16th December 1971: From East Pakistan to Bangladesh

[Banglar Bir]

108 Swadhin Bangla Betar artists given Freedom Fighter recognition

• Ishtiaq Husain
• Published at 08:29 PM November 19, 2016
• Last updated at 10:07 PM November 19, 2016

Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was the radio broadcasting centre of Bengali nationalist forces during the Liberation War in 1971.
The government has recognised 108 artists of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra and cultural organisations which were formed during the Liberation War as freedom fighters.

Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was the radio broadcasting centre of Bengali nationalist forces during the Liberation War in 1971. It had played a vital role in boosting the morale of Bangladeshis during the war.

After over four decades of waiting, the country has recognised their important position in winning the psychological war while others fought the physical one.

87 artists and staff of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra had already been inducted as freedom fighters earlier, including their medical team who had aided the war effort.

The Liberation War Affairs Ministry published the gazette notification in this regard on Wednesday.

 

[bluesky]

When Dhaka Fall there No was Just 300000 so where Were The Bihari Gone

I am not sure of the figure you have quoted. But, their declined number may be because the Biharis crossed the border and went into hiding in Kolkata and Bihar.

 

[Banglar Bir]

Returning the award
Hamid Mir, May 7, 2017

Hamid Mir is handed his father’s Friend of Bangladesh Liberation War award by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a ceremony in Dhaka
My friends in Bangladesh are insisting that I explain why I am returning the award bestowed upon my father Professor Waris Mir in 2013 by Sheikh Hasina Wazed. There have been many comments about this both in the Bangladesh media and in Pakistan as well. A legitimate question is being raised, that the award was given to my father who is no longer living. How can I declare that I will return the award? I will have to go back in time to answer this important question. It was winter, 2007. Pakistan’s military president General Parvez Musharraf had suspended the constitution. An embargo was placed on me and a few other TV personalities. Lawyers and journalists had launched a movement against the military president. I would protest outside of the press club every evening. Renowned poet Ahmed Faraz would also turn up there. Many speeches were made. In those speeches it was repeatedly stated that that the reason behind the break-up of Pakistan in 1971 is that a military autocrat refused to hand over power to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the party which won the majority in the elections. One day even former prime minister Benazir Bhutto came and expressed her solidarity with us. The next day when I met Benazir Bhutto at the Zardari House in Islamabad, she said she and Imran Khan had been students at Oxford University in 1971 and had been strongly opposed to the creation of Bangladesh. Later it was found out that there had been so much oppression and repression there. Benazir said, Bangladesh hasn’t achieved political stability even after separating from Pakistan. The reason behind this was military intervention in politics.

It is imperative that Pakistan and Bangladesh forget their bitter past and build up fresh ties. It was there proposed that we journalists and lawyers should apologise to the people of Bangladesh for the incidents of 1971. Among the supporters of this proposal, retired government official Roadad Khan was quite excited. He had been the information secretary in East Pakistan in 1971. The next day a banner was made, bearing the words that Pakistani journalists and lawyers apologise to the people of Bangladesh for the incidents of 1971. When this picture was published in the papers, it created a storm against me. The picture depicted me prominently, banner in hand. As it was, the Musharraf government was annoyed with me. Now they brought charges of treason against me. I was under pressure to stop attending those protests and demonstrations. I refused to give in. The next day Benazir Bhutto was killed and eventually the Musharraf government too stepped down.

On 26 March 2010 I wrote a column for the renowned English newspaper of Bangladesh The Daily Star and the Bangla paper Prothom Alo. I asked, why did I ask the Bangladesh people for pardon? I mentioned my father Professor Waris Mir’s Dhaka visit, and said he had made that trip in October 1971, a few months before the break-up of Pakistan. He had visited Dhaka as part of a delegation of the Punjab University Students Union and had tried to create a bridge between Dhaka University and Punjab University. Javed Hashmi was also a part of the delegation. He wrote a detailed description of the visit in his book Haan Main Baghi Hoon (Yes, I am a Dissident). In my book I wrote that my father was very sad about the 1971 incidents. He was very worried upon his return from Dhaka. He would say, we should ask the Bengalis for pardon. They had played a vital role in the Pakistan movement. I also wrote that, the appeal for pardon would forge a new relationship with the people of Bangladesh. A few days after this column was published, the Bangladesh government contacted me, asking for my father’s writings which had opposed the 1971 military operation. I handed over those writings to the Bangladesh government. A representative of the Bangladesh government Shahriar Kabir then came to Pakistan and expressed his desire to meet with Javed Hashmi. I arranged them to meet. Hashmi sahib clearly said to Shahiar Kabir, all of us including Waris Mir were against the military operation and had demanded that power be handed over to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But we were not in favour of Pakistan breaking up. A few days later the Bangladesh government decided to award the Pakistanis who had opposed the military operation of 1971. The awards were presented on 22 March 2013 in Dhaka. In the meantime, the date 23 March 2013 was fixed in Islamabad for me to accept the Hilal-e-Imtiaz award from the Pakistan president. So, I told the Bangladesh government that my brother would accept our father’s award. The Bangladesh government insisted that I go to accept the award so as to improve ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh. I agreed and went to accept the award.

