Our Pride

Our Pride: The earth we stand on today, the sky we see when we look up, and the air in our lungs when we take breath; we owe it all to our freedom fighters. this is debt we will never be able to repay, but the Bengalis have been given the oppurtunity to express their gratitude through the honors of valiance. Of the people who have received these awards the highest honor of Birshrestho has been given posthumously to seven freedom fighters. They are Capt. Mohiuddin Jahangir, Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman, Sepay Hamidur Rahman, Sepay Mostafa Kamal, Engine Room Artifser Ruhul Amin, Lans Nayek Munshi Abdur Rouf and Lans Nayek Nur Mohammed Sheikh. Untill recently, Birshrestho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman's body was in Pakistan and Birshrestho Sepay Hamidur Rahman's body was in India. They both now have been brought back in Bangladesh. They are now kept with a deep love in our country with the other Birshresthos and countless martyrs of war.
Of those given theshonors on the 15th of December,1973, Female freedom fighters were also included. These women not only provided shelter and assistance to the freedom fighters, but fought by their side too.

Surrender

Surrender: The freedom fighters and Indian soldiers surrounded Dhaka and demmanded that the Pakistani army surrender. Because the Governor House had been bombed, Governor Malik and his ministers took refuge at Hotel Intercontinental (today's Sheraton). The Indian air forces dropped thousands of leaflets: "Surrender to us before the freedom fighters are get you". Dhaka's powerful and mighty(!) Pakistan army then decided to surrender. When he saw that the surrender documents had something surrendering to the joint leadership of 'Bangladesh' and India, a Pakistani general weakly tried to suggest that the name 'Bangladesh' be removed from the document, but nobody paid attention to him; there was no way to deny the truth of history!
On the 16th of December in front of thousands and thousands of people at the Racecource Maidan, General Niazi signed the surrender document that forced him to bow his head and leave a free Bangladesh. The victory that the 70 million people of the country had been awating for nine long months was finally came to them who lot their loved ones during the war.
It was the 22nd December by the time the rest of the Pakistani soldiers had surrendered all over Bangladesh.

Joint Forces

Joint Forces: Around July the freedom fighters began to fight back in an organized manner, and by October they had become strong and confident. They began to systematically attack take over the Pakistan army border outposts. The guerilla battles also began to be more and more daring. The Pakistan army situation in Bangladesh to get so bad that, not being able to find any other solution, they attacked India on 3rd December. The intent was to attack suddenly, and destroy the Indian air force, but this did not work at all. India immediately announced war aganist Pakistan, joined the Bangadeshi forces, and entered Bangladesh with their army. The fighting lasted only thirteen days. At very beginnig and the after bombing all the airports, the Pakistani pilots to fled to Pakistan. After the few ships left in the ocean had been sunk, only their ground forces are remained. The Pakistani army was very skilled at killing innocent people - the freedom fighters and Indian army were eager to see if they were equally skilled when it came to actual fighting.

Countries For and Aganist

Countries For and Aganist: When the world began to find out about the Pakistan army's genocide, most countries' sentiments were for Bangladesh, but two very important countries - the United States of America and China - worked for Pakistan's side, aganist Bangladesh's freedom. In 1971 even though Muslims were being killed in the name of Islam, almost all of the Muslim countries sided with Pakistan to try and stop our movement for freedom. Near the end of war, America sent warship of their Seventh Naval Fleet and Soviet Union sent their nuclear armed naval fleet to the Bay of Bengal. As hard to believe as it may be, because Bangladesh freedom movement, two of the world largest superpowers came up aganist each other with their nuclear weapons. After India recognized Bangladesh as a country, they joined forces with freedom fighter. One and half thousands Indian fighters died in this war.

Fighting Outside the Country

Fighting Outside the Country: During the freedom movement Bengalis who lived the outside the country were of an immense help. They raised money for the freedom fighters and the Bangladeshi government, alerted the world about Pakistan's genocide and formed public opinion in favour of Bangladesh's freedom. Especially noteworthy Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury, Architect F.R Khan, Professor Muhammad Yunus, and Professor Rehman Sobhan. It was not only Bangladeshis that helped - on the 1st of August in New York's Madison Square Garden, Pandit Ravi Shankar, George Harrison and many other artists conducted one of the largest concerts of that time, that captured the attention of entire world. The American Poet Allen Ginsberg wrote a beautiful poem about the refugee's suffering, "September on Jessore Road", that still moves people tp this day.

