladesh relations are “multi-layered” and based on “mutual inter-dependence” and there is a need to sustain this relationship around the principles of “trust and understanding”, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh Riaz Hamidullah, said on Tuesday (December 16, 2025).
Delivering a speech on Vijay Divas, which celebrates the liberation of East Pakistan at the High Commission of Bangladesh, Mr. Hamidullah paid tributes to the leading Indian figures of the war: Lt. Gen. J. F. R. Jacob, Lt. Gen. B. D. Hira and Maj. General G. S. Nagra. The High Commissioner reminded the audience of the sacrifice of 1,668 Indian soldiers who gave their lives for the liberation of Bangladesh.
“The War of Liberation in 1971 and the values and aspirations remain deeply etched in Bangladeshis, of today and the generations to come. As people of Bangladesh and India share culture and contiguous geography, more so shared agro-ecology, securing peace, stability, and prosperity of both the people remains in our shared interests,” said Mr. Hamidullah.
Organic relation
The envoy described India-Bangladesh ties, which have been cold since deposed PM Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024, as an “organic relation”. “Bangladesh’s relations with India are deep and multi-layered. Premised on our treasured past, it is necessary that we appreciate our mutual inter-dependence and accord practical and impactful meaning to our values and ethos for a sustainable future”, said High Commissioner Hamidullah.
“Let’s embrace each other in shaping and advancing a framework of trust and understanding where engagements flourish for the mutual benefit of both peoples,” he added.
The Bangladeshi envoy recounted the sacrifice of young fighters in 1971 and specially mentioned the courageous actions of many freedom fighters like Captain Aftabul Qader, who laid down his life on April 27, 1971, a month after the Pakistani military had launched Operation Searchlight that claimed the lives of at least 1,100 of the brightest intellectuals and lakhs of others. He also recollected the contributions of ordinary women and men from India, especially in the border regions of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya, who supported displaced people who took refuge in India while fleeing torture by Pakistani forces.
Published – December 16, 2025 10:40 pm IST
