Daily Times

The arrival of December takes every patriotic Pakistani to the sweet memories of “Sohnari Bengal” (Golden Bengal), which was once a part of Pakistan as East Pakistan. It was on December 16, 1971, when the eastern wing of Pakistan ceased to be a part of the country. It was the darkest morning in the history of the country when the surrender documents were signed by Eastern Command Commander General A A K Niazi and Indian Army’s General Arora. Earlier, on March 25, 1971, “Operation Search Light” was launched in the eastern wing of the country.

It was then that Shonar Bengal (Golden Bengal) was made red with the blood of innocent Bengalis. Rapes, plunders, arsons and killings changed the map of Pakistan. This day brings the memory of Nazrul Islam, of the love of humanity, of peace and kindness, of service of indulgence, of the message of Rabindranath Tagore. His message followed:

“Go not to the temple to put,

Flowers upon the feet of GOD,

First, fill your own house wit

The Fragrance of love…

Go not to the temple to light

Candles before the altar of God,

First, remove the darkness of

Sin from your heart

Go not to temple to bow

Down your head in prayers

First, learn to bow in humility,

Before your fellowmen

Go not to temple to pray on bended knees

First, bend down to lift someone,

Who is downtrodden

Go not to the temple to ask for

Forgiveness for your sins,

First, forgive from your heart

Those who have sinned against you.”

This month brings the unforgettable memories of sacrifices and struggles of our Bengali brothers, who fought shoulder-to-shoulder with other communities of united India for an Independent Pakistan. They founded and established All India Muslim League in Dhaka. Finally, a son of Bengal presented Pakistan Resolution on March 23, 1940, at Lahore.

It brings the sweet memories of the melodious voice of Shenaz Begum singing from the depth of her heart, “Sohni Dharty Allah Rakhay, Kadam Kadam Azad Tujhay.”

Unfortunately, the same “Sohni Dharty” (only Eastern half) was virtually turned red with the blood of innocent Bengalis. The bloodshed and madness started on the night of March 25, 1971, which finally culminated in the form of surrender of 90,000 Pakistanis civil and armed forces personnel on December 16, 1971, in front of world media in Racecourse Ground, Dhaka. That was the end of United Pakistan and an end of the joint struggle of Muslims of the subcontinent. An end of love and affection and an end of the message of Tagore.

Every year, the month of December refreshes the memory of those golden years when there was a united Pakistan, a Pakistan for both Bengalis and non-Bengalis. Why did our history witness the bloody December, the dark days and nights of December ’71?

It’s a long story of exploitation of Bengali brothers and sisters. It’s a story of unjust and unfair treatment by the people of the western wing, who always considered that they were superior and a marshal race to the people living in the Eastern Wing. They were always treated as second-class citizens despite being in a clear majority. The disparity between the two wings was crystal clear and felt by all segments of the Bengali society.

On October 8, 1950, the then law minister J N Mandal, hailing from East Pakistan, tendered his resignation to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, in protest. He wrote a lengthy letter, which depicted the general disparity felt by the people of the Eastern Wing. His letter said:

“…There is hardly anything called civil liberty in Pakistan. Witness for example the fact of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan than whom a more devout Muslim had not walked this earth for many years and of his gallant, patriotic brother Dr Khan Sahib. A large number of erstwhile leaders of Northwest and also of the Eastern belt of Pakistan are in detention without trial. Mr Suhrawardy, to whom is due in a large measure the league’s triumph in Bengal, is for practical purposes a Pakistani prisoner who has to move under permit and open his lips under orders. Mr Fazalul Haq, that dearly loved Grand Old Man of Bengal, who was the author of now-famous Lahore resolution, is sloughing his lonely furore in the precincts of Dhaka High Court of Judicature, and the so-called Islamic planning is as ruthless as it is complete. About the East Bengal Muslims, generally the less said the better. They were promised at Lahore of an independent state. They were promised autonomous and sovereign units of the independent state. What have they got instead? East Bengal has been transformed into a colony of the Western belt of Pakistan, although it contains a population which is larger than that of all the units of Pakistan put together. It’s a pale ineffective adjunct of Karachi doing the letter’s bidding and carrying out its orders. East Bengal Muslims in their enthusiasm wanted bread and they have, by the mysterious working of the, got stone instead from the arid deserts of Sind and Punjab. I can no longer afford to carry this load of false pretensions and untruth on my conscience and I have decided to offer my resignation as your minister…”

Completely neglecting the Bengali language was one of the contributing factors of the “Great Tragedy.”

Lt Gen (Retd) Kamal Matinuddin, in his book, “Tragedy of Errors,” described in these words the importance Bengalis attached to their language. “When I visited him (Khonder Mushtak Ahmed, a prominent and senior Bengali politician, who later became the president of Bangladesh) in Dhaka during my research, I was greeted in polished Urdu. Later, he began speaking in English in which he was equally fluent. Hearing him speak both Urdu and English, I asked him politely, “In which language shall we carry on the conversation as I do not know Bangla.” Pat came to the spontaneous remark, ‘Janab Is Wajhe Se Pakistan Toot Gaya.’ (That is the precise reason why Pakistan was dismembered).”

