Monday, December 16, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com Victory Day 2013

Illustration: Sabyasachi Mistry Send us victorious n Zeeshan Khan world. The economic exploitation was our surprise when our language, our When Babur, the Mughal, encoun- Charjapadas. It ran through the Pala acute, resulting in death by the mil- culture, our ethnicity, our economy tered this kingdom for the first time, and Sena kingdoms of Gaur-Bongo to or the generations born lions, but the strains on our social and and then ultimately our votes were in the 1500s he made this observation: the Vangaladesa of the Cholas and was after December 16, 1971, psychological well-being were equally subordinated to a national pecking reborn in the Sultanate of Bangala that was an exis- catastrophic. Added to that, a British order that placed us at the bottom. A “There is an amazing custom in Babur encountered. tentially “normal” place policy of advancing some communi- rude awakening followed, and then Bengal: rule is seldom achieved by The emergence of Bangladesh was to grow up in. Nothing in ties at the expense of others created the guns came out. hereditary succession. Instead, there a historical inevitability. Repeatedly, Fthe atmosphere hinted at the violent sectarian tensions that wouldn’t go Truth is, the break from , is a specific royal throne, and each the people of this land have resist- upheavals our preceding generations away when 1947 rolled around. even from earlier, was the of the amirs, viziers or office holders ed authority that was oppressive or had to contend with and there was But an independent Bengal was in has an established place. It is the unrepresentative of their beliefs and no way of gauging what the yoke of the offing even as early as the 40s, and throne that is of importance for the identity. The Kaibarta rebellion in the imperialism felt like. when we moved the Lahore Resolu- people of Bengal … The people of tenth century, the independent sul- We grew up as free people, in a free tion to bring Pakistan into existence, We exist because we believe Bengal say, “we are the legal property tanate of the 1300s the Baro Bhuiyans country; free to live according to our we were actually signing onto the in ourselves and believe that of the throne, and we obey anyone in the 1600s, the fakir-sanyasin move- own values and free to advance our- notion of “independent states,” i.e. an we know a better way who is on it.” … Whoever becomes ment in the 1700s, the likes of Shurjo selves as equal citizens of the world. independence of our own. Machina- king, must accumulate a new treas- Sen and Subhas Chandra Bose in the We never experienced the humiliation tions by “all-India” Hindus and Mus- ury, which is a source of pride for the 1900s and the movements of 1952 of subjugation, or racism, and were lims denied us a united and independ- political manifestation of a yearning people. In addition, the salaries and and 1971, were all the same struggle never made to feel inadequate. In fact ent Bengal, so we were cleaved in half that was alive before either of those stipends of all the institutions of the against domination. quite to the contrary, we were raised and the bloody tale of that is of course republics ever existed. A memory rulers, treasury, military and civilian That’s why Victory Day matters to be proud of who, and indeed what, Partition, which seems a lifetime away of an independent country, with its are absolutely fixed from long ago as much as it does. We have walked we are – the first generation of an but really only happened to our grand- own systems, structures, culture and and cannot be spent anywhere else.” a long road to get here. This country independent Bangladesh. parents. values, resides somewhere in our stands on a time-worn platform of It’s easy to forget what that really Now, with only half of Bengal collective consciousness, and informs It’s clear that he was describing a pluralism and justice, and we exist as means until you think about what it and in the new notion of Pakistan, our identity as completely as genes modern, responsible country, with a nation because we didn’t, and still took to get here. Nearly 200 years of we were still hopeful of a chance to determine biology. institutions, offices and citizenship, don’t stumble in the blind alleys of British colonial rule had a devastating determine our own destinies, on our Well before Pakistani, British and something that was an anomaly in religious bigotry and cultural chauvin- effect on our civilisation and we went own terms and become economically the Mughals ruled this place, a Bengali the medieval era of conquerors. A ism. We exist because we believe in from being the richest Mughal prov- and politically empowered. We were, kingdom lived and breathed here, and self-aware Bengali nation has existed ourselves and believe that we know a ince to one of the poorest places in the after all, among “brothers.” Imagine it had its own way of doing things. since at least the time of the Buddhist better way. l 2 3 TRIBUNE Victory Day 2013 Monday, December 16, 2013 DHAKA TRIBUNE Victory Day 2013 Monday, December 16, 2013

collection of all the significant international Apublications that have been accredited as being the first few to have acknowledged the plight of A beginning the during the war in red ink One of the most detailed stories about was published by the Sunday Times (UK) in June 1971 by the West Pakistani In conversation with Mohammad journalist Anthony Mascherenas. It was published shortly together with Abdul Malek, editor of independent the story of his and his own family’s escape from the military authorities. Bangladesh’s first newspaper Dainik Azadi

n Syeda Samira Sadeque ything. Everyone was so happy that they were all working, excited to get ecember 17, 1971. As the spirit the paper out.” of independence dawned upon Malek said the whole team readied DBangladesh, a publication the content for the one-page publica- house in a corner of was tion throughout night after independ- immersed in celebrating the victory ence was declared on December 16. in a way no other Bangladeshis were The independence day special was doing yet: taking out independent printed with the use of a heidelberg Bangladesh’s very first – and the only machine, which was not the regular one until later in the afternoon – medium of printing at that time. newspaper. “We used the machine for that day Dainik Azadi, a Chittagong-based because it was faster, and allowed us newspaper, which began in 1960, had to print a smaller paper – catering to “I have witnessed the brutality of ‘kill and burn missions’ as the army been operating for 11 years when it that day’s demand.” units, after clearing out the rebels, pursued the pogrom in the towns and became an integral part of the very Malek and his crew were unaware villages. first moments of Bangladesh’s birth. at that point that they had made his- I have seen whole villages devastated by ‘punitive action’. The one-page publication went out tory as the first newspaper that was And in the officer’s mess at night I have listened incredulously as otherwise in red ink instead of the conventional brave and honourable men proudly chewed over the day’s kill. black ink. ‘How many did you get?’ The answers are seared in my memory.” “We wanted it to be in red ink – Anthony Mascarhenas because we wanted to celebrate, be- cause we wanted to emphasise on our ‘We wanted it to be in red accomplishment,” Mohammad Abdul ink because we wanted Malek, editor of the newspaper, to celebrate, because we said in an interview with the Dhaka wanted to emphasise on our Tribune. accomplishment’ The paper on that day sold 50- The Blood 60,000 copies. “We started printing in the morn- ing, printed throughout the day and Telegram late into the night,” said Malek, who published after Bangladesh gained Pakistan: The ravaging of had been the editor of the paper at independence. They learned only

