Untold Facts

Thinking about the Day of Deliverance of the Nationalists

Unity
There is feeling and talk everywhere among the Muslim Nationalists of Bangladesh since they fell down into the dangerous ditch in January 2009 following the heavily engineered election of December 2008. The talking was usefully needed to find ways and means to come out of the vicious syndrome or to have another historic Day of Deliverance for the nation and the country and the people had one on the 15th August 1975. Have all the talking during the last ten months found any right solution? Is that the major opposition party has so far had any likely way out? Can they alone unite the mass for the change? Do they have any magic wand? The answer is both no and yes.
Can we not talk about a possible way out? I said both no and yes for the BNP- why let me go a bit in depth.

15th August 1975 and BNP
Shall I be harsh to state that minus the 15th August 1975, BNP must be nothing but a big zero? Because, minus the very brief but decisively historic incident or successful coup d’ ’etat of the 15th August 1975, there would have been no 7th November, much less the BNP’s birth three years latter. I may like to elaborate and explain my harsh words below.

1971 Fall Out
The 1971 war ended in official victory for Bangladesh. I say it was official, as we all knew in the way. The harsher truth was that the victory was snatched by Delhi. The documents for the snatch were, first, the surrender document of the 16th December undertaken by Pakistan Eastern Command Chief Lt General Niazi to Indian Eastern Theatre commander General Arora; second, the absentee leader during war Sheikh Mujib signed the treaty document called euphemistically as ‘Friendship’ but in reality of subservience (Articles 8, 9 and 10) to India for 25 years on the 19th March 1972. Then followed many policies in action of subservience to Delhi beginning from the Constitutional four principles (Bengali Nationalism, Democracy, Secularism and Socialism) to the Education Commission Report for secular curriculum meaning no religious learning for the 85% people of Islamic faith, national development planning made supplementary and complementary to India, foreign policy as appendage to Delhi and subject to Delhi’s concurrence and prior approval under strict surveillance of the Indian cunning bureaucrats and Intelligence bosses of the R&AW like D.P. Dhar, PN Hasker, General Oban etc. directly controlled from Delhi by the Indian PM Indira Gandhi.
In internal matters the party in power was not only grossly inefficient but also corrupt to the backbone that made the otherwise better off country to Bottomless Basket case. The corruptions were so rampant that the leader at one point stated in open that other countries have got gold mines but he had only CHORER KHONI or mines of thieves and thieves all around him. In fact, the party operatives treated the country as the land for their unhindered plunder of national properties and wealth. Apart from price spiral of essential goods day in and day out due mainly to open trade and rampant smuggling along the almost unguarded 4,200 KM border as token of ‘friendship’ between India and Bangladesh, a man made famine (Amartya Sen) took lives in 1974, government figure was 27,000 dead of hunger but the figure counted by private groups went well over several lakhs as against plundering of national properties by the party leaders and cadres.
People naturally had sufferings but hardly had any scope to protest in open, much less resist, against annihilation, brutal oppression and killing with impunity of thousands of dissenting voices by killer force, but known euphemistically as the Rakhsi Bahini, an unconstitutional Para-military force directly planned and controlled by the Indian central Intelligence R&AW lords.

Mockery of Democracy
Although the country initially had multi-party parliament, that was made a mockery by one-man rule. The facade of multi-party democracy was finally abandoned in January 1975 for one party dictatorial rule and the leader Mujib turned himself formally into an absolute and unenlightened dictator of the lone party BAKSAL. Thus the freedom loving people were bonded heavily and their lawful voices choked that they had no way out.

Day of Deliverance
The 15th August came as the Day of Deliverance for the freedom loving people who struggled for long for freedom, because, the BAKSAL dictatorship was toppled by the post coup Government of President Khondoker Moustaque Ahmad, a Muslim Nationalist Awami Leaguer in midst of popular jubilation for Najat (Deliverance) of the people.
Well, he had a brief stay but lifted the nation in many respect from debris of Mujib’s autocratic rule including permitting freedom of press and releasing many newspapers Mujib had proscribed to choke the voices of protest.
The pro-Indian elements however tried to come back. They had a brief control between the 2nd November to the 6th November1975 led by Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf, but failed on the 7th November through a mass uprising of the army foot soldiers joined with the popular support redisplayed again on this day as they did on the 15th August 1975.

7th November 1975
The 7th November was crucial in the sense that on this day the army and the people joined in popular uprising to put Major General Ziaur Rahman to virtual State power as the Army Chief. The consolidation of the power internally due to popular support internally and externally made things easier to float the BNP in 1978. Through passing the 5th Amendment of the Constitution in the duly elected Parliament in April 1979 the country got back the multi-party democracy in over a lapse period in between from 1975 of four years. Be all these realities of facts, how could any sensible person think of the BNP alone in isolation of the 15th August 1975 victorious coup d’ ‘etat make the Solidarity Day of the upcoming 7th November a success?
The unity needed in now in late 2009 thus has to take inspiration from the 15th August not only for that great event restored the open avenue for multi-party democracy but also for the long tradition of the distinct Muslim nationhood alive but disturbed by alien forces time and again in this land. That is how the achievable rock solid unity can take to task the Achilles Hill in front of the nation at this point of time. Otherwise, there is little hope to have success for the nationalists and Muslims notwithstanding the majority aspirations. BNP has to give a serious thought about the issue raised here before they can look for success of the 7th November Revolutionary and Solidarity Day this year in 2009 if they really mean business to overpower both internally and externally the Achilles Hill confronting dangerously the nation and the country at this very critical time for dignity and honorable survival.

Anwar Hoza’s Re-incarnation!
All nationalist elements and parties and so also patriotic Muslims must unite to join hands together for the impending danger of being totally suppressed and subjugated by a new element in Bangladesh of the Muslim family born type Anwar Hoxa of the mid twentieth century Muslim Albania romanticized by him in leading the Muslim 90% people to get lost of their dear faith after the Second World War, if not one of the Fidel Castro model of Cuba.

Autor: Dr.M.T. Hussain