Why in News?

• Bangladesh commemorates 50 years of its Liberation movement.

Brief summary of the movement

• It began with the declaration of Independence by the Mukti Bahini (Freedom Fighters) led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 26, 1971.
• Since India’s partition into India and Pakistan (including present-day Bangladesh) in 1947, residents of East Pakistan have felt that forces in West Pakistan were undermining their culture and status.
• The Language Movement began in 1948 with the goal of asserting the rights of Pakistan’s Bengali-speaking population as well as achieving equal status for Bengali with Urdu, which was declared as Pakistan’s federal language on its own.
• There were also economic disparities between the two sides. The western side received a larger share of the common budget.
• Mujibur Rahman’s Awami League won a clear majority in Pakistan’s general elections in 1970. However, the Pakistani military (which had only about 5% Bengali officers) was opposed to him becoming the country’s supremo.
• Yahya Khan‘s military government was unwilling to cede power to Mujibur Rahman.
• On the night of March 25, 1971, the Pakistani army launched the now-infamous ‘Operation Searchlight,’ killing students, intellectuals, and civilians in Bangladesh. 
• Mujibur Rahman declared the country’s independence on March 26, after it became clear that the West Pakistan authorities would not grant him legitimate power.
• Following this, a guerrilla war erupted between the Pakistani army and their collaborators known as Razakars, as well as the Bangladeshi liberation forces,  known as the ‘Mukti Bahini.’
• When Pakistani forces began attacking civilians in Bangladesh, millions of people fled to India, particularly West Bengal and Assam.
• Indian forces assisted by providing arms and training to Mukti Bahini soldiers. India officially entered combat on December 3, 1971, when Pakistan attacked Indian Air Force bases.
• Operation Trident -Offensive operation launched by the Indian Navy on Pakistan’s port city of Karachi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
• Operation Meghna Heli Bridge – Aerial operation of Indian and Bangladeshi allied forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
• Pakistan surrendered on December 16, 1971. India won the war, and Bangladesh gained independence.
• India was able to break up the then undivided Pakistan( into present day Pakistan and Bangladesh) and thus eliminated the threat of a two-front war(in the western and eastern border) in any future confrontation( as Bangladesh welcomed India’s support for its independence). Although the eastern front remained largely inactive since 1965, it tied down India’s substantial military resources that could have been deployed to greater effect in the western theatre(Present day Pakistan).
• Every year on 16 December Vijay Diwas is observed to mark India’s victory in the 1971 war on Pakistan.

Additional Details

India Bangladesh relations

• Economy

• • • India’s largest export market in the South Asia region is Bangladesh. India’s exports to Bangladesh for the financial year 2018-19 (April-March) stood at USD 9.21 billion and imports from Bangladesh for the same period stood at USD 1.22 billion. 
    • Both countries have been a part of the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) since 2011.

• Connectivity

• • • The new rail link between Haldibari (India) and Chilahati
    • Inland Water Transit and Trade Protocol (PIWTT).
    • Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN), motor vehicles agreement.
    • Bangladesh ports of Chattogram and Mongla for goods moving to and from India, especially North-East India.
  • Defence
    • Joint exercises between army (Exercise Sampriti) and navy (Exercise Milan),  Exercise Shantir Ogroshena -2021
    • Border management- India and Bangladesh share a border of 4096.7 km, the longest border of land shared by India with a neighbour.
    • The India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA)

• Multilateral Forums

• • • South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)

• SAARC Emergency Response Fund

• • • Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
    • UN Security Council reforms, fight climate change, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and protect migrants’ rights.

• River systems

• • Since June 1972, a bilateral Joint River Commission has worked to keep the two countries in contact to maximise the benefits of shared river systems.

• Other areas

• • Sharing of the Feni River between Bangladesh&India(for Tripura) for potable water.
  • Covid vaccine for Bangladesh as a part of Vaccine Diplomacy

Areas of Concern

• Rohingya Crisis

• National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assma to expel illegal Bangladeshi citizens
• Bangladesh is a part of Belt and Road Initiative while India is not
• Teesta water sharing dispute

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/amid-celebrations-role-of-india-us-in-1971-bangladesh-liberation-war-in-spotlight-again/article34178026.ece