The Rational Warrior

This is a new perspective for me. Personal and absorbing. I salute Mr. Firoz Ahmed!

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Great interview Zia. I think the division of East and West Pakistan illustrates quite well how difficult it can be to suppress freedom struggles, regardless to how much force is used. I just hope the people of Palestine, Chechniya and Kashmir are able to realise their dreams of an independent homeland one day. Amen!

zia,

thank you for this. it was an interesting perspective to read. and i have to say the silent moments between the two of you intrigued me just as much as the spoken ones. i also wish that you had not interjected when ahmed sahib began to speak of the hope he had for pakistan as a muslim nation. unless he had trailed off in mid-sentence as some of us are wont to do. but your following action of interjecting sounds more like interrupting. i, personally, would like to have listened to the rest of his thought. :)

Two Points Worth Considering

1. The ethnic complextion of the Pakistani army that committed these atrocities.

2. “For example, the saddest situation today is that of the Muhajirs [Biharis]. Imagine, a child who was born in 1970, that child is thirty-some years old. These are the people who wanted to keep Pakistan. They were persecuted by Bengalis and hoped they would one day be taken back by Pakistan. They cannot be citizens of either Bangladesh or Pakistan.

“I feel incredibly sad, even in this time we do not see the injustice that is happening. My heart bleeds for them, their suffering and misery. Perhaps if there are good relations between these two countries....”

I for one salute this man`s courage, bravery, and good heart.

I feel sad that India betrayed fellow Punjabis and sided with the Bengalis.

Basically India should have made a trade off deal where we would have agreed on the status quo on Kashmir and let the West Pakistanis tame the insurgency there.

It would have led to a new chapter in Indo-Pak relations. But Indira Gandhi was not far sighted enough.

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Very moving interview. Thoughts of a man who has matured with time and sees the world in a more philosophical manner. But it also reflects a trend that disturbs many from the Independence War generation.

As the freedom fighters of 1971 enter middle age, a very predictable phenomena takes place amongst some and that is they become more spiritual. Happened to fire-breathing nationalists like the late Major Abdul Jalil and Dhaka Mayor Sadeq Hossain and others. With this turn to Islam, some become Islamists, i.e. go soft on their former enemies.

With due respect to their service to the cause of our freedom, even today some of us are quite unwilling to join the chorus of ``let`s get along with our Islamic brothers``. Excellent relations, cooperation, trade, and strategic partnership with Pakistan, absolutely! Forgiving the Genocide of 1971? Not until a full, unconditional, and genuine apology.

The reasons occupations take place is that the leaders of the occupying country are able to convince their own populations that they are actually doing, ``good`` in the occupied area. And that the occupiers are terrorists and troublemakers. This the standard formula used by every occupying govt. And the people of the occupying country buy it hook line and sinker, every time, because they are looking for any kind of, ``moral`` excuse, however weak it maybe, to support their own govt.

There is always some terrorism in the ranks of the occupied fighters. But it is always a fraction of the terrorism of the occupiers, since the occupiers always has much bigger guns. Mukti Bahani committed terrorism, in a lot of cases. In today`s world, East Pakistan would have not become independent. Pakistan would have not allowed India to interfere, due to nuclear deterence. After that, in the post Sept 11 world, it could have portrayed Mukti Bahani etc. as terrorists by highlighting their terrorism, while hiding Pakistan`s own actions in the press. And then it could have mostly crushed or at least kept the Bangladeshi fighters in check. Much like India is doing in Kashmir, America is doing in Iraq etc. East Pakistan would have been very violent but not independent.

The easiest way to find out whether something is terrorism or a legitimate freedom struggle against an occupation is to ask the occupied people. Obviously Bengalis considered West Pakistan to be an occupying power, hence it was one.

What I find interesting are the individuals who support so many occupations wholeheartedly and are on the forefront of justifying them under various excuses. For example, they justify India`s actions in Kashmir and USA`s actions in Iraq, even though, the populations of both areas, overwhelmingly consider these actions to be occupationary. Yet these same people argue that Bangladesh was an occupation and a freedom struggle, becasue Bengalis considered it so.

Quite the double standard..........Either they are all occupations (as I consider them), since the local populations consider them occupations. Or none of them are.

I suppose every occupied people once they become the occupier develop such double standards. Indians wanted independence from England but did not want to acknowledge Kashmir`s (or Pakistan`s) indepdence. Pakistanis acknowledge their own and Kashmiris independence, but did not acknowledge Bangladesh`s (in 1971; now they do). And many expat South Asians acknowldge their own countrys` indepdences but are gung ho supporters of any occupation the USA carries out.

Apparently, when one`s country, or a country one lives in, is carrying out the occupation, it is a good thing and for the general betterment of the world......However, when someone else occupied one`s own country then it is bad.......

The desire of one human being to dominate and subjugate the other is truly an amazing phenomenon..........

correction #9: ``And that the occupiers are terrorists and troublemakers``

should read,

``And that the occupied are terrorists and troublemakers``

Another example of how a few selfish & short-sighted men at top can make the lives of millions go topsy-turvy.

Another example of how a few selfish & short-sighted men at top can make the lives of millions go topsy-turvy.

Re Air Marshal`s

``For example, they justify India`s actions in Kashmir and USA`s actions in Iraq, even though, the populations of both areas, overwhelmingly consider these actions to be occupationary.``

And the Gallup poll was conducted by?

``Yet these same people argue that Bangladesh was an occupation and a freedom struggle, becasue Bengalis considered it so.``

On the other hand the wishes of the people of Bangladesh were expressed decisively in the general elections of 1970 when they returned a 98 % verdict for Independence. Your attempt to compare the three situations is rather desperate.

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Someday, from amongst the future generations of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis

the truth will come out on what exactly happened during the 1969 and 1975 period

in Eastern Bengal. And during this time the following will be explained:


1) The truth on how many died during 1971

2) The truth as to why it happened

3) The truth as to why 250,000 ``Biharis`` still rot in camps

4) The truth on why Sk. Mujib and most of his family was eliminated

5) The truth as to who murdered the intellectuals in Dhaka just moments before surrender


Till then let us hope for a healing process and start with a formal apology from Pakistan.

Ras


PS: And why CHOWK decided to erase ``Bangladesh Memories`` from the archives

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