Traitors

Traitors: The Pakistan army had no friends in Bangladesh - expect for a few traitors. The people of Bangladesh rejected these traitors completely during the election; the Council Muslim League's Khwaja Khairuddin, the Convention Muslim League's Fazlul Qader Chowdhury, the Qayyum Muslim League's Khan A. Sobur Khan, the Jamaat-e Islami's Golam Azam and the izam-e Islami's Moulovi Farid Ahmed. Out of these the Jamaat-e Islami political party is worth special mention. To help the Pakistan army, these traitors created the team of rajakars - which was mainly made of the armed cadres of Jamaat-e Islamis. In September a political delegation from West Pakistan complained to General Niazi that the entire rajakar group consisted of Jamaat-e Islamis. General Niazi then ordered that the rajakars be called Al-Badr and Al-Shams. These rajakars/Al-Badr/Al-Shams had neither the strength nor the courage to face the freedom fighters directly, but as puppets of the Pakistan army they carried out unspeakable torture and oppression on the Bangladeshi people. The Pakistani army did not know the people of this country, it was the Al-Badr, Al-Shams and the Rajakars who helped identify them. Whatever the word Razakar might mean literally, there is no phrase that is hated more by the Bangladeshi people.

Bangladesh Government

Bangladesh Government: Bngabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had given the people hope for a sovereign nation, but at the time of the liberation war he was imprisoned in Pakistan. The person who took charge of this movement for freedom was Tajuddin Ahmed. He left his family to fend for themselves and crossed the border to India on the 30th of March. There were no others leaders with him at the time; he contacted everyone later to form the government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. On the 10th of April the historical proclamation morally and legally established Bangladesh as an independent country. In this new country Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the president and Syed Nazrul Islam was the vice president and acting president in Bangabandhu's absence, and Tazuddin Ahmed was the prime minister. On the 17th of April in Mujibnagar (Meherpur's Baidyanathtala) Bangladesh's first government was sworn in before national and international journalists and ceremonially started it's journey. Their first responsibility was to lead the armed struggle against the Pakistan army and drive them out of Bangladesh.

Free Bangladesh

Free Bangladesh: Before the commando team took him away, Bangabandhu had decleared that Bnagladesh was independent and called together the people to free the country from the hands of the Pakistan army. His declaration was transmitted with the EPR's transmitter from Dhaka to Chittagong to the rest of the country. When the announcement was made, it was after midnight on the 25th, so 26th of March is our Independence Day. The country called East Pakistan was removed from the map of the world forever, and in its place came Bangladesh. But that Bangladesh was still battered and full of pain; the monsters of the Pakistani army were still on her land.

The Begining of Genocide - Operation Searchlight

The Begining of Genocide - Operation Searchlight: General Yahya Khan picked the 25th of March for his genocide because he thought it was a good day for him. two years ago on that day, he had taken power from Ayub Khan and became Pakistan's President. On the 25th of March, he gave the order for one of the cruelest genocides in history of mankind. General Yahya Khan said to his army, kill three million Bengalis and they will eat out of our hands! The genocide had been planned for along time, and the blueprints were called "Operation Searchlight", where it was clearly stated howpretenses of a discussion would be used to satll for time, how the Bengali forces would be wipped out, how the Dhaka University would be attacked; simply put how a nation would be destroyed.

Before attacking the innocent people in Dhaka City, the pakistan millitary had either killed or arrested all the Bengali Officers in the army and disarmed the rest. The EPR at Pilkhana had been disarmed, but they still fought all naight with whatever they had. The military had been unable to disarmed the Rajarbag Police unit, and they were the first engage in actual battle. After suffering a lot of damage, the Pakistani army to retreated to bring in tanks, mortars, heavy arms and machine guns with which they managed to overpower the Rajarbag police line.

