Independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971, celebrated as Independence Day, from Pakistan. The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated on 26 March when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March and lasted till 16 December 1971 which is celebrated as Victory Day in Bangladesh. There is a dispute along partisan line on who declared the Independence of Bangladesh. The Awami League claim Sheikh Mujibur Rahman while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party claim it was Ziaur Rahman. History In 1905, the British Raj partitioned Bengal into East Bengal and West Bengal. The British introduced the Morley-Minto Reforms in 1909 which made the electorate system based on religion and East Bengal was largely Muslim. The Bengal Provincial Muslim League was created to represent Bengali Muslims. The two Bengals were joined back together in 1912 in a decision by the British which was unpopular among the Muslims which feared it would harm the interests of their community. The 1946 Cabinet Mission to India decided to partition Bengal and in 1947 Bengal war partitioned again. West Bengal went to India and East Bengal went to Pakistan becoming East Pakistan. The Partition of India took place along religious lines with Muslim majority areas going to Pakistan. East Pakistan, where Bengali was the language spoken by the majority, opposed the move by the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, to make Urdu the national language. The people of East Pakistan demanded Bengali be made a national language in the Bengali Language movement. Krishak Sramik Party demanded autonomy for East Bengal in 1953 and won the provincial election against the Pakistan Muslim League in 1954. A. K. Fazlul Huq, leader of the Krishak Sramik Party, becomes the chief minister of East Pakistan. On 31 May 1954, the Krishak Sramik Party was removed from power. Chief Minister A. K. Fazlul Huq and party general secretary Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were placed under house arrest on charges of separatism. From 1963 to 1965, East Pakistan presented a case of economic deprivation with resources from the province benefitting West Pakistan at the cost of development in East Pakistan. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, now leader of the Awami League, was arrested in 1966 and charged in the Agartala conspiracy case, which accused prominent East Pakistanis of trying to separate the country with help from India, in 1968. The 1969 East Pakistan mass