I had imagined that relations would improve between the two countries, but that dream did not materialise. In July 2013 when the 90-year-old leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Ghulam Azam was sentenced to life imprisonment, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International objected. When I mentioned it in a column, the Bangladesh government sent me a message, I awarded you, don’t talk about this issue. Next charges of treason were brought about against the editor of The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam and the editor of Prothom Alo Matiur Rahman. When I took an active stand against these charges, a Bangladesh ambassador said, we awarded you. You should remain silent. Recently Bangladesh refused to send its cricket team to Pakistan. A member of Pakistan’s National Assembly told me, he had prepared quite some time back a proposal for the Pakistan parliament to ask the people of Bangladesh pardon for the 1971 incidents. He had collected the signatures of 13 members of different parties. He would place it in parliament at a convenient time. He said, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accepted subservience to Narendra Modi. She was no longer interested in improving ties with Bangladesh and so as long as Hasina Wazed is prime minister, I will not raise the proposal in parliament.

Around that time, I met an official of the Bangladesh Cricket Board in Dubai and asked him why they were not coming to Pakistan. He replied that India does not like it. I said, has Bangladesh accepted subservience to India? The Bangladesh friend was annoyed. He said, we awarded you and you are criticizing us. I reminded him, you awarded my father, not me. But if you want to silence me with this award, then take it back. It is on record that the award has been returned to Hasina Wazed.

My love for Bangladesh remains strong. This love is not subject to any award, not in the hope of any award.

This column was published in Urdu in the Pakistan national daily Jang on 4 May 2017.

 

[bluesky]

127 'grenades of Bangladesh Liberation War' found in Tripura
Tripura Correspondent bdnews24.com

Published: 2017-05-09 01:09:10.0 BdST Updated: 2017-05-09 01:20:58.0 BdST

• 
  
  
  

Around 127 grenades, suspected to have been used during Bangladesh's War of Independence and buried underground, have been recovered in northern Tripura.

Local villagers said the grenades might have been buried by the Indian Army in the 1971 war.

Hrishekesh Paul, an aged villager said, “Once this area was dense forest and so the military had set up their camp here. They fought and liberated Bangladesh. Currently, where there is the central school, three cannons were set up there for shelling along with a few bunkers during the Bangladesh war.”

Villager Rakesh Sukla Baidya, while digging mud, found two round metal balls near the central school at Gaurnagar late on Sunday.

Villagers thought these were grenades and immediately alerted the police.

So far, nearly 127 rusted grenades have been dug up.

Police have sanitised the area and set up a temporary camp while the digging is going on.

During the war, a camp of the Indian Army was there.

Bomb squad and forensic team are to visit the spot for digging out the entire area to find out if anything more is left.

Tripura had six to seven camps in four sectors from where the Bangladeshi freedom fighters fought Pakistani forces after taking arms training in Tripura.

Over 1,600,000 Bangladeshis - a number larger than the state’s then total population of 1,500,000 - had taken shelter in Tripura alone.

The nine-month-long war later turned into a full-scale India-Pakistan War, leading to the surrender of nearly 93,000 Pakistani soldiers in Dhaka on Dec 16, 1971.

Tripura shares 856 km borders with Bangladesh.

 

[M.R.9]

BUt we lough when india says they have created Bangladesh , Here they self claimed that they are foe state of Bangladesh and Pakistan . What a stupidity .

