BSS, Dhaka :
From 3 to 5 November in 1975, there was no government in Bangladesh. For the first 48 hours there was no army chief, either. On 5 November evening Bangladesh got an army chief, Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf, now promoted to the rank of Major General.
The newspapers flashed pictures of smiling Khaled being decorated with his new pips by the chiefs of air force and navy, Air Vice- Marshal M G Tawab and Rear Admiral M H Khan, respectively. Earlier, on the 4th of November, Khaled had convened a meeting of the formation commanders of the Army and sought their opinion on the evolving situation.
They had given their whole-heart support to what Khaled Mosharraf and Shafayet Jamil were doing.
But all was not calm. Below the surface resentment was brewing as the general officers and soldiers were not in the loop. The Bengal Lancers, which was formerly commanded by Lt. Colonel Faruq and 2 Field Artillery which was commanded by Lt. Col Abdur Rashid felt themselves particularly vulnerable, as they feared retribution for the deeds of their commanders.
To consolidate his position Khaled had asked troops from Comilla, Rangpur and Jessore to join him in Dhaka. Accordingly Lt. Col Huda, Khaled’s deputy during the Liberation War, moved in from Rangpur. So did Major Nawazish of the 10 East Bengal.
By the evening of 6 November the chief justice, Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, had agreed to take charge as president of the republic.
In a speech delivered simultaneously on radio and TV, Sayem announced the dissolution of parliament, imposition or rather reimposition of martial law and announced his intent to hold general elections at the earliest. Sayem’s acceptance of the presidency had given credence to Khaled’s take-over and it reassured the nation that at last the country was back to “normalcy.”
But the barracks were not adequately reassured. Everybody who had been left out of the high drama had something to say. Some wanted assurance, others wanted discipline, while even others wanted to further their political agendas, while Khaled was busy organizing the transfer of power, “as peacefully as possible.”
The newspapers flashed pictures of smiling Khaled being decorated with his new pips by the chiefs of air force and navy, Air Vice- Marshal M G Tawab and Rear Admiral M H Khan, respectively. Earlier, on the 4th of November, Khaled had convened a meeting of the formation commanders of the Army and sought their opinion on the evolving situation.
They had given their whole-heart support to what Khaled Mosharraf and Shafayet Jamil were doing.
But all was not calm. Below the surface resentment was brewing as the general officers and soldiers were not in the loop. The Bengal Lancers, which was formerly commanded by Lt. Colonel Faruq and 2 Field Artillery which was commanded by Lt. Col Abdur Rashid felt themselves particularly vulnerable, as they feared retribution for the deeds of their commanders.
To consolidate his position Khaled had asked troops from Comilla, Rangpur and Jessore to join him in Dhaka. Accordingly Lt. Col Huda, Khaled’s deputy during the Liberation War, moved in from Rangpur. So did Major Nawazish of the 10 East Bengal.
By the evening of 6 November the chief justice, Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, had agreed to take charge as president of the republic.
In a speech delivered simultaneously on radio and TV, Sayem announced the dissolution of parliament, imposition or rather reimposition of martial law and announced his intent to hold general elections at the earliest. Sayem’s acceptance of the presidency had given credence to Khaled’s take-over and it reassured the nation that at last the country was back to “normalcy.”
But the barracks were not adequately reassured. Everybody who had been left out of the high drama had something to say. Some wanted assurance, others wanted discipline, while even others wanted to further their political agendas, while Khaled was busy organizing the transfer of power, “as peacefully as possible.”
