---
title: "Bangladesh Liberation War — Definition & Meaning"
description: "The Bangladesh Liberation War was the 1971 conflict where East Pakistan became Bangladesh. It highlights the struggle for independence and national identity."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/bangladesh-liberation-war"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Bangladesh Liberation War was the 1971 nine-month armed conflict in which East Pakistan seceded from Pakistan to become the independent state of Bangladesh.
- When did the Bangladesh Liberation War begin and end?
- What was the Mujibnagar Government?
- What role did the 1970 election play in causing the war?
- How is 1971 addressed in transitional justice today?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 16 December 1971

   The Bangladesh Liberation War (Muktijuddho) was the armed struggle, lasting from 26 March to , through which East Pakistan won independence from Pakistan as…

2. 1 March 1971

   When President Yahya Khan indefinitely postponed the Assembly session on , mass civil disobedience followed, crystallised in Mujib's 7 March Racecourse Groun…

3. 26 March 1971

   The Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight on the night of 25–, triggering the proclamation of independence and the war.

4. 17 April 1971

   A government-in-exile, the Mujibnagar Government, was sworn in on at Baidyanathtala (Mujibnagar), with Mujib as President (in absentia, imprisoned in West P…

5. 14 December 1971

   The Pakistan Army and collaborator militias (Razakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams) perpetrated systematic atrocities, including a targeted killing of Bengali intellect…

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Example

On 16 December 1971, Lieutenant General A. A. K. Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender at the Ramna Race Course in Dhaka, handing over about 93,000 Pakistani troops to the joint India–Mukti Bahini command under Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora.

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