India leader arrives in Dhaka on historic visit

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PM Modi Bangladesh Visit: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, on Friday on a two-day state visit to the country during which the Indian leader will attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the country’s independence, the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and hold talks with his counterpart Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Prime Minister Modi is visiting Bangladesh on his first trip to a foreign country since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The Prime Minister Thursday said that he would hold substantive discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart during the visit, as he expressed happiness that his first foreign tour after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic will be to a friendly neighbouring country with which India shares deep ties.

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“Our partnership with Bangladesh is an important pillar of our Neighbourhood First policy, and we are committed to further deepen and diversify it. We will continue to support Bangladesh’s remarkable development journey, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s dynamic leadership,” Modi tweeted ahead of his visit.

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Modi wrote that he was looking forward to remembering the life and ideals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh’s War of Liberation, as well as our diplomatic ties.

PM Modi Bangladesh Visit

PM Modi at Bangladesh National War Memorial.

In 1971, India intervened in the humanitarian crisis in the erstwhile East Pakistan as Pakistan Army dominated by Punjabis, and Pathans from West Pakistan started committing unspeakable atrocities on Bangla population of east Pakistan to subjugate them as Bangalis of East Pakistan resented discrimination and oppressive policies of the West Pakistan’s leadership.

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The atrocities committed by Pakistan Army led to millions of Bangla refugees crossing into India in search of safety, which forced then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to intervene in the crisis and the ensuing 1971 India-Pakistan war resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh as an independent country 50 years ago.

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