Returning the award
Hamid Mir, May 7, 2017

Hamid Mir is handed his father’s Friend of Bangladesh Liberation War award by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a ceremony in Dhaka
My friends in Bangladesh are insisting that I explain why I am returning the award bestowed upon my father Professor Waris Mir in 2013 by Sheikh Hasina Wazed. There have been many comments about this both in the Bangladesh media and in Pakistan as well. A legitimate question is being raised, that the award was given to my father who is no longer living. How can I declare that I will return the award? I will have to go back in time to answer this important question. It was winter, 2007. Pakistan’s military president General Parvez Musharraf had suspended the constitution. An embargo was placed on me and a few other TV personalities. Lawyers and journalists had launched a movement against the military president. I would protest outside of the press club every evening. Renowned poet Ahmed Faraz would also turn up there. Many speeches were made. In those speeches it was repeatedly stated that that the reason behind the break-up of Pakistan in 1971 is that a military autocrat refused to hand over power to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the party which won the majority in the elections. One day even former prime minister Benazir Bhutto came and expressed her solidarity with us. The next day when I met Benazir Bhutto at the Zardari House in Islamabad, she said she and Imran Khan had been students at Oxford University in 1971 and had been strongly opposed to the creation of Bangladesh. Later it was found out that there had been so much oppression and repression there. Benazir said, Bangladesh hasn’t achieved political stability even after separating from Pakistan. The reason behind this was military intervention in politics.

It is imperative that Pakistan and Bangladesh forget their bitter past and build up fresh ties. It was there proposed that we journalists and lawyers should apologise to the people of Bangladesh for the incidents of 1971. Among the supporters of this proposal, retired government official Roadad Khan was quite excited. He had been the information secretary in East Pakistan in 1971. The next day a banner was made, bearing the words that Pakistani journalists and lawyers apologise to the people of Bangladesh for the incidents of 1971. When this picture was published in the papers, it created a storm against me. The picture depicted me prominently, banner in hand. As it was, the Musharraf government was annoyed with me. Now they brought charges of treason against me. I was under pressure to stop attending those protests and demonstrations. I refused to give in. The next day Benazir Bhutto was killed and eventually the Musharraf government too stepped down.

On 26 March 2010 I wrote a column for the renowned English newspaper of Bangladesh The Daily Star and the Bangla paper Prothom Alo. I asked, why did I ask the Bangladesh people for pardon? I mentioned my father Professor Waris Mir’s Dhaka visit, and said he had made that trip in October 1971, a few months before the break-up of Pakistan. He had visited Dhaka as part of a delegation of the Punjab University Students Union and had tried to create a bridge between Dhaka University and Punjab University. Javed Hashmi was also a part of the delegation. He wrote a detailed description of the visit in his book Haan Main Baghi Hoon (Yes, I am a Dissident). In my book I wrote that my father was very sad about the 1971 incidents. He was very worried upon his return from Dhaka. He would say, we should ask the Bengalis for pardon. They had played a vital role in the Pakistan movement. I also wrote that, the appeal for pardon would forge a new relationship with the people of Bangladesh. A few days after this column was published, the Bangladesh government contacted me, asking for my father’s writings which had opposed the 1971 military operation. I handed over those writings to the Bangladesh government. A representative of the Bangladesh government Shahriar Kabir then came to Pakistan and expressed his desire to meet with Javed Hashmi. I arranged them to meet. Hashmi sahib clearly said to Shahiar Kabir, all of us including Waris Mir were against the military operation and had demanded that power be handed over to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But we were not in favour of Pakistan breaking up. A few days later the Bangladesh government decided to award the Pakistanis who had opposed the military operation of 1971. The awards were presented on 22 March 2013 in Dhaka. In the meantime, the date 23 March 2013 was fixed in Islamabad for me to accept the Hilal-e-Imtiaz award from the Pakistan president. So, I told the Bangladesh government that my brother would accept our father’s award. The Bangladesh government insisted that I go to accept the award so as to improve ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh. I agreed and went to accept the award.

I had imagined that relations would improve between the two countries, but that dream did not materialise. In July 2013 when the 90-year-old leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Ghulam Azam was sentenced to life imprisonment, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International objected. When I mentioned it in a column, the Bangladesh government sent me a message, I awarded you, don’t talk about this issue. Next charges of treason were brought about against the editor of The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam and the editor of Prothom Alo Matiur Rahman. When I took an active stand against these charges, a Bangladesh ambassador said, we awarded you. You should remain silent. Recently Bangladesh refused to send its cricket team to Pakistan. A member of Pakistan’s National Assembly told me, he had prepared quite some time back a proposal for the Pakistan parliament to ask the people of Bangladesh pardon for the 1971 incidents. He had collected the signatures of 13 members of different parties. He would place it in parliament at a convenient time. He said, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accepted subservience to Narendra Modi. She was no longer interested in improving ties with Bangladesh and so as long as Hasina Wazed is prime minister, I will not raise the proposal in parliament.

