Victory Day of Bangladesh – December 16, 2026

History of Victory Day of Bangladesh

It all started with India’s independence, back in 1947, which created the dominion of Pakistan. This meant Pakistan now had two separate regions on either side of India — West Pakistan and East Pakistan — which led to friction between the two regions. On March 26, 1971, when Bangladesh gained independence, it kickstarted the Liberation War. This genocide began with the launch of Operation Searchlight, as West Pakistan (now Pakistan) cracked down on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

The people of Bangladesh then took it upon themselves to partake in a war to gain independence from Pakistan. This gain came at the cost of innumerable losses. Mukti Bahini, a guerrilla resistance movement comprising the Bangladeshi military and civilians, was created to fight this war. This guerrilla war lasted for a total of nine excruciating months. In November, India took part in the war, supporting Bangladesh. Shortly after, they defeated the Pakistan Army, finally ending the war on December 16, when Pakistan surrendered at Ramna Race Course in Dhaka.

One of the most historic moments was the famous Blood Telegram, written by Archer Blood, an American diplomat. The strongly worded letter protested against the atrocities committed during the war. Well, it’s worth reading for yourself, in Blood’s words: “Our government has failed to denounce the suppression of democracy. Our government has failed to denounce atrocities. Our government has failed to take forceful measures to protect its citizens while at the same time bending over backward to placate the West Pakistan-dominated government and to lessen any deservedly negative international public relations impact against them. Our government has evidenced what many will consider moral bankruptcy. But we have chosen not to intervene, even morally, on the grounds that the Awami conflict, in which unfortunately the overworked term genocide is applicable, is purely an internal matter of a sovereign state. Private Americans have expressed disgust. We, as professional civil servants, express our dissent with current policy and fervently hope that our true and lasting interests here can be defined and our policies redirected in order to salvage our nation’s position as a moral leader of the free world.”