No serious efforts were ever made either by the government of the day or the intellectuals of the western wing to promote the Bengali language. Most Bengalis were able to speak and understand Urdu whereas, in the western wing, Bengali was considered a language of third-class citizens.

Earlier, the elections of National assembly were held on December 7, 1970, and the results clearly showed the polarisation of the two wings. In East Pakistan, Awami league captured 167 seats out of 169, two seats went to Noor Ul Amin and Raja Tri Dev Roy, while Pakistan People’s Party of Z A Bhutto won 81 seats out of 144 seats.

The new assembly was given a task to formulate the constitution of Pakistan within 120 days under a legal framework. The election results were unexpected for the ruling elite at Islamabad. Political manoeuvring started once again to keep the majority party out of the power corridors, which, right from the day one, after the independence, was reserved for the “elite class” or the superior class of West Pakistan.

The genuine demands of East Pakistan were always considered the conspiracy of Hindus, a threat to Islam and the integrity of the country.

Urdu was declared as the national language of the country. This introduced a bitterness between the two wings of the country. One of the richest languages, Bengali, was neglected. Their beloved poet and a noble laureate, Rabindranath Tagore was completely blacklisted from the textbooks of the country, so much so that in 1961 the Ayub Khan government prohibited the celebrations of the birth century of Rabindranath Tagore. In spite of the ban, a grand function took place in Dhaka, which was attended by a large section of the society. By declaring Urdu the national language of Pakistan, the foundation stone was laid down for an independent Bengali state. Bengali language was spoken and understood by 54.4 per cent of the total population of the country whereas Urdu was the mother tongue of hardly 7.2 per cent of the total population. Even then, Bengali was not awarded its due status.

No serious efforts were ever made either by the government of the day or by the intellectuals of the Western wing to promote the Bengali language. Most of the Bengalis were able to speak and understand Urdu whereas, in the Western wing, Bengali was considered a language of third-class citizens.

The number of people killed in Dhaka, only as a result of Operation Search Light, will always remain unknown but definitely, the figures are if not in thousands, in hundreds. All foreign correspondents were ordered to leave the country on March 27 and the world media was left with no option but to rely on the news coming out from India or through Bengali refugees taking shelter in India.

In his book, “The separation Of East Pakistan,” Hassan Zaheer was critical of the politicians of West Pakistan. He was of the view, “The elected politicians of West Pakistan, representing all parties supported the action by words or silence, mostly by words and actions. They all condemn Indian interference for good reasons but didn’t realise the opportunity for it was by the failure to resolve the East-West political relationship. One elected member said that he (Yahya) is no longer a solider president but a popular President. Maulana Abu Ala Maudoodi chief of Jamat e Islami fully justified the army action.”

Being in a clear majority, Bengalis were never given a chance to rule. The dissolution of Khwaja Nazim Uddin’s government by Malik Ghulam Muhammad on April 17, 1953, was widely welcomed in the western wing and on top of that, Justice Muneer, hailing from the western wing, upheld the governor general’s unconstitutional and unfair decision, thus, providing a legal cover to exploitation of the majority province by the minority,

The tragedy of East Pakistan is one of the greatest tragedies in the history of mankind. The separation of East Pakistan is a unique and only example in world history when a majority got separated from a minority. The only reason for this unfortunate and dark chapter of our history was our behaviour and biased thinking towards Bengalis. The majority was never treated like the first-class citizens of the country. The culture and traditions of Bengal were never given its due importance and share. No concrete steps were ever taken to address the genuine grievances of the people of East Pakistan. Sheikh Mujib Ur Rehman was compelled to “smell jute from the roads of Islamabad.”

Unfortunately, the “Sohni Dharty” (only Eastern half) was virtually turned red with the blood of innocent Bengalis

In his book, “Tragedy of Errors,” Lt Gen (R) Kamal Matinuddin narrates a story, which speaks of the thinking of our ruling elite of the time towards their Bengali brothers. He is quoted here: “Brigadier Hafeez, a thinly-built Bengali officer with a scraggly beard, wore his traditional Pyjama and Kurta on Eid day and went to offer his prayers at Eid Gah in Sialkot Cantonment, where he was posted. Brigadier Atta Muhammad, his superior officer at that time, is reported to have told Hafeez, ‘Ye Kiya Maskino Wali Surat Banai Hui Hai,’ (Why are you looking like one who is about to ask for Alma?)

Brigadier Hafeez didn’t like the comments from his Punjabi boss.”

This was the general perception in the Western wing. The separation of East Pakistan was not the result of so-called misunderstanding and wrong and out-of-context quoted slogan of Z A Bhutto, “Ether Hum Uther Tum.”

It was a very long walk of hatred. It was the result of not giving a chance to the majority to rule.

