The making of Bangladesh – A nation born out of Blood & Hope

For those of us born after 1971, we have always known Bangladesh as Bangladesh & never as East Pakistan. India cradles the country from 3 sides with the Bay of Bengal on the fourth. A rich & fertile delta with rivers like Meghna & Padma yielding alluvial soil for the lush green paddy fields. Fishermen thriving with their catches of hilsa, rohu & katla.  Bangladesh’s only cash crop – jute, also growing abundantly in this soil

But Bangladesh has a blood stained history. The first inkling of the same came to me as a child. We had an aged lady as our cook in our home in the Indian state of West Bengal. My grandma used to call her ‘Bamun meye’ or the Brahmin lady. I called her Pishi. It was around 1979-80. Almost 8-9 years after the blood bath through which Bangladesh was born. But for the likes of my Pishi, the memories were etched forever. She was one of the millions of refugees who had lost everything they ever owned &   fled to India. Her son was all that she could save from the carnage

In the very rare free moments which she had to herself, I saw her distant look as if still trying to make out the silhouettes of her long abandoned home in the then East Pakistan. I had once visited her home here, in India. It was a small mud hut – one of around 20-30 similar huts cramped in a small area. Locals called this the ‘jobor dokhol’ colony or the forcefully set up colony. These hapless people, escaping torture from their homeland only had this much force left in themselves to carve out a minimal shelter from prying eyes of humans & the adversities of nature. I was too young to understand Pishi’s pain – the pain of leaving all that she ever considered as her own including her husband & daughters knowing well that her husband would be dead & daughters probably tortured beyond recognition. Data from Bangladesh genocide archives indicates approx. 2 – 4 lacs Bangladeshi women were raped by Pakistani army during this period

Apologies if my emotions are making me jump the gun. Reading the history of what transpired almost 55 years ago, is emotionally draining even for those who were not even remotely connected with the events of 1971. However, let me begin from the beginning of the end of East Pakistan – ie, the birth of Pakistan in 1947

In 1947, India & Pakistan gained independence from British rule. The world wars had taken their toll on the British coffer & they were no longer able to manage the rising dissent in the Indian sub continent. They opted to move out. The aftermath of this decision is known to most of us – partition, riots, bloodshed, losses of millions of lives & the diaspora of Muslims from India & Hindus from Pakistan. Heart wrenching as it was, Partition is not our topic of discussion today. I intend to take you into the period after the partition, more specifically into the period which saw the ripping apart of Pakistan & creation of the country named Bangladesh

Distant relationships are difficult to maintain – be it in love or politics. And there was definitely no love lost between East & West Pakistan. 14^th Aug 1947, saw the birth of a new nation which comprised of West & East Pakistan with India sprawled out in between. Never before in History, a nation was separated by 1000 miles with an adverse country in between. To add to the complication, East & West Pakistan were as different as chalk & cheese – be it in culture, language, food, terrain or biological appearances of the residents. The only factor which the Father of Pakistan hoped will keep the two bound together was Islam. But history proved him wrong….

Pakistan or the land of purity – as dreamt of by Md. Ali Jinnah. A country with rugged terrain in the West. Tall & fair inhabitants of Sindh & Punjab. The East, on the other hand, was green & swampy. And inhabited by the short & brown Bengalis. Two limbs of a nation

The West, despite being lower on natural & human resources was stupendously higher on arrogance. The Bengalis of East Pakistan had moved from the era of British discrimination to the era of discrimination by their own countrymen. Jinnah’s prophecy of religion holding the two limbs together failed miserably since the West Pakistanis considered the Bengali Muslims to be inferior through Indianization of their religious practices & beliefs. Hence, the situation which slowly unfolded was that of East generating revenue through Jute, fisheries & trade & the same revenue being siphoned off to the West for their development. The differences in infrastructure, health & education facilities between the two regions were glaring. The Pakistani rulers living in the West could not bear the stench of the Bengalis smelling of fish & rice. Hence, it was only natural that no heed was paid to the brown tribe while taking national decisions like declaring Urdu as the official language of Pakistan in the 1950s

The West Pakistanis took pride in speaking chaste Urdu. It did not matter that Bengali was spoken by majority of the population, it did not matter that the Bengalis could neither read nor write Urdu, it did not matter if the Bengalis had a different view

But it did matter to the Bengalis. They were aghast. What the economic  discrimination did not achieve, a threat to their mother tongue achieved instantaneously. Urdu did not resonate with their identity. The Bengalis rose for the first time – they rose to defend their individuality, their culture, their language. They revolted. They took to the streets & screamed their protests. There were widespread demonstrations, processions, strikes. The movement gained momentum throughout East Pakistan. But the West did not relent. After all they were the rulers, the decision makers. However, things took a very different turn when students were killed in police firing. Loss of these young lives touched all the raw nerves of the Bengalis. The years of discrimination, poverty, lack of development & now an attack on their identity shook the foundation of their existence. The ‘bhasha Andolon’  spread like wild fire. So much so that their voices finally reached the Western bastions & the rulers could no longer afford to look away. Grudgingly they agreed to the demands & both, Bengali & Urdu became the official languages of Pakistan. But enough was enough. ‘We have become soft’, thought the mighty West. ‘This would be the last time we give in’

The crack in the armor was now wide open – an irreparable wound between the two limbs whose infection grew as the days & years progressed

Jinnah passed away soon after independence and thereafter the political situation in Pakistan has been very volatile. Democracy was never Pakistan’s strong point & army rule was prevalent for most part of 1947 to 1970. We now get closer to our period of discussion – 1970-71. General Yahya Khan was at the helm of Pakistan. The general ruled with a glass of scotch in one hand & a lady in the other. He believed in leading a colorful life from the presidential palace he built himself in the newly constructed capital city of Islamabad. He had a palace in Dhaka which he seldom visited