Around that time, I met an official of the Bangladesh Cricket Board in Dubai and asked him why they were not coming to Pakistan. He replied that India does not like it. I said, has Bangladesh accepted subservience to India? The Bangladesh friend was annoyed. He said, we awarded you and you are criticizing us. I reminded him, you awarded my father, not me. But if you want to silence me with this award, then take it back. It is on record that the award has been returned to Hasina Wazed.

My love for Bangladesh remains strong. This love is not subject to any award, not in the hope of any award.

This column was published in Urdu in the Pakistan national daily Jang on 4 May 2017.

Still now he didnot get back his prize.

 

[Banglar Bir]

Do we need a law to protect the history of 1971?
Afsan Chowdhury | Published: 00:05, May 10,2017 | Updated: 22:23, May 09,2017

GIVEN that we have very few history research books of quality on 1971 and no one wanting to insult history, the proposed law on protecting history is a bit of a puzzle. However, if one knows about the politics involved in the issue, it becomes simpler to understand. The Awami League is trying to protect its political status while it mounts an aggressive campaign against its arch-foe BNP and Jamaat. The law is not about protecting the history of 1971 but protecting the politics that has grown up around the topic. This is sad because 1971 is literally our mother year and its history belongs to people not political parties. The liberation war is over, but its history awaits liberation, it seems.

***
NOT much organised research work and data collection have been done on the topic from 1972 onwards through official patronage. Efforts have been made but many do not seem to survive political transitions. The nature of the relationship between a government and historical research is always uneasy. And now that party politics has become so intensely involved in every intellectual effort, expecting such efforts to work out is simply not possible.

Three major official efforts on history
wof 1971
THE first effort was mounted by the Bangla Academy in the Mujib era but the academic rigour of the data and information collection process was weak. The then director general, Dr Mazharul Islam, got into a major controversy over the biography he was writing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and that led to loss of credibility. The August transition put an end to the effort.

However, in 1977, the Zia government sponsored a History of Bangladesh project under Hasan Hafizur Rahman under the ministry of information which yielded 15 volumes of documents, which remain a major platform of research till today. One of the reasons this project worked out was because it was stewarded by some of the most eminent historians of the country, not bureaucrats and party loyalists. The objective of the project was academic and not political and this was a major difference. Interestingly, while the government was a BNP-led one, great freedom was enjoyed in the running of the project due to the status of Hasan Hafizur Rahman and the eminent status of the academicians involved. It meant the members of the authentication committee that was responsible for ensuring the quality of the work were not partisans of the government in power. They were not trying to please the government but were loyal to their own integrity. It is also obvious that the academic and research environment was much less toxic than it is now in general.

As nobody was trying to write a narrative history of 1971 but focus only on the collection of documents which was value-neutral, it was an added point in ensuring non-interference.
The third official attempt was initiated by the Bangla Academy under Dr Syed Anwar Hossain, an eminent historian and the then director general of the Bangla Academy; but before it could end, the regime changed and the project was aborted as well.

The politics of history BUT, of course, the situation changed as politics changed.
From the 1970s under the Mujib era, up to BKSAL formation, when any subject on the history of 1971 could be discussed without pressure or fear to the changes after August 1975, when Zia emerged as a contestant and claimant to the status as close or possibly equal to Sheikh Mujib, many changes have occurred. History is no longer about learning about the birth of an independent country but using history for leveraging political gains to clout the other party. History itself has become a prisoner of partisan politics.

The decision to enact such a law came after BNP leader Khaleda declared that the number of shaheeds was less than three million in a speech in 2016. This was followed by Tarique Zia, who said that Zia himself was an interim ‘father of the nation’ of sorts. This sent angry tremors in the AL world and the end result was the proposal and soon to follow the passing of the law.

Does this in anyway interfere with the pursuit of knowledge about 1971?

