RAW, Secession and Independence of Bangladesh
New yet old story
Nothing new in the fact that the Indian central intelligence agency, R&AW had plan for secession of East Pakistan from the day one of 1947 but also that Bangladesh came into being as the essential by product of the design. A US NGO report has only now in August 2009, too late if not too little, made the fact public in their document. Those who are already aware of the R&AW’s machination in early 1950s and 1960s as there are in Jyoto Sengupta’s memoirs (A History of Freedom Movement of Bangladesh 1947-73: Some Involvement, 1973) and Ashok Raina’s documentary evidences (Inside RAW) had no surprise in the matter that David Miller Smith made on the 24th August 2009 a three-page item I have received from the internet.
Bengal Muslims
If one would honestly recall the background history and movement of the Bengal Muslims during the colonial British period it would really appear to be a matter of surprise that the people who popularly supported the Muslim League since almost about the inception in 1906 and overwhelmingly voted for one Pakistan in the 1946 general election could have gone all the way out for secession from Pakistan and seriously sought for independent Bangladesh just after 24 years in 1971. Five years back in September 1965 when Pakistan-India war broke out, and I was then posted at Rangpur district town about 200 miles north west of Dhaka, teaching in a college there, I recall thousands in that small district town thronged into the streets to cheer up the EPR (East Pakistan Rifles) and the Pakistan Army units posted in the locality to ‘crush India’ at the war. Did I see anything wrong of the people’s sentiment against Indian aggression or were the people wrong about their sentiment for Pakistan’s unity and integrity? The 1971 26th March army Operation Searchlight changed no doubt many calculations, but was that deep enough to bring secession and cut Pakistan to size for ensuring all strategic benefits to the regional Indian power? Was there no scope to look for dignified and respectful way out except secession?
Why not all Bengalis?
Some other relevant questions could also be raised. Indians had been eager to get Bengalis of East Pakistan in 1971 freedom from Pakistan; very lofty proposition indeed, and a pious wish of them. Why could not they have had even before 1971 the same pious wish for freedom of the Kashmiris who have been brutally enchained against their free will by Delhi’s occupation armed force for over six decades now figuring about half a million and since 1947? How about the independence struggle of the people of the so known ‘seven sisters’ of the eastern India who remained close to and neighbor of former East Pakistan and now Bangladesh? Why can’t Delhi let the 80 million Bengalis of West Bengal and Tripura living adjacent to Bangladesh territory could go off its control and suzerainty to form together still greater Bengali State of about 230 million people with Bangladesh after 1971? I am sure, Delhi had no easy, much less satisfactory answer to all the questions above, and so they cannot rationalize secession of East Pakistan in 1971. That means the R&AW and Delhi had other rotten rats in the bag.
RAW in FAS’s findings
Possibly the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), established in 1945 and having had its wide- ranging members of high credentials including members from among 45 Nobel Laureate cannot be given a dam to the RAW involvement in the secession of East Pakistan since 1947. That is however not to suggest that thousands of sincere and dedicated Bengali freedom fighters had no mean contribution in snatching independence of Bangladesh in 1971. Even so, say for example, foreign dignitaries like US Senator Ted Kennedy, etc. who among the rare Americans supported the Bangladesh movement in 1971 against his country’s policy not to support secession need be seen in still wider context.
Exuberant and yet immoral Kennedy
By the way, Kennedy coming of a political family had been an exuberant Democratic Party youth of 39 years in 1971. He was well known to be licentious as many of the Democrats used to be. He was warned several times by police for fast driving quite possibly under alcohol. In moral turpitude he was a close friend of such elements. Though free sex and alcoholism are no public crime so long those remained indoors, but other moral turpitude could have been with these vices. Once in 1969 he had a young girl with him at a nightclub, possibly drank heavily, and then driving himself to their destination. Unfortunately, the car met an accident he was driving when the car overturned and fell in a water pool by the road from a small bridge on the road. He swam across from inside the car, went away caring nothing for the girl (Possibly call girl), not even informed the police to rescue her from the drowned car. That incident should speak well about the standard of his morality and ethics. Exuberance for a subject matter and feeling for a great humanitarian cause in association with high morality and ethics are different matters.
