bangladesh

Chapter: March 1971

Events translated from the book ১৯৭১: ভয়াবহ অভিজ্ঞতা. The complete collection is available here - 1971: Dreadful Experiences

I am a university teacher and have intention to continue research work in a developing country like Bangladesh. We have few resources and rare funding in doing research in tertiary level. Not only government but also private organization is not interested to invest money in basic research work. So it is difficult for a new researcher to continuing his/her work.

Bangladesh, a small, beautiful country, is located in South Asia. An area of 147,570 sq. km. is home of 160 million people. It has very little natural resources. However, the hard working people are the biggest resource of the country. Women’s participation and contribution to the economy in Bangladesh is outstanding in the region.

Shahbag movement believes in people’s power, believes in democracy, believes in peaceful protest, which we have successfully demonstrated since last month. We will continue this protest until every single war criminal is brought under justice.

Jamaat-e-Islami and their war criminal leaders of 1971 have tried to hide behind "Holy Quran" to cover their misdeeds. But no matter how much you try to hide your bad deeds behind Holy Quran, you will get exposed; the curse of Holy Quran will not only engulf you, you yourself will make you life a cursed life. Holy Quran is not just a religious book it is a guard against all "Unjust". So, the "User" of Holy Quran as a shield, be careful.

It is a matter of great regret and anguish that, with the up-rise of Shahbag generation, some news papers in Bangladesh are openly utilizing the power of press in creating unrest and anarchy in the country. The distortion of news to create sensation is not uncommon in Bangladesh. Many under-radar news papers and magazines exaggerate and twist facts to attract readers and to increase their circulation. This type of yellow journalism, although considered unprofessional and unethical, was overlooked from the freedom of press notion. But some recent media involvement in the prosecution of war criminals of 1971 war of independence, the attempt to manipulate prosecutorial process, the spreading of historical lies in favor of the charged war criminals, leaking insider information of the ongoing prosecution and finally defamation of the brutally killed blogger Rajib Haider through unsubstantiated, inciteful and dubious posts crossed all boundaries of decency, ethics or even legal limits.

1. Formally established on 26 August 1941, Jamaat -e - Islami's (JI) intellectual inspiration came from the thoughts of Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi, a journalist, theologian and political thinker. The vision of its formations was (i) pan-Islamist in nature (Islamic state without boundary) (ii) to transcend the national boundaries to encompass all peoples and countries (iii) become the moral guardians of Pakistan: a holy community that did not dirty its hands in the mud of political wrangling” [1, 2]. 

2. Maududi vehemently rejected the creation of an independent state for Muslims and suggested that the new country Pakistani should be named as Napak-istan [19]. In Maududi's own words “The establishment and birth of Pakistan is equivalent to the birth of a beast.” “Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s place is not on the throne of leadership. He deserves to face trial as a traitor” [12, 13].
After years of strong opposition towards the creation of Pakistan, denouncing Jinnah as a religious lightweight and decrying democracy as satan’s handiwork, Maududi made an astonishing 180 degree flip and embraced Pakistan, Jinnah and democracy in 1948. This is when he moved from India to Pakistan [11].

In the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, more than 3 million civilians were killed by Pakistani army and soldiers. A meticulously planned intellectual extermination was carried out where physicians, engineers, professors, bankers, movie directors, writers, journalists were targeted and killed. In addition approximately 500,000 women and girls were systematically raped with many of whom later killed.

The initial public reaction to the verdict of the Bangladesh vs Myanmar maritime boundary dispute delivered by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on March 12, 2012 was unanimously celebratory.