that time. later of the significance that their golden Bengal What the Nixon White House knew

They had later sent copies to other one-page, red-inked publication has parts of the country, but initially held for the history of Bangladesh. ur government has failed to denounce the internal matter of a sovereign state. Private Amer- December 17, 1971’s Dainik Azadi The Dainik Azadi, which was born This is an extract of the above titled article published in the suppression of democracy. Our govern- icans have expressed disgust. We, as professional “ had been distributed mainly in and in Chittagong, has remained in the “Oment has failed to denounce atrocities. Our civil servants, express our dissent with current policy around Chittagong. port-city since, and today has a circu- Time magazine on Monday, August 2, 1971 government has failed to take forceful measures to and fervently hope that our true and lasting interests Although Azadi is known to be lation of 50-60,000. Malek’s father, protect its citizens while at the same time bending here can be defined and our policies redirected. the only paper that was published who founded the paper, had started ver the rivers and down the in. No one can count them precisely, sections of the old city ablaze with over backwards to placate the West Pak[istan] dom- on December 17, there have been with the aim to distribute the paper highways and along countless but Indian officials, by projecting flamethrowers and then ma- inated government and to lessen any deservedly disagreements regarding this record. only to citizens of Chittagong and Ojungle paths, the population camp registrations, calculate that they chine-gunned thousands as they negative international public relations impact against The Daily Ittefaq, for example, has around, and Malek has kept up with of continues to hemor- come at the rate of 50,000 a day. Last tried to escape the cordon of fire, them. Our government has evidenced what many The “Blood telegram” written by American Consul claimed they published a paper on the mission for the past five decades. rhage into India: an endless unorgan- week the estimated total passed the nearly 25 blocks have been bull- will consider moral bankrupt, (…) But we have cho- General signed by 29 Americans is that day as well. “The demand for our paper is very ised flow of refugees with a few tin 7,500,000 mark. dozed clear, leaving open areas set sen not to intervene, even morally, on the grounds famously known now as “one of the most strongly “But they printed only in the high today, and it is the leading news- kettles, cardboard boxes and ragged Should widespread famine hit East incongruously amid jam-packed that the Awami conflict, in which unfortunately the worded demarches ever written by Foreign Service afternoon, and we know this because paper of Chittagong. We don’t want to clothes piled on their heads, carrying Pakistan, as now seems likely, India slums. overworked term genocide is applicable, is purely an Officers to the State Department.” their publication had information become a national publication,” said their sick children and their old. fears that the number may double For the benefit of foreign visitors, regarding a meeting that took place Malek, reflecting both his father’s They pad along barefooted, with before the exodus ends. Hundreds of the army has patched up many shell on that day,” Malek said, referring to and his own ideals about the paper’s the mud sucking at their heels in the thousands of these are still wandering holes in the walls of Dacca Universi- a Mirikka magazine article, under the operation. wet parts. They are silent, except for about the countryside without food ty, where hundreds of students were Press Information Department, which In fact, so strong is his dedication and shelter. killed. But many signs remain. The clarified this information. towards Chittagong – especially in Near the border, some have taken tank-blasted Rajarbagh Police Bar- When asked how they executed regard to the paper – that Malek over schools to sleep in; others stay racks, where nearly 1,000 surround- such a massive mission, Malek said joked at the end of our conversation: with villagers or sleep out in the fields ed Bengali cops fought to the last, is he had a group of extremely efficient “We often say it was Chittagong that ‘This will be a bitter, and under the trees. Most are shep- still in ruins. and eager workers. actually accepted the independence protracted struggle, may be herded into refugee camps where they Millions of acres have been aban- “There were people who lived of Bangladesh – Dhaka didn’t even worse than Vietnam. But we are given ration cards for food and doned. Much of the vital jute export around, in the area, and they helped believe in our independence; they will win in the end’ housed in makeshift sheds ... crop, due for harvest now, lies rotting a lot. We didn’t even have to say an- didn’t have a publication about it!” l in the fields; little of that already har- Courtesy: Kohinoor Kamal Cordon of Fire vested is able to reach the mills. Only a small part of this year’s tea crop is a child whimpering now and then, The evidence of the bloodbath is all salvageable. More than 300,000 tons but their faces tell the story. Many are over East Pakistan. Whole sections of imported grain sits in the clogged sick and covered with sores. Others of cities lie in ruins from shelling ports of Chittagong and Chalna. have cholera, and when they die by and aerial attacks. In Khalishpur, the Food markets are still operating in the road-side there is no one to bury northern suburb of , naked Dacca and other cities, but rice prices them. children and haggard women scav- have risen 20% in four months. Fear Concerts for Bangladesh The Hindus, when they can, put a enge the rubble where their homes and deep sullen hatred are every- hot coal in the mouths of their dead and shops once stood. where evident among Bengalis. or singe the body in lieu of cremation. Stretches of Chittagong’s Hizari Few will talk to reporters in pub- June 21 The dogs, the vultures and the crows Lane and Maulana Sowkat Ali Road lic, but letters telling of atrocities and do the rest. As the refugees pass the have been wiped out. The central destroyed villages are stuck in jour- On June 21, 1971 (over a month before the famous New York concerts), “John Lennon and Yoko rotting corpses, some put pieces of bazaar in Jessore is reduced to nalists’ mailboxes at Dacca’s Hote Ono, along with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, and T. Rex (among many others), [lent] cloth over their noses. The column twisted masses of corrugated tin and lIntercontinental. In the privacy of their support to Edgar Broughton’s, Save A Life, an appeal in aid of the East Pakistani refugees in pushing into India never ends, day or shattered walls. Kushtia, a city of his home one night, a senior Bengali Bangladesh, which is launched by the Daily Mirror newspaper in London night. 