New Delhi, March 8 -- The fight for democracy was a pivotal aspect of Bangladesh's struggle for independence from Pakistan in 1971, a liberation war that lasted nine months and claimed millions of lives. During this period of intense bloodshed, the people of Bangladesh made unparalleled sacrifices for three core values: equality, human dignity, and social justice. These were not merely popular ideals but the driving forces that inspired freedom fighters, including women and Indigenous groups, to expel Pakistani soldiers and establish Bangladesh as an independent country in mid-December 1971.

Bangladesh transitioned to electoral democracy in 1990 after two decades of authoritarian rule. In 1997, authors Nazim Kamran Choudhury and Yasmeen ...