The people of Muslim Bengal, who in the 1965 presidential elections had come out with full support for the sister of the father of the nation, Muhtarma Fatima Jinnah, and in spite of worst rigging, “Mader e Milat,” as was she commonly called, received 46 per cent votes from the Eastern wing whereas in the western wing only 36 per cent. In return, they got the reward in the form of Agartala Conspiracy Case on January 20, 1968. It was a case in which Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the popular leader of East Pakistan, and 22 other Bengalis were arrested on the charge of conspiring to separate East Pakistan and establish independent Bengal. And finally, on March 25, 1971, same people of Bengal were being tortured and killed who had hardly five years ago proved their strong link with the founding fathers of the nation by casting votes in a higher majority in favour of Fatima Jinnah as compared to the “patriotic” west Pakistanis.

One Unit created in 1955 was another blow to the already existing fragile relations of the two wings. Z A Bhutto in his book, “The Great Tragedy,” thought, “One unit was a great curse. Before its imposition relations between the East and West Wings were uneasy, but after One Unit, relations between the people of West Pakistan also came under serious strain. What was worse, one Unit accentuated the polarisation between East and West Wings, and was chiefly responsible for the two wings vying each other as two rival states.”

According to Hassan Zaheer in his well-researched book, “The Separation of East Pakistan,” “The military and civil bureaucracies, big business, urban middle class elected representatives and the independent press welcomed the army operation, the decision making elements were predominately from Punjab, other segments located in Lahore and Karachi exercised considerable influence over the national affairs.”

East Pakistan, which was a “burden” for the martial race of the West, is now in the form of an independent Bangladesh and far more ahead of the “martial race” of Pakistan in every field of life: trade, sports, agriculture, peace, tourism. Their currency (Taka) is far stronger than Pak Rupee. There were times when there was not a single player from the Eastern Wing in our cricket team. Now, we all know that the Bangladeshi cricket team is demonstrating wonders. We are begging the world cricket teams to please come and play at our soil, whereas Bangladesh is regularly conducting cricket events at her soil. Is there any lesson for us in this? This is known as “Makafat e Amal,” in Urdu. That is the revenge of nature. Alas, we have still not learned any lesson and with every rising sun, Pakistan is moving backwards, God forbid, towards a complete disaster or a collapse. May be its due to the course of those innocent Bengalis who were mercilessly killed or the course of those young women who were gang-raped.

After a lengthy research and getting first-hand knowledge from the survivals of the 1971 tragedy, Yasmin Saika, in her book, “Women, War and the Making of Bangladesh,” stated, “Men representing the armies of Pakistan and India, as well as the Mukti Bahini (a Bengali militia created with Indian support) and pro Pakistani Bengali and Bihari civilians who volunteered in the auxiliary armed forces of Al-Badr and Al-Shams raped, looted, killed, and terrorised noncombatants in East Pakistan.”

When millions of our Bengali brothers in East Pakistan were dying of poverty and natural calamities, we were busy constructing Islamabad “the beautiful,” to fulfil the desire of a self-proclaimed field martial and Sheikh Mujeeb ur Rehman was justified in “smelling jute” from the roads of Islamabad. People of Bengal who struggled more than any other province for the creation of Pakistan got in return labels of traitors, agents of enemies, Agartala conspiracy case and Operation Search Light.

Today, Bangladesh stands very proudly among the countries of the world with very strong and powerful institutions and deserves heartiest congratulations on their independence day, but while celebrating their independence day, every year, they forget their brothers known as “Standard Pakistanis,” living in makeshift camps without even necessities of life. Through these lines, I request my brothers in Bangladesh to please not forget that the so-called stranded Pakistanis were with you fighting the war of independence of Pakistan. They and their forefathers sacrificed everything for Pakistan. They remained with you for twenty-five long years; they didn’t conspire against you but they were trying to keep Pakistan united. They wanted to keep the spirit of two-nation theory alive. It was their belief, and as a human being, we must respect the beliefs of fellow human beings. Give them the status of fellow citizens and respect, while forgetting the bitter past. Now, when there are no Alsams and Al Bader, take them along with you in celebrating your independence day and show to the world community that “Shonar Bengal” is a land of love and affection of peace and tranquilly. Its land of Tagore, “First forgive from your heart, Those who have sinned against you.”

Reciprocally, the government of Pakistan must show the courage, heart and guts and tender an apology for all atrocities committed by the then government of Pakistan.

“Hate breeds hate.” We lived together for 25 years, singing “Pak Sar Zameen Shad Bad,” in one voice. Now, let’s sing with them Pak Sar Zameen, and “Amar Shonar Bangla;” forgetting the bitter past by washing the strains of blood. As is said, the past is a place of reference and not the place of residence. The Bangladesh cricket team is nowadays in Pakistan; bringing test cricket to Pakistan after 10 years. Now, it’s the responsibility and obligation of the people of Pakistan to welcome them with an open heart and mind and give them a rousing welcome. They got separated in December. It could be a coincidence in December that they have now come to Pakistan to “wash the strains of blood” as was said by Faiz.

Faiz sahib had put a question before the two nations of Bangladesh and Pakistan that “Khoon Kay Dahbay Duhlanin Gay Kitni Bersatoon Kay Bad.” Now is the time to respond to the Faiz’s query, that the rainfall for which he had been waiting, “its clouds have started accumulating on the skies of Pakistan and Bangladesh.”

The writer is a former marine engineer and is presently working at a private organisation