Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi
I do not want to write about the incidents that led to the secession of East Pakistan from United Pakistan and the creation of the new state of Bangladesh. Prominent academics, researchers and journalists have written many articles and books, in addition to holding seminars and conferences, on this issue.
Some call these incidents part of a liberation war or civil war while others highlight the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistan army or the militias affiliated to the Awami League party, which enjoyed the support of India. In these cases, the victims were mostly Bengalis or Biharis. At any rate, this issue was settled on the basis of the Simla Agreement signed by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, prime minister of Pakistan, and his Indian counterpart Indira Gandhi, and later this agreement was complemented by the Delhi Agreement, inked by India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Under this agreement, prisoners of war and detainees were released and diplomatic relations were established between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The rapprochement among the three states was made possible on the principle of “forget and forgive.”
This was emphasized by the famous words of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation of Bangladesh: “Let the world know how Bengalis can forgive.” He made these remarks after abandoning the demand to try 159 Pakistani soldiers who were accused of war crimes committed during the civil war.
What has prompted me to recall these incidents are some of the observations made by Safi H. Jannaty in his article titled “History cannot and should not be forgotten.” In the article, Jannaty repeated the arguments that he had raised in a rejoinder to my previous article. Furthermore, he presented some pieces of new information and statistical figures. Being a person who closely follows what has happened and is happening in Bangladesh, I have only encountered this information and statistics in his writings.
Jannaty also goes back to the past to rake up a new controversy by asking whether there was any utility in the partition of the subcontinent and the creation of the new state of Pakistan. I fail to see that such controversy has any benefit considering the fact that Pakistan has become a reality and at present is one of the leading nations at the global level.
The leaders of the Muslim League were fully convinced of the need to create a separate state for Muslims in 1930s. On the basis of this conviction, they adopted the historic Lahore Resolution or Pakistan Resolution. It was Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq, the then prime minister of Bengal, who presented the resolution at the Lahore conference. All of the leaders of the Muslim League, headed by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, worked hard for seven years to convince the leaders of the Indian National Congress, including Mahatma Gandhi, of the need to create a separate nation for Muslims. The Muslim League leaders were also successful in convincing the British colonial rulers of the need for a new nation for Muslims. Millions of Muslims from all over the subcontinent were fully satisfied with the partition of the country and eventually they abandoned their homes and migrated to the new nation of Pakistan.
Of course, there was opposition against the partition of the subcontinent, and this was mainly from the Hindu extremist organizations. They are still chasing the Muslims of India and blaming them for the partition and asking them to shoulder the responsibility for what happened in the past.
Jannaty asks whether there has been any real benefit from the partition of the subcontinent. He tries to bring home the idea that the interests of Muslims might have been served in a much better way had India remain united. But at the same time, he acclaims the secession of East Pakistan and presents a lot of stories and fables that have not been heard until recently when the government of Bangladesh conspired to eliminate its political rivals. Subsequently, several opposition leaders were framed with the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity that purportedly were committed during the civil war that led to the creation of the new nation of Bangladesh. None of those who have been executed or who face trial for war crimes at present was charged with war crimes during the governments which came to power after the creation of the new state. This was the case with the first government, headed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation, who ruled from 1972 to 1975, and even during the period of his daughter Sheikh Hasina in her first tenure as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2002.
Jannaty also drew attention to the comments made by some Americans about the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistan army during the civil war in East Pakistan. In so doing, he forgets or pretends to forget what Americans committed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki when they killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians within seconds. Jannaty also forgets or pretends to forget what Americans committed in Vietnam and Iraq in killing and displacing hundreds of thousands of people, besides triggering sectarian strife. He should recall many such incidents from history and not turn a blind eye toward them. He should also not forget the tragic fate of the Native Americans in the United States.
— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at algham@hotmail.com