This is the great grey areas which concern historians. The matter of knowledge about the birth of Bangladesh has now passed on for interpretations by people who are not historians. When laws are passed to protect history, the biggest problem is that the ball always resides in the court of the non-historians. Just as historians are no judge of law, similarly judges or amlas should not do what is not theirs to do.

But what or who really is insulting the history of 1971? As many have written on this issue, disagreeing with the official narrative can be construed to mean insult even on academic issues. And with law being very wide open and using courts as a tool of harassment now established, many scholars will now start refraining from doing any research at all just for personal safety’s sake. It is the last thing we need.

But the reality is here and that is how the future looks like for all. The BNP will find another new cross to bear and may stop discussing any history of 1971 just to remain outside jails. Since the BNP began the ball rolling to use history for politics, it will have to be extra cautious. AL leaders will have the freedom to go after the BNP and this party may slide further. Independent scholars also face a greater threat and partisan intellectuals will spend time longer praising the government.

But the matter of recovering, preserving and distribution of the 1971 history shows that it has been shifting the formal and official world to that of the people’s space. Whether one calls it an alternative space for historical understanding or not, public interest will remain. Over 100 books are written on the topic every year and more will be written. These are all of varying quality but like always the initiative will remain. The government could have chosen to promote the history of 1971 collecting information and data but has decided that history is for politics just as the BNP does. It will not serve Bangladesh but coming or staying in power in Bangladesh.
Through this law, the gap between people and the government will increase further. However, people will always find ways to serve their conscience as best as they can and that includes an authentic history of their own birth, written by themselves for their own consumption. As it continues to happen even now.

Afsan Chowdhury is a journalist and researcher.

- See more at: http://www.newagebd.net/article/152...tect-the-history-of-1971#sthash.7tT9nfXl.dpuf

 

[Banglar Bir]

Professor Syed Abdullah Khalid,former lecturer of Chittagong University, recipient of Ekushey award, sculptor of "Aparayjoi Bangla", placed in front of Dhaka University, depicting the Glorious Liberation War, a renowned artist and a FF, admitted in ICU,in a critical state. A very dear and close friend of mine. Pray to Almighty to ease his pain and early recovery.

 

[Banglar Bir]

03:05 PM, May 21, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:16 PM, May 21, 2017
People show love, respect to Khalid at Aparajeyo Bangla

Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor pays last respect to Sculptor Syed Abdullah Khalid at his work Aparajeyo Bangla in Dhaka University campus on Sunday, May 21, 2017. Photo: Rashed Suman

Star Online Report

The farewell gathering at Aparajeyo Bangla proves it all.

He will be remembered for his work of art, forever. People from all walks of life paid their last respects to sculptor Syed Abdullah Khalid at the Dhaka University campus today.

READ MORE: Abdullah Khalid no more

His body was taken to Charukala at 10:55am and at the foot of his monumental creation Aparajeyo Bangla at 12:15 noon for people to pay their last respects.
Sculptor Khalid breathed his last at the city's Birdem hospital around 11:45pm yesterday. He was 75.

His namaz-e-janaza was held at the central mosque of the Dhaka University after Zohr prayers. Later, his body was taken to Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard for burial.

READ ALSO: In conversation with Syed Abdullah Khalid
“This sculptor was first initiated in July 1973 and Khalid vai personally look after the building works,” cultural activist M Hamid told The Daily Star.
“But, in 1975, after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the work was stopped for some time. However on December 16, 1979, the sculptor was inaugurated by injured freedom fighter Madhu,” Golum Kuddus, president of Sammilito Sangkritik Jote, told The Daily Star.

“After Khalid bhai has completed the design of Aparajeyo Bangla, he requested me to give a suitable title for his work. Later, I wrote an article titled “Aparajeyo Bangla” in the then daily Banglar Bani,” said noted journalist Saleh Chowdhury.

People from all walks of life pay last respect to Sculptor Syed Abdullah Khalid at his work Aparajeyo Bangla in Dhaka University campus on Sunday, May 21, 2017. Photo: Rashed Suman
Khalid left behind his wife, two sons and a daughter and a host of friends, relatives, admirers and well-wishers to mourn his death.

Ekushey Padak winner Khalid not only excelled in sculpture but also made a great impression with his vibrant paintings.
http://www.thedailystar.net/city/people-show-love-respect-khalid-aparajeyo-bangla-1408576

 

[Banglar Bir]

Operation Jackpot -Bangladesh Naval Commando in 1971,A Complete History.

