Bangladesh separated from Pakistan on December 16, 1971, after a nine-month long war of independence. The separation was the result of years of political, cultural, and economic tensions between the two regions, which were formerly united as part of the region of British India.

In 1947, when British India was partitioned into the independent states of India and Pakistan, the region of East Bengal became part of Pakistan as the province of East Pakistan. However, East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh, was geographically and culturally isolated from the rest of Pakistan, and the people of East Pakistan faced discrimination and neglect from the government in West Pakistan.

In 1970, elections were held in Pakistan, and the Awami League, a political party based in East Pakistan, won a majority of the seats in the national parliament. However, the ruling party in West Pakistan refused to transfer power to the Awami League, leading to widespread protests and civil unrest in East Pakistan. In March 1971, the government of Pakistan launched a military crackdown against the protestors, and the conflict escalated into a full-scale war.

After nine months of fighting, the Bangladesh Liberation War ended with the surrender of the Pakistani military on December 16, 1971, and the independence of Bangladesh was recognized by the international community. Since then, Bangladesh has been an independent sovereign nation.