Editorial Desk :
In an apparent response to Bangladesh’s move, Pakistan summoned Acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh Maushumi Rahman to its Foreign Ministry on November 30 and denied committing any war crimes or atrocities during the 1971 Liberation War.
Pakistan also rejected Bangladesh’s statement that trashed Islamabad’s concern over the recent executions of war criminals Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury. Bangladesh handed over the protest note to the Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka after summoning him to the Foreign Ministry on November 23, a day after Pakistan issued a statement over the executions.
Pakistan’s latest move triggered outrage in Bangladesh for “resorting to falsehood” over its role in 1971. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on November 22 made a statement, voicing “deep concern and anguish” over the capital punishments of Jamaat leader Mojaheed and BNP leader Salauddin.
It prompted Bangladesh to summon the Pakistan envoy in Dhaka for lodging a formal protest. Terming Islamabad’s statement a brazen interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs, Dhaka said it expected the Pakistani authorities to act responsibly and refrain from making such “uncalled for statements”.
Expressing sympathy is one thing but to deny hateful killings and other atrocities carried out by Pakistan army in 1971 is altogether a different matter. We were also victims of unthinkable brutal conspiracy against our people. The present Pakistan government should find out more about it.
Both the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, which was formed by Pakistan, and the staff study of the International Commission of Jurists in June 1972 found involvement of its army in war crimes. Even its last Commander of the Eastern Military High Command, Lt Gen (dismissed) Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, compared the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army in Bangladesh as comparable to the massacres by Genghis Khan and Hulaku Khan at Bukhara, and equivalent to the massacre at Jalianwala Bagh by the British General Dwyer in his book ‘The Betrayal of East Pakistan’.
On March 28, 1971, Archer Blood’s (US Consul-General, Dhaka) cable “Selective Genocide” points out the first cases of selective killing of intellectuals. He reported: “Among those marked for extinction ….. are student leaders and university faculties… we have report that Fazlur Rahman, Head of Applied-Physics Department, Professor Dev, Head of Philosophy Department and a Hindu, M. Abedin, Head of Department of History have been killed. Razzak (Razzaq) of Political Science Department is rumoured dead.” On March 30, Blood’s cable “Killings at University” reported: “Question of whether university professors subject of pre-planned purge, still unanswered. They (professors) believed they are subject to elimination.” These messages prove that the US suspected from the start that the intellectuals were specifically targeted.
Pakistan’s press release also reads, “As regards the Bangladesh Government’s contention that Pakistan presents a misleading interpretation of the Agreement of 1974, it needs to be emphasized that, as part of the Agreement, the Government of Bangladesh had decided not to proceed with the trials as an act of clemency.”
It is for our government and us to consider the agreement, rightly or wrongly, but Pakistan cannot be helpful. Bangabandhu also found it difficult to become logical and forgive the offence of war crimes committed by Bangladeshis under the orders of Pakistan army. Yet he did, but not individuals crimes against individuals.
Present leaders of Pakistan should read books written by their army officers like Major Muhammad Siddiq Salik who was Public Relation Officer then. The Pakistan occupation army committed genocide is known internationally. But the army has used some of our helpless people to do things they would not have done otherwise.
There was no heroism on our part in agreeing to allow principal criminals to go to Pakistan safely under pressure of reconciliation between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Clemency comes when crimes are committed.
In the absence of our leaders, and as motivated by Pakistani Generals the army placed in East Pakistan felt free to kill, rape and commit atrocities on our men, women and children. The people of West Pakistan were kept in the dark. May be they also did not care to know. Our people were unarmed and there were no armed resistance within the country. The brutalities were used to force a situation upon us as part of the conspiracy.
The real villain was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He hatched with some Pakistani Generals the most inhuman conspiracy to make him Prime Minister of Pakistan whatever was left of it. The conspiracy proved that we were not treated as one people.
The present government of Pakistan acted most unsympathetically and unwisely by being insensitive to the crimes committed by others many decades ago.
After the defeat, we found Pakistan became a better friend of India. The Pakistan government was more anxious to take back their soldiers unpunished and without caring for the unbelievable atrocities inflicted on our people mercilessly by the Pakistan army.
Bangabandhu was their prisoner but government of Pakistan of those days did not show any need to discuss with him the situation in East Pakistan. They happily surrendered to the Indian army not showing any consideration for the people of Bangladesh.
History of creating Bangladesh is written in blood in the midst of a heartless dark conspiracy.
Without forgetting the past history, we do not want to live with the enmity of the past and deny our responsibility to our people to build Bangladesh as a safe, happy and prosperous country. We do not want any Pakistan government to make it difficult for us to restore normalcy within our country and maintain normal relations among the two peoples as members of SAARC and otherwise.