 

[Banglar Bir]

History of Operation Kilo Flight of BAF During 1971.

 

[Banglar Bir]

Zia declared Independence, not Bangabandhu said Kader Siddiqui

 

[asad71]

History of Operation Kilo Flight of BAF During 1971.

These two ops - naval and air, had really strangled PA E Comd.

Zia declared Independence, not Bangabandhu said Kader Siddiqui

After the crackdown, the nation felt betrayed by the political leadership. They had neither warned or prepared the nation for the resistance head. Zia's broadcast gave the disillusioned nation hope. For the Bengali military personnel and the youth this was the clarion call to action.

 

[bluesky]

After the crackdown, the nation felt betrayed by the political leadership. They had neither warned or prepared the nation for the resistance head. Zia's broadcast gave the disillusioned nation hope. For the Bengali military personnel and the youth this was the clarion call to action.

Yes, you are completely correct. The then AL leadership including Sk. Mujib knew very well that throughout February and March of 1971, Yahya Khan was bringing in non-Bangali troops from west Pakistan and at the same time was taking Bangali troops to the west. I have read accounts that SMR was informed and instigated by the Bangali military officers to immediately declare independence and disallow the non-Bangali troops to land in Dhaka and Chittagong.

But, he remained faithful to one Pakistan. SMR did not even care to record his voice or write a secret message for independence before the 25 March crackdown and his arrest. Other leaders also did not do this before they ran away to India. This resulted in the killing of Bangali Jawans in the cantonments and Police forces in Rajarbag.

Zia's declaration came at a time when still many Bangali Officers and Jawans were not yet killed. They separated themselves from the non-Bangali Jawans and ran away after they heard of the Declaration of Independence by Major Ziaur Rahman.

The surviving group of this trained Jawans became the core of the resistance and liberation war, who trained in India the civilian Bangali young groups to fight against the PA troops. Without the presence of this Bangali Jawans, either the liberation war would not have started or would have been fully hijacked by the IA troops.

So, I believe that the timely promulgation of independence by Ziaur Rahman was responsible for a successful initiation of the liberation war and the country's ultimate independence from Islamabad.

 

[asad71]

Yes, you are completely correct. The then AL leadership including Sk. Mujib knew very well that throughout February and March of 1971, Yahya Khan was bringing in non-Bangali troops from west Pakistan and at the same time was taking Bangali troops to the west. I have read accounts that SMR was informed and instigated by the Bangali military officers to immediately declare independence and disallow the non-Bangali troops to land in Dhaka and Chittagong.

But, he remained faithful to one Pakistan. SMR did not even care to record his voice or write a secret message for independence before the 25 March crackdown and his arrest. Other leaders also did not do this before they ran away to India. This resulted in the killing of Bangali Jawans in the cantonments and Police forces in Rajarbag.

Zia's declaration came at a time when still many Bangali Officers and Jawans were not yet killed. They separated themselves from the non-Bangali Jawans and ran away after they heard of the Declaration of Independence by Major Ziaur Rahman.

The surviving group of this trained Jawans became the core of the resistance and liberation war, who trained the civilian young groups in India to fight against the PA troops. Without the presence of this Bangali Jawans, either the liberation war would not have started or would have been fully hijacked by the IA troops.

So, I believe that the timely promulgation of independence by Ziaur Rahman was responsible for a successful initiation of the liberation war and the country's ultimate independence from Islamabad.

Yes, the first bullet fired by Pakistanis caused us to react immediately and resist. Thus a war of secession or civil war commenced led by Bengali miliy officers. India and BAL moved in quickly to color this a liberation war - and take all the credit. That's why they paint false picture of the war.

 

[Banglar Bir]

আ.লীগ স্বাধীনতা ঘোষণা করেনি, পক্ষেও ছিল না: আ. স. ম. রব
- ২৯ জানুয়ারি ২০১৭

29 Jan, 2017
জাতীয় সমাজতান্ত্রিক দল (জে.এস.ডি) এর সভাপতি আ. স. ম. আবদুর রব বলেছেন, ‘দেশে স্বাধীনতার ইতিহাস বিকৃতি চলছে। আওয়ামী লীগ দলগতভাবে কোনো স্বাধীনতা ঘোষণা করেনি এবং স্বাধীনতার স্বপক্ষেও ছিল না।’
একই সঙ্গে তিনি বলেছেন, ‘এটা আমার নিজের মনগড়া কথা নয়। ১৯৭১ সালের ২৫ মার্চের আগ পর্যন্ত আওয়ামী লীগ ‘স্বাধীনতার’ ‘স্ব’ উচ্চারণ করেছেন এরকম কোনো বই কিংবা প্রমাণও কেউ দেখাতে পারবে না।’

