In a first, a contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces marched in the Republic Day parade on Tuesday. The participation was to commemorate 50 years of the country's Liberation War in 1971 and establishment of diplomatic ties with India. The 122-member strong Bangladeshi contingent was led by Lt Col Abu Mohammed Shahnoor Shawan. This is the third time that a contingent from a foreign country has taken part in the Republic Day celebrations. The other two countries being France in 2016 and the UAE in 2017.