In an apparent response to Bangladesh’s move, Pakistan summoned Acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh Maushumi Rahman to its Foreign Ministry on November 30 and denied committing any war crimes or atrocities during the 1971 Liberation War.
Pakistan also rejected Bangladesh’s statement that trashed Islamabad’s concern over the recent executions of war criminals Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury. Bangladesh handed over the protest note to the Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka after summoning him to the Foreign Ministry on November 23, a day after Pakistan issued a statement over the executions.
Pakistan’s latest move triggered outrage in Bangladesh for “resorting to falsehood” over its role in 1971. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on November 22 made a statement, voicing “deep concern and anguish” over the capital punishments of Jamaat leader Mojaheed and BNP leader Salauddin.
It prompted Bangladesh to summon the Pakistan envoy in Dhaka for lodging a formal protest. Terming Islamabad’s statement a brazen interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs, Dhaka said it expected the Pakistani authorities to act responsibly and refrain from making such “uncalled for statements”.
Expressing sympathy is one thing but to deny hateful killings and other atrocities carried out by Pakistan army in 1971 is altogether a different matter. We were also victims of unthinkable brutal conspiracy against our people. The present Pakistan government should find out more about it.
Both the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, which was formed by Pakistan, and the staff study of the International Commission of Jurists in June 1972 found involvement of its army in war crimes. Even its last Commander of the Eastern Military High Command, Lt Gen (dismissed) Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, compared the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army in Bangladesh as comparable to the massacres by Genghis Khan and Hulaku Khan at Bukhara, and equivalent to the massacre at Jalianwala Bagh by the British General Dwyer in his book ‘The Betrayal of East Pakistan’.
On March 28, 1971, Archer Blood’s (US Consul-General, Dhaka) cable “Selective Genocide” points out the first cases of selective killing of intellectuals. He reported: “Among those marked for extinction ….. are student leaders and university faculties… we have report that Fazlur Rahman, Head of Applied-Physics Department, Professor Dev, Head of Philosophy Department and a Hindu, M. Abedin, Head of Department of History have been killed. Razzak (Razzaq) of Political Science Department is rumoured dead.” On March 30, Blood’s cable “Killings at University” reported: “Question of whether university professors subject of pre-planned purge, still unanswered. They (professors) believed they are subject to elimination.” These messages prove that the US suspected from the start that the intellectuals were specifically targeted.
Pakistan’s press release also reads, “As regards the Bangladesh Government’s contention that Pakistan presents a misleading interpretation of the Agreement of 1974, it needs to be emphasized that, as part of the Agreement, the Government of Bangladesh had decided not to proceed with the trials as an act of clemency.”
It is for our government and us to consider the agreement, rightly or wrongly, but Pakistan cannot be helpful. Bangabandhu also found it difficult to become logical and forgive the offence of war crimes committed by Bangladeshis under the orders of Pakistan army. Yet he did, but not individuals crimes against individuals.
Present leaders of Pakistan should read books written by their army officers like Major Muhammad Siddiq Salik who was Public Relation Officer then. The Pakistan occupation army committed genocide is known internationally. But the army has used some of our helpless people to do things they would not have done otherwise.
There was no heroism on our part in agreeing to allow principal criminals to go to Pakistan safely under pressure of reconciliation between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Clemency comes when crimes are committed.
In the absence of our leaders, and as motivated by Pakistani Generals the army placed in East Pakistan felt free to kill, rape and commit atrocities on our men, women and children. The people of West Pakistan were kept in the dark. May be they also did not care to know. Our people were unarmed and there were no armed resistance within the country. The brutalities were used to force a situation upon us as part of the conspiracy.
The real villain was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He hatched with some Pakistani Generals the most inhuman conspiracy to make him Prime Minister of Pakistan whatever was left of it. The conspiracy proved that we were not treated as one people.
The present government of Pakistan acted most unsympathetically and unwisely by being insensitive to the crimes committed by others many decades ago.
After the defeat, we found Pakistan became a better friend of India. The Pakistan government was more anxious to take back their soldiers unpunished and without caring for the unbelievable atrocities inflicted on our people mercilessly by the Pakistan army.
Bangabandhu was their prisoner but government of Pakistan of those days did not show any need to discuss with him the situation in East Pakistan. They happily surrendered to the Indian army not showing any consideration for the people of Bangladesh.
History of creating Bangladesh is written in blood in the midst of a heartless dark conspiracy.
Without forgetting the past history, we do not want to live with the enmity of the past and deny our responsibility to our people to build Bangladesh as a safe, happy and prosperous country. We do not want any Pakistan government to make it difficult for us to restore normalcy within our country and maintain normal relations among the two peoples as members of SAARC and otherwise.
