16th December remembered !!

The TIME Report

16th December always has a special meaning to refugee migrants from East Pakistan living in India. The day of victory celebrated all over the India and Bangladesh, on the occasion of great Indian victory over Pakistan in 1971 to give birth to a new Nation, Bangladesh. Though, most of us did not go back to Bangladesh, we felt we are closer to a nation named Bangladesh than the country we left, Pakistan.

Thanks to TIME Magazine, I was able to get hold of a couple of news reports from their archives. The first one describes the build up to the war, including the plights of the refugees and the war ravaged people, the political situation and the condition of the country. The next one gives vivid description of the war and how the new nation was born.

It's a pleasure to read the reports by TIME. Although the magazine was based in USA, the dared to come up with such reports, despite the pro-Pakistan stance of USA. Hats off to TIME.

The significance of the Victory day in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan

How India and Pakistan view Bangladesh and events of 1971, are highlighted in a couple of great editorials in The Daily Star, written by two liberal columnists - Kuldip Nayar and MB Naqvi. The following mukto-mona article also shows that Indian celebration of Victory day does not mention Bangladesh or even the Mukti-bahini. My coverage ends with a link to Rezwan's writing on the same topic.