Bangladesh-India friends for Eternity: Liberation war veteran

Calling Bangladesh-India friends for eternity, former Liberation War Veteran, Lt Col Quazi Sazzad Ali Zahir said that the friendship between the two nations is made of blood, soil and sacrifice. He was speaking on the occasion of Vijay Diwas to mark the anniversary of the surrender of the Pakistani forces in erstwhile East Pakistan and the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.

He termed Pakistan as a genocidal nation and he said that the victory for Bangladesh was possible only because of the help from India. "So many people were killed back then. Pakistan is a genocidal nation. India supported us, that's why we won," he said.

When asked about the recent closeness of Bangladesh with China and the border skirmish between the Indian and the Chinese troops along the border in Tawang, the retired Bangladeshi said, "This is not 1962, this is 2022. Indian Army is a very tough and well-trained army. India isn't an aggressive nation. Bangladesh-China relations are purely commercial and India remains Bangladesh's best friend."

On 16 December 1971, the Pakistani troops surrendered before the Indian Army. An Instrument of Surrender was signed between Pakistani Lt. General AAK Niazi and Lt. General Jagjit Singh Aurora, the GOC-in-Chief of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army. This resulted in a ceasefire and Bangladesh was created.

( With inputs from ANI )