There was no end of the terror of the 25th of March. Pakistan army went to Iqbal Hall (what is today Surgent Johurul Haq Hall) and Jagannath Hall and murdered all the students of there. Before the students were murdered they were told to dig a hole in front of the dorms in which they would be buried after they were killed. Not only the students of Dhaka University were killed - the staff and the teachers were murdered also. The nearby slums were set afire and their people killed. They then attacked the Hindu areas of old Dhaka, destroying temples and burning down the houses. Anyone who tried to escape was shot. On the 25th of March, Dhaka was like a scene from hell, withonly flames to be seen and the sounds of the gunfire and people screaming to be heard.

The main objective of Operation Searchlight wast o arrest Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. A commando team of the Pakistan army went to his house and arrested him. He had heard of what was happening and warned all the leaders of his party to stay away, then waited in his house for what would certainly be his death.

March Turmoil

March Turmoil: When the postponement of the Assembly was announced on the radio, Commonwealth Eleven was playing against Pakistan at the Dhaka Stadium.Instantaneously the people erupted in protest; Dhaka Stadium became a battlefield. Schools, offices, stores - everything were shut down immediately. Thousands of the people took to the streets; Dhaka became a city of processions. The people begun to chant slogans for the independence: "Joy Bangla", "Bir Bangali Ostro Dhoro, Bangladesh Swadhin Koro" (Brave Bengalis, take up arms to liberate Bangladesh).

Bangabandhu called a five day hartal and an indefinite Non-Co-Operation movement in Dhaka and the whole country.Through this non-violent movement, Bangabandhu said that the Pakistani administrationwas not to be co-operatedin any way, and his words brought all of East Pakistan to a standstill. To control the situation, a curfew was imposed - the students and the public broke the curfew and took the streets. There were processions, slogans, rage everywhere, people dying under the army's gunfire - but nobody stopped.
On the 2nd of March at the Dhaka Universty's historical banyan tree, the flag with the Bagladesh's map was hoisted. On the 3rd of March at the Paltan Maidan, the Students League decided that Rabindranath Tagore's "Amar Shaonar Bangla" would be Bangladesh's national anthem.
After the five hartal on the 7th of March, Bangabandhu went to today's Shuhrawardy Uddyan to deliver a speech. By then all of East Pakistan was following this rule. Tens of thousandsof people came to hear his speech; Shurawardy Uddyan was literally a sea of of people. Bangabandhu announced this famous speech, "This time the fight is our fight for liberation. This time the fight is fight for independence." There have been few speeches of this type in the history of the world. The speech brought together all the people and gave them the courage they needed to sacrifice their lives for the independence of their motherland.
Right arround this time General Yahya Khan was preparing to start the genocide. Genearl tikka Khan, known as the butcher of Baluchistan, was sent to East Pakistan as governor, but none of the Justices in East Pakistanagreed to swear him in. Yahya went to Dhaka 15th of March and pretended to have discussions with Bangabandhu while troops were secretly being brought in. War-ships with arms and ammunition tried to dock at the Chittagong port, but the people wouldn't let them. Bhutto joined the conspiracy on the 21st of March and came to Dhaka to pretend to have discussions.
On the 19th of March the Bengalis rebelled at Jaydebpur. Countless people died in the fight that ensued when forcesforces were sent from Dhaka to stop these Bengalis. The 23rd of March was Pakistan Day, but besides the cantonment and the Government house, a single Pakistani flag could not be seen anywhere in Bangladesh. At Bangabandhu's House in Dhanmondi that day, the free Bangladesh flag was raised while " Amar Shonar Bangla " was Played.
The next day was the 24th of March. There was an ominous feel in the country - it was as the whole country's earth, sky, and air knew what was about to happen and was holding its breath wait.