শনিবার রাতে ফটিকছড়ির মাইজভান্ডার দরবার শরীফে জেয়ারত শেষে দলীয় নেতাকর্মী ও স্থানীয় সাংবাদিকদের সাথে মতবিনিময়কালে তিনি এসব কথা বলেন।

আ স ম রব বলেন, ‘দেশে কোনো গণতন্ত্র নেই। ক্ষমতাসীন দলের স্বৈরাচারী শাসনে রাজনৈতিক দলগুলোর সভা-সমাবেশে বন্ধ। জনসভায় অঘোষিত বাধা এবং সাধারণ মানুষের রাজনৈতিক ও স্বাধীনতা হরণের মহোৎসব চলছে।’

স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশের মানচিত্রখচিত প্রথম পতাকা উত্তোলক আব্দুর রব ক্ষিপ্ত কণ্ঠে বলেন, ‘এদেশের পতাকা এতিম। পতাকার তো কোন মা-বাপ নেই। স্বাধীনতার ৪৫ বছর পরেও রাষ্ট্রীয়ভাবে প্রাথমিক কিংবা মাধ্যমিকের শিক্ষার্থীদের জন্য কোনো বই-পুস্তকে পতাকা উত্তোলকদের নাম লেখা হয়নি।’

ছাত্রলীগের তৎকালীন সাধারণ সম্পাদকের দায়িত্বে থাকা এ নেতা বলেন, ‘ছাত্রলীগের বর্তমান কর্মকাণ্ড জাতি দেখছে। তবে ১৯৭২ সালের ১০ জানুয়ারির পূর্ব পর্যন্ত ছাত্রলীগ, যুবক, শ্রমিক, কৃষকদের অসামান্য অবদানের কথা যদি না লেখা হয়, তবে স্বাধীনতার ইতিহাস অসম্পূর্ণ থেকে যাবে।’

ভবিষ্যতে নির্বাচনে যাবে কি না তার দল? এমন প্রশ্নের জবাবে রব বলেন, ‘জনগণের ভোট দেয়ার পরিস্থিতি থাকলে ‘জেএসডি’ নির্বাচনে অংশগ্রহণ করবে এবং ৩শ’ আসনে প্রার্থী দেবে। তবে আসন্ন নির্বাচন নিয়ে দেশে নাটক চলছে। নাটকের মধ্যে সবসময় আসল জিনিস থাকে না। আরও দু’বছর সময় কাটানোর জন্য আওয়ামী লীগ এইসব নাটক সাজাচ্ছে।’

সাবেক এ ছাত্রনেতা আরও বলেন, ‘এই দেশে পীর-দরবেশ ও সুফিদের মাধ্যমে ইসলাম ধর্ম প্রচার হয়েছে। বিশেষ করে ইরাক-ইরান-তুরস্ক ও আরব দেশ থেকে জাহাজ যোগে চট্টগ্রামে তাদের আগমণ হতো। তাই বারআউলিয়ার পূর্ণভূমি চট্টগ্রাম। তার মধ্যে মাইজভাণ্ডারী সুফিবাদ সর্বক্ষেত্রে প্রসিদ্ধ। এখানে আগেও এসেছি, এখনও এসেছি দোয়ার জন্য।’

এ সময় আরও উপস্থিত ছিলেন জেএসডির কেন্দ্রীয় সহ-সভাপতি তানিয়া ফেরদৌসি, যুগ্ন সম্পাদক শহীদ উদ্দিন মাহবুব স্বপন, সৈয়দ তারেকুল আনোয়ার, মো. এয়াকুব, আবু সৈয়দ শফিউল আলম খোকন, আবদুল মালেক, আবু তাহের, রেজাউল করিম, মোস্তফা সাহাব উদ্দিন, সাউফুল ইসলাম, ফেরদৌস মাহমুদ, মনিরুল ইসলাম, দিদার হোসেন ও শাহ এমরান সুমন প্রমুখ।

http://dailybdtimes.com/2017/01/29/আ-লীগ-স্বাধীনতা-ঘোষণা-করে/