26/03/2023
Happy Independence Day, March 27th 🇧🇩✨ To all our Bangladeshi employees, partners and customers.
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To understand the importance of Bangladeshi Independence Day, we need to go back in time.
In 1947, the British officially left the subcontinent of South Asia. During the days of colonialism, Muslims and Hindus were often pitted against each other. As a result, tensions arose after independence. Both groups were afraid of becoming a minority.
As a result, two countries were founded during Partition: India and Pakistan. But Pakistan was hardly a unified nation. Instead, it was split into West Pakistan and East Pakistan. These areas were dramatically different.
While both regions had a Muslim-majority, there were different ethnic groups. And at the time, not all were recognized. Many in East Pakistan soon felt that they were being left out of important discussions. From the economy to the national language, East Pakistanis were not part of the decision-making process.
In the 1970s, these differences came to a head. In 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won an election. But the current President Yahya Khan, from West Pakistan, refused to recognize him. Instead, Yahya Khan launched “Operation Searchlight” to eliminate freedom fighters in East Pakistan.
On March 26, 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh, as an independent state. This set off a bloody civil war.
The conflict lasted until December of 1971 when the West Pakistani army surrendered. It wasn’t long before East Pakistan became recognized as a fully independent country. With the help of the UN and its allies, West Pakistan agreed to recognize the Republic of Bangladesh. And Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the Bangladeshi struggle, became known as Bangabandhu, the ‘Friend of Bengal.”
(Source: remitly.com)
