Five countries got freedom on August 15 (apart from India, though in different years). Here is a brief introduction to Bahrain and its Independence Day
Manama: Apart from India, five other countries also celebrate their Independence Day on August 15. The five are North Korea, South Korea, Congo, Bahrain and Liechtenstein. Here is a brief introduction to Bahrain's independence struggle.
The island country Bahrain is situated in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain means 'two seas'. Bahrain was one of the first states in the Gulf to discover oil and to build a refinery.
Bahrain was under the authority of British since early 1800s. In 1892, British established complete dominance over Bahrain. Before being popular for oil, Bahrain was largely devoted to pearl fisheries. In 1911, a group of Bahraini merchants demanded restrictions on the British influence in the country. The unrest grew and after many protests and uprisings, though the Shah of Iran was claiming historical sovereignty over Bahrain, the country accepted a referendum held by the United Nations and eventually Bahrain declared independent and signed a new treaty of friendship with the United Kingdom.
Sheikh Isa became the first Emir.
Bahrain got freedom on August 15, 1971.
Soon after the independence, Bahrain joined the United Nations and the Arab League in 1971.
Currently, Bahrain under the rule of Al-Khalifa family is a constitutional monarchy headed by the King Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. King has executive powers including appointing the prime minister and ministers, commanding the army, chairing the Higher Judicial Council, parliament's upper house and dissolving its elected lower house.
Independence Day is called as "Eid Alaistiqlal," in Arabic language used in Bahrain.
In reality, August 14 is Bahrain’s actual date of independence. However, it is not celebrated or marked as such.
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