bdnews24.com :
The first group of top officials representing the Bangladesh government in exile reached Dhaka two days after the freedom fighters entered the city amid victory celebrations on Dec 16, 1971. Photo courtesy of Omi Rahman Pial
Syed Nazrul Islam, the Acting President of Bangladesh during the Liberation War, was accorded a guard of honour following the swearing-in ceremony of the first government of independent Bangladesh in Mujibnagar.
After a long and bloody armed struggle, Bangladesh emerged as a free and independent nation on the world map, with the surrender of the Pakistani army on Dec 16, 1971, bringing the Liberation War to an end. But the first government of Bangladesh had yet to return to the country from exile.
However, on Dec 18, eight top officials were sent to Dhaka from Kolkata as representatives of the government of Bangladesh. Their goal was to establish the state’s control over important establishments, including the airport. This marked the civil administration’s first step in a free Dhaka after victory.
Their arrival in Dhaka was sanctioned a day earlier on Dec 17 through an official government order signed by the then Secretary General of the Cabinet Ruhul Quddus. They were asked to take the 7:15 am flight to Dhaka via the Dumdum Airport on Dec 18.
A picture of the order was given to bdnews24.com by lawyer Anatul Fateh, whose father AFM Abul Fateh was the adviser to the acting president of the Mujibnagar government.
Abul Fateh, the senior-most Bangladeshi officer in the Pakistan Civil Service, served as ambassador to Baghdad during the Liberation War. But in July 1971, he abandoned his post and fled to London. The defection of the first ambassador came as a big shock to the Pakistani administration at the time.
The Mujibnagar government initially appointed Abul Fateh as its ambassador at large. In August, he became an adviser to Syed Nazrul Islam, the acting president of the government in exile. Notably, he is Bangladesh’s first foreign secretary.
The eight officials, including Ruhul Quddus and Abul Fateh, arrived at Dhaka’s Tejagaon Airport on the morning of Dec 18.
The other members of the delegation were Establishment Secretary Noorul Quader, Bangladesh Police’s first Inspector General A Khaleque, Secretary of Information and Broadcasting Anwarul Haq Khan, Finance Secretary K A Zaman, Director of Ports, Shipping and Inland Waterways QABM Rahman and Director of Civil Aviation Wing Commander Mirza.
As the secretary general of the cabinet, Ruhul Quddus was a representative of the prime minister that day while the acting president was represented by Abul Fateh.
After reaching Dhaka, they visited the Central Shaheed Minar, a Bengali memorial that was demolished by the Pakistani occupation forces. There, they paid their respects to the martyrs by placing a wreath on behalf of the Bangladesh government.
Ruhul Quddus and Abul Fateh were the chief representatives of the government in the new country’s capital until acting president Syed Nazrul Islam and the other cabinet members arrived in Dhaka on the afternoon of Dec 22.
HT Imam, Political Advisor to present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was the Cabinet Secretary to the government in exile during the war.
He told bdnews24.com that the eight senior government officials had arrived in Dhaka that day as a vanguard. The order also referred to them as ‘Advance Party’.
“On Dec 16, Group Captain Khandaker [Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Armed Forces Air Vice Marshal (Retd) AK Khandaker] was sent to join the surrender ceremony of the Pakistanis. A few more officers accompanied him at the time.”
“Then the officers were sent to Dhaka in droves. Many could not be sent then, there was no way to get there quickly without air. “
“We had to send the other officers to Dhaka in batches after that. We couldn’t send many of them as the only way to get there quickly was by air.”
HT Imam said the eight officials who arrived in Dhaka on Dec 18 were tasked with establishing control of the civilian administration over key installations.
“Group Captain Khandaker’s suggestion was that we have a lot of sensitive materials in the cantonment and the airport. Our people needed to take control of these first and that’s why they came.”
The first group of top officials representing the Bangladesh government in exile reached Dhaka two days after the freedom fighters entered the city amid victory celebrations on Dec 16, 1971. Photo courtesy of Omi Rahman Pial
Syed Nazrul Islam, the Acting President of Bangladesh during the Liberation War, was accorded a guard of honour following the swearing-in ceremony of the first government of independent Bangladesh in Mujibnagar.
After a long and bloody armed struggle, Bangladesh emerged as a free and independent nation on the world map, with the surrender of the Pakistani army on Dec 16, 1971, bringing the Liberation War to an end. But the first government of Bangladesh had yet to return to the country from exile.
However, on Dec 18, eight top officials were sent to Dhaka from Kolkata as representatives of the government of Bangladesh. Their goal was to establish the state’s control over important establishments, including the airport. This marked the civil administration’s first step in a free Dhaka after victory.
Their arrival in Dhaka was sanctioned a day earlier on Dec 17 through an official government order signed by the then Secretary General of the Cabinet Ruhul Quddus. They were asked to take the 7:15 am flight to Dhaka via the Dumdum Airport on Dec 18.
A picture of the order was given to bdnews24.com by lawyer Anatul Fateh, whose father AFM Abul Fateh was the adviser to the acting president of the Mujibnagar government.
Abul Fateh, the senior-most Bangladeshi officer in the Pakistan Civil Service, served as ambassador to Baghdad during the Liberation War. But in July 1971, he abandoned his post and fled to London. The defection of the first ambassador came as a big shock to the Pakistani administration at the time.
The Mujibnagar government initially appointed Abul Fateh as its ambassador at large. In August, he became an adviser to Syed Nazrul Islam, the acting president of the government in exile. Notably, he is Bangladesh’s first foreign secretary.
The eight officials, including Ruhul Quddus and Abul Fateh, arrived at Dhaka’s Tejagaon Airport on the morning of Dec 18.
The other members of the delegation were Establishment Secretary Noorul Quader, Bangladesh Police’s first Inspector General A Khaleque, Secretary of Information and Broadcasting Anwarul Haq Khan, Finance Secretary K A Zaman, Director of Ports, Shipping and Inland Waterways QABM Rahman and Director of Civil Aviation Wing Commander Mirza.
As the secretary general of the cabinet, Ruhul Quddus was a representative of the prime minister that day while the acting president was represented by Abul Fateh.
After reaching Dhaka, they visited the Central Shaheed Minar, a Bengali memorial that was demolished by the Pakistani occupation forces. There, they paid their respects to the martyrs by placing a wreath on behalf of the Bangladesh government.
Ruhul Quddus and Abul Fateh were the chief representatives of the government in the new country’s capital until acting president Syed Nazrul Islam and the other cabinet members arrived in Dhaka on the afternoon of Dec 22.
HT Imam, Political Advisor to present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was the Cabinet Secretary to the government in exile during the war.
He told bdnews24.com that the eight senior government officials had arrived in Dhaka that day as a vanguard. The order also referred to them as ‘Advance Party’.
“On Dec 16, Group Captain Khandaker [Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Armed Forces Air Vice Marshal (Retd) AK Khandaker] was sent to join the surrender ceremony of the Pakistanis. A few more officers accompanied him at the time.”
“Then the officers were sent to Dhaka in droves. Many could not be sent then, there was no way to get there quickly without air. “
“We had to send the other officers to Dhaka in batches after that. We couldn’t send many of them as the only way to get there quickly was by air.”
HT Imam said the eight officials who arrived in Dhaka on Dec 18 were tasked with establishing control of the civilian administration over key installations.
“Group Captain Khandaker’s suggestion was that we have a lot of sensitive materials in the cantonment and the airport. Our people needed to take control of these first and that’s why they came.”