40,000, now looks, as a World Bank bureaucrat declared: “This will be a It has been four months since civil team reported, “like the morning bitter, protracted struggle, may be August 1 war broke out between East and West after a nuclear attack.” worse than Vietnam. But we will win Pakistan, and the refugees still pour In Dacca, where soldiers set in the end.” l The Concert for Bangladesh is considered a landmark event in rock music history. Famously, George Harrison was inspired to stage the concert after Ravi Shankar had approached him with a suggestion that he hoped could raise twenty thousand dollars for refugees fleeing the war in Bangladesh following the Pakistani military clampdown of March 1971. The two concerts on August 1, 1971 were highly successful - with a cheque for US$243,418.50 International Herald Tribune, March 30, 1971 being immediately sent to UNICEF. However, both the UK and US governments held up much DHAKA CIVILIANS ‘STUNNED’ BY KILLINGS, WITNESS SAYS Dhaka (AP): After two days and night of shelling in which perhaps 7,000 Pakistanis died in Dhaka alone, the of the subsequent fifteen million dollars generated by the best selling Grammy award winning appears to have crushed ’s 25 days of defiance in East Pakistan. concert album and film for several years. The army, which attacked without warning on Thursday night with infantry, artillery and American sup- Another Western artist who referenced the Bangladesh liberation struggle was Joan Baez with plied M-24 tanks, destroyed parts of the city. her song “The Story of Bangladesh” Its attack was aimed at the university, the populous old city, where Sheikh Mujib, the leader, had his strongest following, and the industrial areas on the outskirts of the city of 1.5 million people. September 18

Although less well remembered than the Newsweek, July 19, 1971 George Harrison concert, perhaps because PAKISTAN: THE BENGALIS STRIKE BACK it was not officially recorded for a film “I am glad to be able to tell you,” declared Pakistan President Mohammad in a recent address to and LP, was the September 1971 concert his nation “that the army is in full control of the situation in East Pakistan. It has crushed the mischief-mongers, attended by tens of thousands at the Oval saboteurs and infiltrators.” Alas for Yahya, the facts told a different story. Throughout East Pakistan, the embattled cricket ground in South London, head- Bengali resistance movement seemed more determined than ever to prove, that it was alive and well-and capable lined by The Who and The Faces in their of making life extremely difficult for the heavily armed but thinly spread occupation forces of the Pakistani Army. Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood heyday On December 17, 1971 the headline of the Dawn read ‘War till victory’ even though the Pakistani Army had surrendered the day before 4 5 DHAKA TRIBUNE Victory Day 2013 Monday, December 16, 2013 DHAKA TRIBUNE Victory Day 2013 Monday, December 16, 2013

Eye-witness accounts from the Liberation War 115 P AKIST ANI CASUALTIES ocers Written by descendants of witnesses, translated by Ahsan Sajid b March 26 - December 3 December 4 - December 16 40 Junior

Before the joined the war The joint forces assault Gen JFR Jaco Bagerhat commissioned Lt ocers aphic Rajbari Written by Sheikh Al Mamun, Goalmath 93000 Troops, 41 Tanks, Roshikolal Middle School, 7th grade, Ka- th 50 Guns and Heavy Mortars, Written by Syed Maidul Islam, WB Union Institution, 10th grade, Science Written by Md Afazuddin, Baharpur High School, 10 grade chua, Bagerhat T Infogr 104 Recoilles Guns, 1482 Section Account of Md Farid Mondol, Rajbari Account of Zulekha Begum, Rajipara, 4500 4000 2261 8000 other ranks Account of Shefali Begum, Village/Post: Atipara, Thana: Ujirpara, Barisal PO: Sholarkola, Thana: Kachua, Bagerhat Killed Wounded 18 F86 Aircrafts Killed Wounded he sad occurrences of 1971 keep us awake even today. One night, my often ask my grandmother Shefali Begum about my grandfather Shaheed grandfather tells me, my grandmother had left her children home to go to y husband’s name is Sofi Medda Surrendered ocially dead AH Mamun/D Source: Surrender at Dacca, Kazi Mozammel Haque – his role in the Liberation War and how he became Ther neighbour’s house to borrow some rice. Our village was surrounded on and our son’s name is Shaha Med- Ia martyr. She tells me about how after the war started, he braved the walk two sides by the railway, from where the Pakistani army attacked randomly at the Mda. They were part of Muktibahini. from Khulna to Ujirpur thana’s Aatipara village where she was living with village with machine guns. The Pakistani army was searching for my March September her father. My mother had not yet been born. He settled down there, and Seeing this, my grandmother ran back home and picked up her baby, at which husband to kill him. 1: General Yahya Khan calls off the session of secretly started militia training. point she got shot in the knee. She was in shock, not realising what had just hap- Our house was in Kakarbil. On the fate- Notable battles in the 11 Sectors 5: Battle of Goahati, Jessore National Council to be held on March 3 My grandfather would keep my grandmother in the dark about his activ- pened, transfixed in one place. My grandfather came running and asked her to take ful day, he had come to Goalmath Bazar Compilation: Shahtab Mahmud, Source: “Bangladesher Shadhinota Juddho,“ Ministry of Information 28: starts functioning 7: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic address n ities, but she still knew a fair bit. His friends, freedom fighters Syed Mokbul the baby and run back to the pond behind the house. to buy some groceries. The Pakistani army 9: Workers of Chittagong port refuse and Ali Ashrab Jamaddar would head out on their missions with only two She tried to make a run for it, but she could not raise her foot. It was as if her was alerted about this and they came to October to unload weapons from the ship “Swat” rifles. To my grandmother’s ardent requests to stay back, they would say: foot was stuck to the ground. She began wailing, and soon lost her consciousness. the bazaar to kill him. But he was already ‘We enticed a large number of enemy soldiers to a swamp 16: Yahya Khan starts negotiation “We have to liberate the country. We’ll die if we have to.” The barrage of bullets was constant, while some people were pouring cold water gone by the time they got there. and were able murder them in large numbers. I have used 13: Dhaka guerrillas kill Abdul Monem Khan, with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman My grandparents relocated to my grandfather’s hometown in Changuria on my grandmother’s head and others were massaging her scalp with oil. She had However, he had forgotten to buy the word “murder” extensively. In regular warfare, the governor of East Pakistan 19: Nearly 50 people die as Pakistan