We do not want to be any other nation or any other persuasion but with a government that has not given up the very foundations that we were founded upon.
by Anwar A. Khan
The triumph of all Pakistan based National Election in 1970 for Awami League under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman changed the landscape our history. By this time, the Bengali nationalism movement got its impelling force or strength. AL did its polling campaigns based on Bengali nationalism and 6 points charter and in a landslide election victory, Mujib came out as the supreme leader of his nation and became the majority party leader in the-then Pakistan destined to be its Prime Minister. It was a pre-mediated veiled cover-up decision from the Pakistan’s side not to transfer power to Bangabandhu and his party.
Their ill motivated talks with our leaders finally miserably collapsed. Pakistan’s army with its mighty force cracked down on our innocent people in the wee hours of March 26, 1971. People of Bangladesh launched the counter-attack that marked the start of the Bangladesh revolution. Mujib’s inspired millions of people fought a bloody war against the monster Pakistan’s army and their local henchmen for establishing the country, Bangladesh, through the supreme sacrifices of three million of our people. Like Thomas William Parsons, we shall sing, "On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation!" Thus Bangladesh was attained on December 16, 1971.
Soon after Bangladesh came into being, The New York Times journalist Sydney Schanberg took a trip across the traumatised new country of Bangladesh. Everywhere he went, people showed him “all the killing grounds” where people were lined up and shot. “You could see the bones in the river, because it was a killing place.” He went to a hillside burial place and described, “There were shrubs and bushes, and there was a little boy, maybe twelve or thirteen, he was on his hands and knees, scratching the earth, looking for things. He looked disturbed. He was looking for his father, who he said was buried there. If you scratched enough there— it was shallow graves— you’d find a skull or bones. There were cemeteries everywhere. There was no doubt in my mind, evil was done.”
People from all walks of life participated in this war with great patriotism and utmost valour. It is a masterpiece of prose, almost our holy book in its majesty and sweep. The Bangladesh national flag with its dual-colour, is an important symbol of 1971 War Victory Day. It was the people’s war, that’s why, we need to remember it and explain it to youngsters so that they wouldn’t allow something like what happened back in 1971.
It was a war against an enemy of unspeakable evil. A BBC journalist described the result of onslaught of Pakistan’s army on us, “In front of us a curious figure was standing, a little crouched, legs straddled, arms held out from his sides. He had no eyes, and the whole of his body, nearly all of which was visible through tatters of burnt rags, was covered with a hard black crust speckled with yellow pus. . . He had to stand because he was no longer covered with a skin, but with a crust-like crackling which broke easily. . . I thought of the hundreds of villages reduced to ashes which I personally had seen and realized the sort of casualty list which must be mounting up along the whole territory of Bangladesh.”
Pakistan's army carried out totalitarianism, racism, militarism, and overt aggressive warfare beyond what a cynical world had experienced. And the governments of India and the Soviet Union did join this war strongly standing beside our people and our government. Thus the war represented something significantly different, so that our victory would be a blow to Pakistan’s two nation theory, brutalism, racism, totalitarianism, militarism in the land of Bangladesh. Surely it was not the humane concern for Pakistan's inhuman atrocities of civilians that led to our outraged call for counter-war. Carol Lynn Pearson’s words are true to us, "Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves."
From our side, the war was fought on the philosophies of establishing of Nationalism, Democracy, Socialism, Secularism in the country. The true spirits and values of our glorious Liberation War of 1971 can best be described by a song sings by famed singer Rathindra Nath Roy, “For the youngsters; for the adults; for the poor; for the riches; for all; for the have-nots; for the beggars-our country is for all people; for all people where there is no difference between porters and blacksmiths; where there is no difference amongst Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians; one mother; and one country but belong to all (Chotoder boroder, shokoler, ……..ek mata, ek desh shokoler).”
This is what Bangladesh we wanted in 1971 and we established that Bangladesh in 1971. Joy Bangla. Jou Bangabandhu. Joy the people of Bangladesh.
The present Bangladesh was not our dream; we did not want that.
Idealism got jumped in the alleyway of realpolitik when the governments of military dictators usurped the throne of Bangladesh and ruled the country. In truth today, today’s Bangladesh is not our Bangladesh. It is not a Bangladesh which we achieved in 1971 at a very high price. Depraved military dictators, Zia and Ershad usurped power and ruled the country for 16 years. The spirits and values of our glorious Liberation War were battered according to their whims; the anti-liberation forces who were on the run for their grave misdeeds in 1971, were arrogantly rehabilitated everywhere in the country to serve their petty political interests.
One of them was made Prime Minister, some ministers and placed others in key positions of the country. The bright constitution of 1972 was ravaged like anything. The immortal slogan “Joy Bangla” was sent into oblivion. The so-called ‘Zindabad’ slogan with the Pakistani spirit soiled with dirt or soot was restored in its glorious place. The name of our glorious Liberation War, the name our country’s Founding Father…. were made naught. Khaleda Zia’s BNP, originally was born illegitimately in the cantonment by her depraved military ruler husband.
