TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2002
Bangladesh mourns 1971 massacre
AFP
DHAKA: Bangladeshis on Monday mourned victims massacred by the Pakistani army 31 years ago on the eve of the country's declaration of independence from Pakistan.
Bangladeshis held rallies and candle-light marches in memory of those killed by Pakistani forces who were trying to suppress an independence movement.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation's first leader, proclaimed independence from Pakistan the following morning, on what is marked as Bangladesh's national day.
There is no official figure for the number of Bangladeshis killed on March 25, 1971, but thousands were believed to have died.
Bangladesh broke off from Pakistan after a nine-month independence war, which was backed by India.
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