Army opens village during the war, where the people of the village beseeched my grand- become completely helpless trying to protect her child. She was unconscious for something for his son, and went back, 28: Battle of Dhalai Outpost, Srimongol fire on demonstrators at Jaydevpur word murder is not used. Defeating the enemy is the main father to train their men since he was a member of the army. This is when my three days straight. this time he took his son along with him. If 31: 4 day Battle of Dhalai starts: Indian attack 24: Pakistan Army opens fire on Bengali objective. But in this guerrilla fight, the identified enemy is grandfather started to train freedom fighters, but he hadn’t left home to join Her son was screaming for milk, and her feet were smeared in blood. She came he had not come to the bazaar maybe he from into East Pakistan to stop demonstrators in Syedpur, Rangpur and a criminal in humanitarian terms. Murder, for him is only a the war yet. One day the West Pakistani army landed in Gutia on a gunboat. to consciousness one day, but didn’t move for two to three more days. She had wouldn’t have been shot. The second he Pakistani cross-border shelling Chittagong. More than a thousand fair sentence’ Lt Colonel , about killing the many Pakistani They massacred their way to Changuria village looking for the house of become completely emaciated. A doctor looked her over, but she was completely got there, the Pakistani army rounded him 6 people are killed soldiers in the Kamalpur siege Kazi Mozammel Haque. Panicked villagers ran out of their houses only to fall paralysed. up along with his son in the middle of the November 25: Pakistan Army starts Operation right in front of the Pakistani army. The army did not recognise my grandfa- She is still alive today, but she cannot walk. bazaar and started pounding them. Searchlight in Dhaka and rest of the country ‘Kill three million of them and the rest will eat out of our 9: Six small ships constitute the first fleet ther, and asked him for directions to his own house. He spoke Urdu and led After beating them up, the army men 26: At 1.15 AM, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is hands.’ Yahya Khan at the February conference, about the political them further ahead. blindfolded Sofi Medda and his son Shaha of arrested by the Pakistani 3 commando unit threat posed by Bangalis The army started to indiscriminately kill villagers. After the army left Medda, and carried them off in a van from 16: Battle of Ajmiriganj, an 18 hour encounter Independence of Bangladesh is declared my grandfather tried to treat some of the injured people with whatever the Goalmath Bazar. At Fatehpur Bridge, between and Pakistan army. A 31: Kushtia resistance begins medicine was available to him. One of his neighbours’ was lying with his guts they kicked Sofi Medda and his son off the famous freedom fighter,Jagatjyoti Das, in his hands. My grandfather tried to push the guts back but the man died van. April 5 is martyred within minutes. Many people died similar deaths that day. Sofi entreated the army to kill him but 20-21: Battle of Garibpur: Indian attack 2: Jinjira massacre My mother was only a month old at the time. My grandfather told his spare his son, to no luck. The Pakistani in Boyra salient in East Pakistan 6: The Blood Telegram 11 wife: “I should have died today. They came to kill me, because I’ve trained army men told them to bathe in the Fateh- 10: A provisional Bangladesh 21: is formed freedom fighters. Allah has saved me. I will go to war tomorrow.” My grand- pur stream for one last time. When father government-in-exile is formed 7 November 22 to December 13, and sporadic mother begged him to not leave behind his month-old daughter and a-year- and son took a dive and reappeared on 12: MAG Osmani takes up the 4 fighting to December 16: Battle of Hilli: Indian and-a-half-old son, to no avail. the surface, the army shot at his son first, command of Bangladesh Armed Forces attack on in East Pakistan He asked his mother, who was still alive at the time, to look after his fam- killing him instantly, and then him. 17: A provisional government-in-exile ily, and to try and explain to his wife why he must go. He joined the war and The bystanders ran for their lives. took oath in Baidyanathtala 3 became in charge of Chowdhurybari camp, in Banaripara’s Alta village. December (The 1971 Indo-Pakistan War) 18: Battle of Daruin, and Battle of A few days later the Pakistani army attacked Shorupakathi’s Banaripara Rangamati-Mahalchari waterway, 3: Bangladesh Air Force destroys Pakistani oil on a gunboat. A long battle ensued that martyred many men. One day, dur- ing the month of Bhaidra, when there was water everywhere a few people depots. Pakistani air attacks on India result in 28: Tajuddin pleas for arms aid to neighbors carried a corpse back to the house; it was my grandfather. Kurigram India declaring war on Pakistan My grandmother returned to her father’s village in Aatipara and prepared May 6: Bhutan becomes the first country to recognize for life as a widow after the war. She raised her two children, and gave them Written by Lucky Parvin Khushi, Newashi Bangladesh after India 5: Gopalpur massacre a good education. She has, to this day, kept the bloody shirt my grandfather Jagoroni Girl’s College, 10th grade, Social Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendra becomes 15: Indian army starts aiding Mukti Bahini was wearing when he died. She says: “I am proud to be a martyr’s wife.” I am Sciences Section 2 Bangladesh Betar 20:The Chuknagar massacre takes place also proud to be a martyr’s grandson. Account of Hafez Molla, Newashi, Nagesh- 7: Liberation of Jessore, and at Khulna where the Pakistan army wari, Kurigram 8 kills nearly 10 thousand people Moulovi Bazar 24: Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra 9: Battle of Kushtia: Indian attack from West am an inhabitant of ’s finds home in Kolkata Bengal into East Pakistan, Chandpur and Newashi village in Najeshwari thana. Daudkandi liberated My father’s name is Md Hafez Molla. My July I 11: Liberation of Hilli, Mymenshingh, Kushtia name is Lucky Parvin Khushi. My father 11–17: Sector Commanders Conference 1971 and Noakhali. USS Enterprise is deployed by the was a freedom fighter. He is extremely 1 hardworking and brave. He took part in USA in the Bay of Bengal to intimidate the Liberation War of 1971 and is still alive. August I have heard of many stories about 1971 9 13: Soviet Navy deploys a group of warships to Faridpur 1: The Concert for Bangladesh from my father. counter USS Enterprise 16: , Bangladesh naval Written by Nupur Biswas, Alfadanga A Z Girl’s High School, 9th grade, Commerce He did his guerilla training in India’s 14: Selective genocide of Bengali nationalist commando operation Section Nengtishing Bazar’s harsh militia training intellectuals Liberation of Bogra 20: Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman’s 10 Account of Nihar Bala, Alfadanga, Faridpur center for one month before moving on 16: End of the Bangladesh Liberation War attempt to defect by hijacking a fighter to advanced training at Shilguri Panigota 30: Pakistan Army crackdown 22: The provisional government of Bangladesh uring the 1971 Liberation War I was just a wife in