Begum Zia won the national election in 1991 with direct votes from people but she also espoused the line of her venal predecessors. She even decorated three of the notorious 1971 war criminals with Ministerial positions giving an utter state of shame or disgrace to our glorious national flag. The two nation theory which was buried by our glorious Liberation War, was brought back to designedly assault our heroic and patriotic war of 1971. The Satanic lust and twists polluted the hearts of two evil military dictators, and also one civilian dictator and their mango-twigs who ruled the country for 23 years.
A large number of war criminals who were in jails were set free and garlanded to further rape the country with more ferociousness using the name of our holy religion, Islam. Communalism was patronised to push out of the way of secularism which had great beauty and splendor and which was achieved through our national liberation characterised by grandeur. The valour, patriotism, the supreme sacrifices of our millions of people, our deep love for the country – everything were laid down by these shenanigan politicians. It is as if these morally reprehensible people raped everything and the beautiful country; its bright sun; and its bright moon and what not. The bare truth is that all these evil schemes were not needed to have done under any circumstances. Communalism now-a-days tries to raise its ugly head more vigorously. The golden days which we have passed through are all really gone!
And this is not what Bangladesh we wanted for in 1971.
Bangladesh has to be made Bangladesh in its original form. Keep moving on the ideals of 1971 war which need to be revived in full spirit.
Fuyumi Soryo has rightfully reminds us, “If a castle gets destroyed, you just build a new one. If you wanted me to build them over and over. Let's build them together.” Let us build together what precious treasures we have lost. Moving towards the people’s desire for the restoration of glorious, creative past is a vital work for the state and its people and should be read by all who want to … The lost glory will truly be a remarkable work which is not just for the leaders, but a message for every people of the country.
Changing a little bit of the words of Teddy Roosevelt, we wish to say, “This is a nation — not a polyglot boarding house. There is not room in the country for any 50-50 Bengali, nor can there be but one loyalty — to the Green and Red coloured Flag.” The lost glory of Bangladesh that ideal for which many have fought and died for has to be restored in full. The departure from the very Bangladesh for our nation has to be restored in full. The remnants of Pakistani ghosts and goblins and the Bangla speaking Pakistanis must be reduced to ashes.
Our principle in this matter should be absolutely simple. We should insist that if everyone lives here does in good faith become a Bengali and assimilates himself to us, he or she shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man or woman because of caste, creed or religion. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact a Bengali and nothing but a Bengali. We have room for but one flag, the Bangladesh’s flag, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Bangladesh’s, and its nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding house; and we have room for but one soul sic loyalty, and that is loyalty to Bangladesh’s people. But this is predicated upon the man’s and woman’s becoming in very fact a Bengali and nothing but a Bengali.
We do not want to be any other nation or any other persuasion but with a government that has not given up the very foundations that we were founded upon. The political arms in PM’s Secretariate and Bangabhaban have to thwart any ill-motivated move the very constitution that we have had in 1972. The evil and communal forces that want to bring the world of Bangladesh down have succeeded to do so because of the military rulers who ascended the throne of Bangladesh forcefully.
It is as if we do not live in Bangladesh, per-se; we live in another country. But that not be; we will not recant, change, or move away from the true spirits and values of our 1971 war. The new struggle is to our Bangladesh’s ideals; to what my forebears, forefathers of this nation, and to our own blood who preceded us. The anti-liberation forces have garnered supporters because of their unity. For decades our politicians have been slowly diluting the very foundations of Bangladesh with people.
Our one sole is now loyalty and that is loyalty to Bangladesh’s people. So, we have but room for one allegiance that is to Bangladesh. The patriot Bengalis are those who form the battle line to protect freedoms so that all of us can live under the true banner of freedom without hate to people of other religions. We want keep to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh which we attained in 1971. This is what Bangladesh in the truest sense of the term.
It is very sad and outrageous that our glorious constitution has been diluted from the truth of the patriotic doctrines. We have forsaken truth and replaced it on a whim. This country will be the most miserable habitation in the world unless and until the government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and deceiving of religion. Our Constitution of 1972 was made only for a moral people. It is adequate to the government to restore its full character and run the country accordingly.
We hope all will be well in our glorious Liberation War’s name in the days to come. We are also hopeful and optimistic that we will win everything of any colour showing our abilities—uncommon among politicians of any age—to think in fresh and imaginative ways about democracy, adhering to tradition only when people consider it essential to the political life of the nation. Because Thucydides said, "The secret of Happiness is Freedom, and the secret of Freedom, Courage."
As soon as the pro-liberation government and its pals came to the scene, everything has been turning up coo-li-bah. Bangladesh is able to dictate its own course, but there is a long way ahead to cross over. Henry Ford once said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” So finally, in all this; it is our combined duty and our privilege to keep Bangladesh moving forward based on the ideals of our great Liberation War of 1971.
-The End –
The writer is an independent political observer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes about politics, political and human-centred figures and international affairs.
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