Victory Day, 16 December

On 16 December 1971 Pakistani forces surrendered in Dhaka, ending the Liberation War; the day is a national holiday.

On the afternoon of 16 December 1971, the Pakistani Eastern Command signed the instrument of surrender at the Ramna Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka before the joint command of Indian and Bangladeshi forces. Nine months of war came to an end. Victory Day is marked with a 31-gun salute, parades at the National Parade Ground, and flowers at the National Martyrs' Memorial. Streets, homes and vehicles fly the red-and-green flag as families remember those who died.