War of Independence

19. War of Independence

There was a time when the Pakistani rulers ruled the people of Bangladesh. In 1971 the people of Bangladesh refused the Pakistani rule. They made a war against Pakistan. It was the war of Independence. The father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the war. He was arrested by the Pakistani army. In his absence the government of Bangladesh was formed at Mujibnagar.The first prime minister of Bangladesh Tajuddin Ahmed organized the war in the absence of Bangabandhu. The brutal Pakistani army started genocide (গণহত্যা). They killed millions of Bangladeshi people. They burnt houses, looted (লুট করেছিল) property and raped millions of women. About 10 million refugees (শরণার্থী) took shelter in India. The freedom –loving people of Bangladesh formed the Mukti-Bahini with the help of India. The Mukti-Bahini and Indian forces unitedly attacked the Pakistani army. On the 16^th December 1971 the Pakistani army surrendered to the joint forces. Thus the war of Independence ended and Bangladesh became an independent country.