this village and my husband militia training center where he earned FF on Dhaka guerrillas arrives in Dhaka from exile was a fisherman. I had two sons and two daughters. One day, at dawn, the number 4411. DPakistani military attacked our village. After this he trained a further one Some people were still sleeping at the time, while others had headed out to the month. Him along with 500 other free- field for work. The military set all the houses on fire. Everybody ran any which way dom fighters under the name of Alpha they could. Our neighbours fled to India. They had told us to follow suit with the Company seized control of the village Sha- entire family. But my husband was not around, and I could not leave. hebpur, in the India-Bangladesh border Sector 1 Sector 2 Sector 3 My husband and his younger brother had taken to the streets with me and my near Najeshwari. From here onwards, they Commander: Maj , Rafiqul Islam Commander: Major Khaled Mosharraf, Major ATM Haider Commander: Major KM Shafiullah, Captain ANM Nuruzzaman four children to find a safe passage for us. My husband’s brother believed that prepared for flat out war. nobody would attack us. He took us to his house. Just as he was saying this the My father tells me that during the day Aug 28, Mirersarai: An FF group lead by Mizan mined a railway Jun 7, Feni: While the Pak army was advancing towards Aug 7-16, Katiadi ambush: After an unsuccessful battle in Belabo, military shot him and my husband, killing them instantly. I asked them to shoot he used to dress as a civilian and gather track around Mirersarai. At 8:45am, a train carrying Pakistani Belunia, they confronted the K force, led by Brigadier the Pak army was high in confidence. On Aug 16, Pakistani army me as well, because I couldn’t leave my husband behind, but my mother in law intelligence on the enemy, which they troops were derailed. 35 enemy soldiers were reportedly killed Khaled Musharraf – after a day of fierce battle; the was advancing towards Katiadi on a few steamers. The waiting dragged me back, saying: “Who’s going to look after the kids if you die too? What used to formulate operations that they Muktibahini killed almost 60% people of an entire S-force soldiers opened fire and destroyed many of these will I do? Where will I go? What will I feed the children?” carried out at night. This way they contin- Dec 9, Nazirhat: The guerrilla company operating in Nazirhat, battalion. 300 bodies were found, many others washed steamers. 143 Pak soldiers were reported dead, many fled. This They had already burnt our house down. I set out with my children on foot to- ued to capture enemy camp after enemy lead by Lt. Shawkat, attacked Pakistanis. The freedom fighters off by the Chilonia river ambush was lead by Habildar Akmal Ali wards India. But halfway, I turned back. I found my way back to my father’s house, camp. This also restocked their supply of killed 20 and inflicted heavy casualties. 5 of our soldiers were but nobody was alive. On the way, my mother in law died of starvation. gunpowder and weapons. martyred and 3 were wounded. Dec 15, Siege of Mynamoti cantonment: 9th Bengal Dec 13-16: KM Shafiullah’s S force were the first to take Dhaka. In the house next to my father’s, lived one of my sisters in law. One of her During the war, my father had gotten Pak army surrendered on Dec 16, at Chittagong, Sitakundu and regiment. 150 Pak soldiers surrendered and many fled. On Dec 16, at Demra, 0431 hrs, the Pak forces surrendered. The daughters had died from starvation as well. She had somehow managed to keep Kishore Parekh shot in his left hand. He fought in the war Kumira The ultimate surrender happened on Dec 16 commander of the opposition was Colonel Khiljee her son alive. She did not manage to salvage any clothes, and went out to get and he is alive to this day. I consider this a water with a rag wrapped around her. blessing. In a house close to the one we were living in, the Muktibahini had come to eat. When they sat down to eat, a plane flew past the house. Everybody was under so much panic those days that they rushed out, thinking the plane had Sector 4 Sector 5 Sector 6 Sector 7 been alerted about their whereabouts. After the plane flew away, they came Nilphamari Commander: Wing Commander back to eat. Commander: Major Chittarajan Datta, Lt Col Md Abdur Commander: Major Commander: Major Nazmul Haque, Major Written by Md Sadique Sarwar, Domar Bohumukhi High School, 10th Rob Quazi Nuruzzaman Gourinagar, October 30:Major Taheruddin Akhanzee Nov 26-30, Pachagarh: 1 battalion Muktibahini and 2 batallions grade Joypurhat of the Indian army attacked the strong Pakistani post at Account of Md Nur Islam June 19, Latitila Operation: Rob’s company prepared for a led the attack on the Pakistani camp at Gourinagar. Nov 13, Train blast in Shihipur: Led by dawn attack and was in position since 2pm. At 5:45 in the 175 soldiers were at the front of the attack. The Pachagarh at night, Navember 26. One of the Major battles of Dulu, from Mahimaganj, locals Bably, Written by Md Asaduzzaman, Alampur Demukhi High morning, the forces totally surrounded the Pakistani camp Sector commander himself covered the troops with the war, this siege lasted 4 days Khaleque, Hamid and other charged a have heard about this event from my father Md Nur Islam. It tran- th School, 8 grade, Joypurhat and the combat started. The soldiers of 22 Baloch fled to 120mm mortar fire Pakistan army train in Shihipur. More that spired on a Wednesday, on the field in front of the village’s primary Account of Md Shadul Hossain, Khetlal, Joypurhat school. In the afternoon, a makeshift village bazaar came together the woods indiscriminately. Most of them were killed Dec 13, Syedpur: The joint forces advanced to take Syedpur. At 150 enemies were killed I Dec 9-16: Mir Showkat Ali attacked Govindaganj and about 5 miles from Syedpur, tanks engaged the opposition. 3 on the field. still vividly remember 1971. At the time I was 40-years- Dec 15, Khademnagar: Joint troops sieged the Pakistani drove the Pak army as far as Lamakazi. On Dec 12, pakinstani tanks were destroyed while 1 Indian tank was also Dec 16: Brigadier Ghiasuddin Chowdhury A leader of the Muktibahini, Rahman, was speaking to the gathered old. I was harvesting wheat in the field. Out of nowhere, Naogaon crowd from inside the school, urging elders to let their sons join the HQ at Khadimnagar. Fighting continued all day. Finally, on 4 Indian Army jets bombarded lamakazi and within lost. Around evening, 107 Pak soldiers including the commander attacked Nawabgang with his troops at Ithe Pakistani army came and captured me along with Dec 16, the enemy surrendered days, the pak army surrendered of the 48 Punjab regiment and another officer, surrendered 6am and emerged victorious war, and urging the youth to take up arms for the country’s liberation. th three other people from the village, and dragged us away. Written by Md Royal Ali, Kaligram Rathindranath Institute, 6 grade My father was also on the field. Account of Md Abdul Jabbar, Manyari, Patisar, Thana: Atrai, Naoga Their car had gotten stuck and they made us push it At this time, five people came to the field to sell hay. They were clad out. Then they made us push it for nearly 2 kilometers. in lungi, shirt