Immersed in the luxuries of palatial life, Yahya dreamt of becoming one of Pakistan’s greatest leaders. But how would be achieve this, with his limited political prowess? Then the idea slowly took shape – he would be remembered as the one who brought back democracy to Pakistan, He declared elections in Pakistan in late 1970 & he would happily pass on the baton of the nation to the democratically elected government. After all, he was a noble man….It never occurred to the noble man that East could triumph over the West in a fair election

The news of the upcoming elections reached the Bengalis. For the first time they saw a silver lining. They had their political choices clearly defined. Awami League’s Sheik Mujibur Rehman was their leader. The only person who could bring an end to their decades of suffering & make their voices heard, their demands fulfilled, their dark world enlightened

At the same time, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto from West was harboring every ambition of ruling Pakistan. His was the Pakistan people’s party. He was suspicious of Mujib & believed that he would leave no stone unturned to ensure East Pakistan separated itself from the West & formed an independent country with him as the chief architect. And he, Bhutto, a firm believer in the ideologies of Jinnah, would never let that happen

As the political campaigns picked up on both sides, Bhola cyclone happened in November 1970. A cyclone like never before. It ripped through East Pakistan’s coastal areas. The losses of lives were unprecedented, leaving aside losses to property. Within a couple of hours, an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 lives were lost. Those who survived, were left without  families, food or any means of survival. Crops were destroyed, cattle killed, the river beds were strewn with corpses on which feeding vultures were a common sight. Within days, diseases broke out & those who survived the brutal cyclone, started falling prey to lack of food & medical support. Help started flowing in from international communities. However, aid from Yahya’s government was very slow & meagre. The Bengalis hated Yahya & his government with all their feeble might

The only silver lining remained as the elections in December 1970. And what an election it was. The Bengalis voted in droves & Mujib’s Awami League won a thumping victory with Bhutto’s PPP a distant second. Yahya & Bhutto were blown away by the results. This was a nightmare. How could they let Mujib become the prime minister of Pakistan? He would immediately bring the lowly Bengalis to the forefront, create plans for their upliftment. How could Yahya & Bhutto let that happen?

So they stalled. For the results declared in December 1970, no step was taken to install Mujib as the Prime Minister upto March 1971 despite multiple discussions between Mujib & Yahya & one tripartite discussion between Mujib, Yahya & Bhutto. But none yielded results to the satisfaction of Bhutto & Yahya. Since their only satisfaction would be in having Bhutto as the PM. However, the election results, unfortunately, were to the contrary

Mujib could sense the tension. He knew that the duo had no intention of honoring the people’s choice. Sensing greater terror to unfold soon, on March 26^th 1971, he declared independent Bengal – independent Bangladesh. The Bangladesh of his dreams – free from the clutches of tyranny, the creator of its own destiny. On the same night Yahya unleashed  horror called operation Search Light on East Pakistan

For 9 months Yahya’s army mowed down the East. No mercy, no pity – only horror. The Bengali Hindus were singled out & murdered. The Bengali Muslims were murdered too. The Bengali genes need thorough cleansing. So the women were raped. No one was spared from the unsympathetic killings – be it the elderly or the children. And Mujib was arrested from his home & transferred to a prison miles away – in Punjab. Dhaka was a smoldering remain of its earlier self under the control of Yahya’s army. Village after village were looted & plundered. The bodies were dumped in mass graves & trampled through. The Bengalis had no resistance other than fleeing for their lives & where else could they flee but to India

India, not a rich country on its own, was reeling under the pressure of refugees. Approximately 10 million refugees crossed the border who needed shelter, food & clothing. It strained India’s already strained resources. Our PM Indira Gandhi reached out for international support but no one bothered to stop Yahya. It was after all, Pakistan’s internal matter. This included the mighty USA who had their own covert reasons for not restraining Yahya. Hence, the blood bath, the misery, the massacres & the rapes continued

The Bengalis initially helpless, slowly started turning around. The famed Mukti Bahini was taking shape. Those who were looted & booted, began resisting. And they received support from India – support in the form of arms & training & finally in an all out military attack on Yahya’s army by the Indian army in Dec 1971. India attacked on land, sea & air fronts. The Mukti Bahini with their guerilla war tactics hit the Pakistani forces head on. And the West Pakistanis began to retreat. The Mukti Bahini came down mercilessly, seeking vengeance on those who had tortured, looted, killed & burned their kith & kin. Along with the Pakistani army, also burned the collaborators – they were particularly the Bihari Muslims who had supported the Pakistani army all through the 9 months of terror. The Bahini swept down mercilessly wherever possible. The Indians & the Bengalis were at knocking distance of capturing Dhaka. The Pakistani troops, though high in numbers, were distributed across locations. They were also cut off from further supplies. They were on the brink of defeat

On 16^th Dec 1971, barely 2 weeks after India entered Bangladesh’s war of independence, Pakistan surrendered along with its troop of 93000 soldiers. Bangladesh of Mujib’s dream declared independence & was recognized by the world as an independent nation

Mujib arrived in Bangladesh in January 1972 from his imprisonment to a tearful welcome by his countrymen. They had suffered together. But now it was time to move ahead & build their new nation from ashes. The Mukti Bahini soldiers surrendered their arms at Mujib’s feet to the cries of ‘Joy Bangla’, ‘Joy Bongo Bondhu’. They together embarked on a fresh new journey of picking up the pieces of their lives & also their country with dreams of a bright future

Did Bangladesh have a ‘happily ever after’ future? Well, that will be a different discussion – probably for a different day