Pakistan's First General Election

Pakistan's First General Election: On the 25th of March, 1969 the mighty President Ayub Khan handed over power to the Pakistan's army chief General Yahya Khan.
As soon as General Yahya Khan was in power, he announced the first general election in Pakistan's history, which was scheduled to take place on 7th of December,1970. On the 12th of November one of the world worst natural disasters occurred on the coast of the East Pakistan - almost a million people died in the devastating cyclone. The Pakistani government did not come forward as they should have after such a huge disaster. Those who had survived the cyclonestarted to die from lack of food and water. The Bengalis of East Pakistan were enraged at Yahya Khan's neglect and cruelty towards their people. At a public meeting , to furious Maulana Bhashani demanded that East Pakistan be free.
On the 7th of December,1970, Pakistani's first General Election was carried out in a fair manner. The generals of Pakistan army had no respect for the political leaders. They assumed that a single political party would not obtain a majority, so they would all just fight among themselves. The army could use this an excuse to remain in power and plunder the country. So General Yahya Khan was shocked to see the result of the elction - which were unbelievable. Out of 162 seats in East Pakistan, Bangabandhu's Awami League got 160. Along with the selected female candidates out of 313 seats of Pakistan National Assembly. East Pakistan's Awami League got 167, West Pakistan's Zulfikar Ali Bhutto got 88, and other parties together got the remaining 58.
Put simply, for the first time Pakistan would be ruled under East Pakistan's leadership. Bangabandhu clearly stated that people cast their votes in favor of his six points, and the country would be ruledby these six points.
The Pakistan army then decided that no matter what, the Bengalis could not be allowed to rule Pakistan. Unknowingly, General Yahya Khan had begun the creation of a new nation, Bangladesh.

Military Rule

Military Rule: From the very begining, Pakistani rule was a conspiracy, in disguise and the biggest player behind was the army. 60% of the country's budget was spent on the army, and they were not willing to give up their luxurious way of living and let a civilian government take over. Using political unrest as an excuse, in 1958 Pakistan army cheif Ayub Khan took over power. He didn't rule for a day or two, rather he ruled for eleven years. Military rule can never bring about anything good. In the history of the world, there is not a single example of military rule moving a country forward, and it was no different for Ayub Khan.

Language Movement

Language Movement: Much worse than economic oppressions is oppression on a country's language, of its culture and heritage, and that is exactly what West Pakistan's rulers started to do. Pakistan born in 1947 and in 1948 Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, went to Dhaka and announce that Urdu would be Pakistan's national languge. The people of East pakistan immediately started to protest. The movement intensified and reached its peak on the 21st of February,1952. Rafiq, Salam, Barkat, Jabbar and many others were shot and killed by the police. But even that couldn't stop the movement, and in 1956 Pakistani's rulers were forced to Bangla as national language. Our beloved Shaheed Minar was created where language martyrs were killed, and the 21st of February is now a special date not only for Bangladesh, But for the whole world, as International Mother Languge Day.

Division, Discrimination, Exploitation and Conspiracy

Division, Discrimination, Exploitation and Conspiracy: East and West Pakistan were two thousand kilometeres apart. Even the people were way apart in their looks, language, foods, clothes, culture and their heritage. The majority of the population had only one thing in common and that was religion. If a bizarre country like this was going to survive, a little bit of extra effort had to be put in, but the Pakistani rulers did not do this. During the partition West Pakistani's population was twenty million and East Pakistani's was forty million, so it would have made sense to have two people from East Pakistan for every one person in West Pakistan in everything - education, bussiness, police, government. But in reality it was just the opposite - there were eighty to ninety percent of West Pakistanis in everything. 75% of budgets was spent on West Pakistan and 25% on East Pakistan, even though 62% revenue income was from East Pakistan. Most frightening of all was the number of armed forces - West Pakistan was 25 times as many as East Pakistan!

Early History

Early History: A story must always be told from a little earlier than when it starts, and so bangladesh's history can be told from the British period. The British have rule this region for approximately two hundred years. Thousands and thousands of people have been killed, imprisoned and exiled in their attempts to be free. In 1940 the 'Lahore Resolution' declared that the two areas that had the most Muslims would become two countries and the remaining area would become a separate country. But on the 14th of August, 1947 the two areas that had the most Muslim become one country, Pakistan, instead of two, and on the 15th of August the remaining area became a different country India. And so a very strange country was born; the two parts of the country were in two different places. What is now Pakistan was known as West Pakistan. There is a two thousand kilometer distance and an entire country-India-between then!