and gamcha – in other words they looked like ordinary By the sides of the road there were hundreds of Pakistani y grandfather told me about how one day in 1971 the Razakars and the people. They were accompanied by one of our own. Once they had Sector 8 Sector 9 Sector 1 1 al- Badr brought the Pakistani army to our village Patisar. On the way to army men. We also noticed a few stacks of corpses here spread out in the field, they pulled out rifles that they had been hiding and there. Commander: Major M A Jalil, Major MA Manzur, Major Joynal Abedin Commander: Majors Ziaur Rahman, Abu Taher, Squadron Leader M Hamidullah Khan MPatisar, they targeted three men from the previous village and shot them under the hay and began firing in the air. When people tried to run Commander: Major Osman When our strengths were completely giving away, they dead on the field. away, one of them shouted: “Sit down exactly where you are if you do Chowdhury, Major MA Once they got to Patisar, they indiscriminately began to loot and plunder the raided the houses of some other villagers, and made them Manzoor Aug, Date unknown, skirmish at Panpatti: Freedom Fighter Nurul Sep10-11, Kamalpur base, Mahendraganj: The ambush was long, hard and ultimately not want to be shot.” push the car instead. The yelled for us to get lost and we Huda said that in a two day fierce battle, the Muktis came face to face futile. Taher’s troops systematically drew the enemy to a swamp and the siege turned village. They raped two women in the village. Some villagers managed to stay out Fearing for their lives, the people apprehensively sat down. The of sight, and used the waterways to sneak to Manyari village to seek shelter. ran for our lives, back home. I had never seen anything Nov 24, Gharibpur: Major Alik with the Patuakhali region Pak army commander, Major Yamin. Yamin into an ambush, according to the man himself, the LMG fire “killed” them like sitting men entered the school building, and picked up Muktibahini leader like it and I remember it to this day. ducks While making their way through Manyari, they randomly picked out two men, Rahman, with the help of a local. After this no one ever heard anything Kumar Gupta led Joint forces Mohabbat and Tomij, and shot them dead. They also grabbed Kocchimoddi from a engaged 14 Pakistani tanks. Dec 13-Dec 17: Blockade of the Khulna Newsprint Mill about Rahman again. The joint command met stern resistance from Brigadier Hyatt Khan. December 10-16, Jamalpur to Dhaka, with love: Freedom fighter Johurul Haque pond and took him prisoner, whom no one saw again. The men, were of the Pakistani army. But the local collaborator was All Pak tanks were destroyed. The Joint forces lost 5 tanks No notable progress was being made. There was heavy firing and air Munshee was sent to the commander of the 31st Baloch regiment, asking the enemy to one of our own. Only with his assistance was the army able to capture strikes even. surrender. The commander sent a bullet wrapped in paper as an answer. this leader of the Muktibahini. There are a number of similar stories Hyatt refused to surrender even after Dec 16. In the end, the Pak By the time the surrender happened at 5am next morning, 212 Pak soldiers had died and 200 about the collaborators during the Liberation War. Dec 7: Jessore and Narail were liberated on Dec 7 troops dropped their arms on December 17 further were injured 6 7 DHAKA TRIBUNE Victory Day 2013 Monday, December 16, 2013 DHAKA TRIBUNE Victory Day 2013 Monday, December 16, 2013 Art and culture influenced by the Liberation War Biren Shome: Exhibition in Exile Literary works

Ami Birangona Bolchi Jochona o Jononir One of the Bangladeshi artists who fled to India, and became (1996) Golpo (2004) ambassadors for the cause abroad Neelima Ibrahim’s ground- Humayun Ahmed pro- breaking Ami Birangona pensity for variety is best Bolchi (I, the Birangona, seen in his novel Josna O Zakaria Joy recollects that interactions with other in a foreign country was not a pleasura- n Tasnuva Amin Nova Speak) is a compilation Jononir Golpo. It follows artists increased during the war. Biren ble experience for anyone. of some of the personal the fate of a large cast of iren Shome is a balding man also came across artist Shahabuddin When Biren went back to his stories of the Birangona, characters from diverse with white long hair loosely Ahmad during the war and artists from village, he found nothing; everything the 200,000 women who backgrounds, as they tucked behind his ears. other fields as well. was burnt to ashes. He and his family were raped by the Paki- witness the breakout of Unusually fair complexion After the war ended, the exiled artists lost their house and all belongings. stani Army during the 1971 the Liberation War and for a Bangladeshi. Slender came back to Bangladesh. The Bangla- Biren’s family took shelter in Assam war of independence live through the horror Mohammad Nazmul Haque Bbody with an oblong face. Talks fast, as desh government had announced that during the war. But the war ended, if in a hurry. When I arrived he, wear- those who were working for govern- Biren brought them back to their ing a sweater over a full sleeved shirt, ment organisations had to come back village after three months. During was chatting with a group of friends by January 30 or they’d lose their jobs. these months, he and brother arranged beside the printing room of Dhaka Art Nasir Bishhash was among the first ones accommodation taking help from Center. As I came in, he guided me to return. Biren recalls that being exiled everyone else around. l to the printing room, where two girls were already working, in search of a quieter atmosphere. As we talked, the girls listened, occasionally asking about the exhibition, which Biren says not many people here know about. Biren Shome is a now freelance artist in Dhaka. At the time of war, Bi- ren had graduated from the Fine Arts A Golden Age (2007) Muktijudher Itihash (2009) The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, Kaisar Ahamed Mahmud Rupam Department of Dhaka University, and Tahmima Anam’s stunning novel, Muktijuddher Itihash (History of the and a Forgotten Genocide (2013) just joined as teacher of Botany in the A Golden Age, lays bare a moth- Liberation War) is probably the shortest A riveting history – and the first full same university. er’s ordeal in the gulf between history book that has ever been written. account –of the involvement of Richard In the lead up to the big event, Robi Photoschool, He fled Bangladesh in April, 1971, East and West Pakistan. The book Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, the author of this Nixon and Henry Kissinger in the 1971 in association with Drik, held a fearing the tortures of Pakistani army. won the 2008 Commonwealth book captures the entire history of the 1971 atrocities in Bangladesh that led to war Red and Talking about the contribution of ex- Writers Prize for Best First Book liberation war in just 22 pages with referenc- between India and Pakistan, which had photography contest with the theme red and green. iled artists in India, Biren said that the es from authentic sources major strategic consequences that still fund raised from selling the paintings affect the world today Shahidul selected the