Akhanda Bharat
Coming back to the main theme and concentrating in deeper aspect of the subject, irrespective of what other parties contemplated, India went absolutely ahead with her own design that she set right in 1947 just as Pandit Nehru made clear in May 1947 in a letter addressed to one of the Congress leader Ashrafuddin Chowdhury of Comilla. He stated clearly in the letter addressed to him dated 23 May that they had accepted the condition of partition of India (and for founding Pakistan) for the time being as a strategy for ‘reuniting once again India sooner than latter’ (See, Rajdrohi Ashrafuddin Chowdhury by his son Jamaluddin Chowdhury). If one would recall further the first spontaneous response of the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the 16th December 1971 announcing the defeat of Pakistan Army to the Indian victorious Army General Arora, ‘HAME HAJAAR SHALO KA BADLA LE LIA’ (we have taken the historic revenge of one thousand years)! Revenge of Delhi against Pakistan alone? Revenge for whose freedom? Bengalis freedom? Why not for the Bengalis of West Bengal and Tripura along with Bengalis of Bangladesh?
Weaker Pakistan
It is true that for the R&AW’s success Pakistan has been weakened after 1971 that emboldened India more than ever before 1971. Even so, there is some competition for rivalry at least in possession of nuclear arms by both Pakistan and India. How does Bangladesh fare in this matter? Not even a nuclear power station!
Unequal and subservient
That Bangladesh does not fare equal with India is a fact of reality. In addition, Delhi had imposed whatever they wished against Dhaka ranging from the Constitution tailored to their need and goal for AKHANDA BHARAT or reunited India to complementary and supplementary economy, to subservient foreign relations, to educational and cultural policies, to internal security and even in matters of national secrets, if there is any. The 25 year treaty Bangladesh made in Dhaka on the 19th March was clearly a treaty of subservience, particularly by the power of the clauses 8, 9 and 10 (though it lapsed in 1997, the hangover remains in other areas like the 30 year treaty for water sharing and the CHT treaty of gross inequity among citizens of the same country and locality). The vulnerability of maritime boundary with the neighbors, inefficient border protection, control of water flows at the upstream of the 54 rivers by India at their free will and causing all disadvantages to Bangladesh remained as Achilles Heel of Bangladesh making independence a play toy in the hand of Delhi so much so that more of the capable ministers like AMA Muhith made on the 18th August a frank but guarded remark, “The sovereignty of the nation is limited now due to different reasons” (The weekly Holiday, 29 August 2009). Unfortunately he did not elaborate or had to guard his job by not elaborating and indict the R&AW and Delhi.
15th August 1975 gains now lost
Some patriots, particularly in the Army, who having had discovered the mockery made a decisive blow and ousted the puppet government on The 15th August 1975, because the game of secession had no clear sanction of the people but engineered and well managed by the R&AW. Unfortunately, the gains accrued were almost all lost and brought the R&AW once again in to the driving position so much so that many sensible men and women consider the High Commissioner of Delhi now in Dhaka in full control of internal affairs of Bangladesh since January 2009.
Affluent few and millions have not
Well, in the kind of independence a microscopic minority have thrived but the main slogan for the masses in millions for emancipation remain a matter of illusion in the last four decades so much so that nearly half of the 150 million live under the extreme poverty line. And if the domination of Delhi and the policy of Akhanda Bharat of the RAM RAJ or caste ridden division between man and man continues to be operative, the R&AW would continue to keep its hold for such perpetual discrimination, and so would continue to remain illusive the real freedom for all in Bangladesh.
Author: Dr.M.T.Hussain
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