top ten finalists. The winner was used by the Bangladesh govern- ment to finance the war, and it helped Green will be announced today create awareness among people who Documentaries came to visit the exhibition. Biren Muktir Gaan (Song of Freedom) (1995) – Directed by Tareque pilmoni, a small town in rural Bangladesh, in pursuit of all she has claims this exhibition in Kolkata as Masud and Catherine Masud lost; snatching at will from the pockets of strangers and breaking the first art exhibition of independ- The film follows a troupe of musicians travelling through refugee into spaces normally reserved for men, taking liberties only her ent Bangladesh. The exhibition was camps and war zones during the Liberation War. They perform madness and her strength of character afford her also held in Delhi and Mumbai (then throughout the countryside to boost the morale of citizens and Bombay). freedom fighters and people. Much of the footage of the troupe was Stop Genocide (1971) – Directed by Zahir Raihan While working in India, many of taken by American filmmaker Lear Levin. When the Masuds tracked This 20-minute documentary was instrumental in helping gain the exiled artists lived their lives in him down in New York, Levin said he had been waiting for their international awareness and support for the war effort. Using found poverty, but they had a sense of broth- phone call for more than 20 years footage, newreels and photographs, the film documents the killings erhood amongst themselves at the and atrocities carried out by the Pakistan army. time of crisis. They did not have any A Certain Liberation (2003) – Directed by Yasmine Kabir The Cabinet, along with other exiled politicians, Kazi Mushfiq job or a source of income. No matter A short documentary about an incredible woman supported watched the first screening of Stop Genocide in secret in in how little amount of money or food Gurudasi Mondol resigned herself to madness in 1971 when, during India. Moved by the film, Indian prime minister they had, they would share it among the Liberation War of Bangladesh, she witnessed the murder of her instructed her film division to buy the film and distribute it themselves. He recalls coming across entire family. Today Gurudasi continues to roam the streets of Ko- internationally Quamrul Hasan in Kolkata when he went to meet Chintamoni Kaur about the exhibition to be held there. While in India, these exiled artists were given many privileges. Biren says, “While travelling using public transport or at restaurants, saying would help us get a free ride or even dis- Makinur Rahman Shafayet Chowdhury counted meals. Everyone knew about Peace: Biren Shome, Pen & Ink 1971 the spirit of the two words.” He also

Milton Bennett

Shegufta Shahriar Drawing: Swapan Chowdhury. Pen & Ink 1971 Tajul Islam Khan Bangladeshi artists participated in an art exhi- bition in Kolkata’s Birala Academy in Septem- ber 13, 1971. Through this movement, the brave n Rumana Habib and Photoschool, in association with Drik’s or green. artists portrayed the genocide taking place in Abu Bakar Siddique Shahidul Alam, hosted a red and green The challenging job goes to those Bangladesh after the horrific events on March Today themed photography contest. holding the margin pieces, where the 26, 1971. oday, our country is festooned They launched a website at http:// red and green meet on the same card. This helped draw foreign attention to the ongo- with flags. Red and green is bdworldrecord.com, inviting users to They must stand in exactly the right ing massacre in the country. Teverywhere you look: lining comment and participate in various spot and hold their pieces in exactly These rebellious artists also actively contrib- the streets, on people’s clothes, and contests to win tickets to the event. the right orientation. uted by designing logos for the government we painted on children’s faces. Visitors to the site can also make a Squares have been carefully of Bangladesh and national organisations Today, on this day of celebration, collective flag of their own. chalked out on the parade grounds, and also in designing festoons, posters and we put aside our political differences, The site features a user-generated and labelled. Each square is num- banners. and honour our identity as one nation. 3D digital flag. By clicking the “build bered, matching the number of its Artists whose works were displayed in the hold The turmoil of this pre-election corresponding placard piece. exhibition, and later in Delhi, include: Mustafa year has taken its toll. But today, more The human flag will follow the Monwar, Swapan Chowdhury, , than 30,000 people will meet at the official measurements of the national Debdas Chakroborty, , Kazi Gias- National Parade Ground, and unite to There can be no more fitting flag, including the off-centre red circle. A moment from the preparations to make history Syed Zakir Hossain Genocide: Drawing 1971 uddin and Biren Shome our create the world’s largest human flag. way to celebrate Victory Day According to the Guinness Record There can be no more fitting way – not just because the sight of rules, people must hold the flag up for joy for them to be a part of history, At 12pm, the volunteers – mostly to celebrate Victory Day – not just our flag stirs the procion red five minutes. Masud said. school and college students from because the sight of our flag stirs the of our blood, but also because A Guinness-accredited auditor will Around 10,000 spectators can different academic institutions – will heads procion red of our blood, but also our greatest resource is, and be present to oversee the attempt in collect free tickets from any Robi cus- gather to form the human flag. The because our greatest resource is, and has always been, our people Bangladesh. After successful comple- tomer care centre, and 1,200 tickets event will be televised and streamed has always been, our people. tion of the event all relevant docu- will be available at the entrances of the live on their website http://bd- This bold initiative was the brain- ments and images will be sent to the venue today. worldrecord.com. Aerial views will child of Robi Axiata. With the support the flag” button, people at home can Guinness World Record committee for Approximately 1,000 guests, celeb- come from the helicopter brought in to high of the army, they were able to quickly help lift the virtual pieces that make validation. rities, sportspersons, educationists, capture the big moment. spin this dream into reality. up the flag, which is a proportionate businesspersons and other noted indi- There will be a concert on the If the attempt is successful it will be model of the human flag to be created Participation viduals have been invited, said Ashi- grounds immediately following the recorded in the Guinness Book of World today. “We are really lucky to get a chance to kur Rahman, a Robi spokesperson. flag formation, featuring Ayub Bach- Records. The current record is held by join the squad,” said Masud Parvez, a chu and Bappa Mazumder. Pakistan, at 24,200 participants. Precision cheerful college student and volun- Celebration Members of the Bangladesh navy, At the parade grounds, the 30,000 teer, at the rehearsal on Saturday. The programme will start at 10am, BGB, police, Ansar and the air force Anticipation volunteers will stand in formation and He and 20 of his friends had joined with the National Anthem to be sung will be deployed at the venue to In the lead up to the event, Robi’s hold up their placards, coloured in red the efforts. It was a matter of pride and by Rezwana Chowdhury Bonnya. strengthen security. l Genocide: Drawing Prnesh Mondal 1971 Genocide: Drawing Quamrul Hasan 1971 8 DHAKA TRIBUNE Victory Day 2013 Monday, December 16, 2013 Escape to Bangladesh Tale of a family stranded in West Pakistan after the Liberation War and their strife to get back home

n Barrister Harun ur Rashid n 1971, I was a mid-level officer at the Pakistan Foreign Office and lived in Islamabad with my family. Little did we realise that the Imilitary junta would be so brutal and ruthless in erstwhile East Pakistan, launching a military crackdown on unarmed Bangali civilians on March 25, 1971; constituting genocide and crimes against humanity. We did not know what actually happened on March 25 and 26, as the media in Pakistan provided us with a sanitised version of the horrible events. We began listening to the news broadcasts of All India Radio and the BBC for correct news. I was deeply concerned about the fate of my elder brother, Barrister Kazi Ahmed Kamal, who was very close to Bangabandhu as they were together as undergraduate students at the Baker hostel in Calcutta during 1942-44 (af- ter independence, my brother was the first Bangladesh Ambassador to East Germany in 1972). I found out later that my brother fled Dhaka and went to our village in Vikrampur. The escape started from Peshawar, taking the author and his family on an arduous journey to their freem

the trip, as the slightest noise from els, they were filled with molasses and We waited three weeks in Kabul to the children (in Bangla rather than boxes of vegetable ghee being trans- get the Afghan Air flight to Urdu) would involve risking arrest and ported to Afghanistan. We sat down and then to Calcutta. Finally we flew jail? How safe would we be with the on the top of the truck, where we were to Dhaka. We were mentally and physically distressed. We unknown people who would organise covered by a huge tarpaulin so that no In hindsight, I think that we took had to spend day and night for almost three days in the escape? one could see us from outside. Simply a great risk with our lives because the donkey-shed. By the time we left the shed we I contacted a group of Peshawar put, we became human commodities. the university students, to whom we University students who agreed to We arrived at midnight in Landilko- gave the money, disappeared. We were joined by a few more Bangali couples. On the organise our escape in exchange for tal and were taken to a house. We sat were transferred from one group to third day at 9pm, we were advised to get ready to cash. We would go to Peshawar on our on a floor covered by a white sheet. the other in the tribal areas like a relay own from Islamabad, there we would We were subjected to a lengthy ser- race; they could have done immense move onwards to Landikotal be picked up by a car (the registration mon, the purpose of which was to ex- harm to us, in particular to my wife. number was given to us) at Peshawar tract money from us. We handed over I will never forget this extraordinary railway station, and thereafter we some money to them and the final leg episode of my escape with my wife would be transported by trucks and of journey began. We administered and children. l cars to Afghanistan, crossing the bor- sleeping medicines to my younger der at Torkham via the Khyber Pass. children, to prevent them from mak- The writer is former Bangladesh When the Pakistan army surrendered We were dressed in Pakistani style ing any noise in the truck. Ambassador to the UN and Geneva. in Dhaka on December 16, it erased Shalwar Kameez, and we took a third The border opens at 6am every day. forever from our mind the ignominy class compartment to avoid meeting Our trucks got to the border in the of being ruled by others and brought any friends or acquaintances on the early morning but the men who had us the resplendent dawn of freedom. journey. The police checked our com- been bribed at the check-point were From that day our lives changed partment and left us undisturbed. not present and my small children forever. We arrived at the railway station in began to wake up. Soon, in 1972, we were given an Peshawar and found the car with the We were worried that the slightest option to serve Pakistan or “so-called given registration number waiting at noise from the top of the truck would Bangladesh.” When we exercised the station. After a good 45 minutes’ land us in jail. The driver, sensing a We were worried that the slightest noise from the our option to serve Bangladesh, our drive, we were led to a donkey’s mud delay at the border, put the music services were terminated immediately house, and told to stay there until fur- from the truck radio up to its loudest top of the truck would land us in jail. The driver, and we became hostages under the ther notice. The location of the shed volume. This would minimise the risk sensing a delay at the border, put the music from Bhutto government. was near the entry to the Khyber Pass. of any noise such as a baby crying, or the truck radio up to its loudest volume We soon learnt that we would be We realised we were under the control coughing and sneezing being heard. sent to concentration camps outside of tribesmen who had covered their After a delay of an hour and a half at Islamabad and would remain there faces with chadors (cloaks), leaving the border, the bribed-men came and until the issue of the repatriation only their eyes uncovered. our truck was allowed to cross the of Pakistani prisoners of war was We almost froze in shock when we border into Afghanistan. resolved. learnt that the guard who took care of us was a convicted murderer who had At last in Afghanistan Escape from Pakistan to Bangladesh escaped to the tribal areas of Pakistan. We were mentally and physically Inside the truck, we did not During this time of helplessness, distressed. We had to spend day and know whether we had some of us decided to escape from night for almost three days in the don- actually crossed into Afghan- Pakistan to return to Bangladesh via key-shed. By the time we left the shed istan. Eventually we noticed Afghanistan and India. The question we were joined by a few more Bangali the truck was travelling on for me was: how to make it happen couples. On the third day at 9pm, we the right side of the road, in- with a family of three young children, were advised to get ready to move stead of the left side as it did the eldest child being 6 years and the onwards to Landikotal. The place was in Pakistan. We realised that youngest barely 2? well known for its smugglers’ market we were in Afghanistan and Our main considerations revolved in the tribal area. soon our tarpaulin was lift- around three factors — how would the Two huge trucks came and we had ed. We were greatly relieved children handle the escapade? Would to climb up a ladder onto the top of that we were out of Bhutto’s we be able to keep them quiet during one of them. Below us were two lev- trap in Pakistan.