5 comments

• Jamshaid Khan Barki

  That was the reason for which bangalis announced independence after a long struggle against the govt of East Pakistan. I agree with all of the points that raised by the author. You were facing the same situation in 1971 that you face today. In 1971 you broke your own homeland and announced independence. You renamed your part East Pakistan to Bangladesh and fledged your flag with new colors after a long struggle. Great you people did that. Now you people face again the same situation but you people are not going to break Bangladesh. Now my question is why don’t you act like that you had acted in 1971?
  With regards.

  28 March 2010, 8:23 am

  Reply to this  
• Rezwan Contributor profile »

  Mr. Barki,

  I think you are misjudging the situation. In March 25, 1971 Pakistani army launched an onslaught of offensives on Bangladeshis after denying Sheikh Mujib to be the Prime Minister of Pakistan after winning the election. When Bengalis saw that they will forever be denied their rights independence was declared. The genocide (http://www.genocidebangladesh.org/) Pakistan did on Bangladeshis for the next nine months put everybody on the edge. Hundreds and thousands of innocent people died. So Pakistanis were behind breaking the country not Bengalis.

  How can you compare with the situation of the present extra judicial killing or encounter? Are you telling me that there is no such case as encounters in Pakistan? This is a problem which exists across the Indian subcontinent.

  Bangladesh has gotten rid of the tyrants in 1971 and they will also tackle this problem.

  29 March 2010, 15:11 pm

  Reply to this  
• Jamshaid Khan Barki

  I’m not denying your facts nor I am going to tell you that Army did any good thing. I also agree with you that Pakistan is facing the same problems as you people are facing.
  The army you are talking about were consisting more than 50 percent Bangalis. Instead you took the charge of govt, announced independence. If you people were right and I’m sure you were, then why did you made Gen. Irshad your president? Wasn’t he from the same army that was very cruel to you in 1971.

  Same problems even today Baluchis and Pashtoons are facing in Pakistan that you people were facing in 1971. They fight against the army, govt and bureaucracy but do not do that you did. May be a city or a town stands up and announce another independence(may it not be so). If breaking own country is a solution of the problems then why don’t you do it now.
  At one place you are wrong then or now, decide yourself.
  Regards
  Long Live Bangladesh

  5 April 2010, 10:47 am

  Reply to this  
• Rezwan Contributor profile »

  Mr. Barki,

  “The army you are talking about were consisting more than 50 percent Bangalis.”

  – I think you have some misinformation:

  * In 1956 the Pakistan Army had a total of 894 officers in the grades of major through lieutenant general. Of this number only 14 (1.6 percent) were of East Pakistani origin. Of these, only one was of brigadier rank.

  * By 1965 the total of 6,000 army officers, 5 percent were Bengalis. Only one of them had become a major general.

  * On the eve of theliberation war in 1971, there were only two military units specifically identified with East Pakistan.

  * One of Mujib’s six points was to have an ordnance factory, a military academy in East Pakistan and more participation of Bengalis in Pakistan army.

  * The crackdown of 25 March 1971 ordered by Tikka Khan, left thousands of Bengalis dead – including slaughtering and arsoning the police barracks.

  * Bengali soldiers were taken out of duties after the military operation in East Pakistan started – most of the 90000 Pakistany army personal were from West Pakistan deployed via ship and airplane.

  As I told you before the secession of Bangladesh from Pakistan has a deeper background and reason – two countries – different in culture, language separated by 1500 miles. Punjabi racism against Bengalis aggravated the situation. The independence of Bangladesh proved the fallacy of the two-nation theory – you cannot unite countries on the basis of religion – otherwise there would not be so many countries in the Middle East.

  Regarding General Ershad – nobody made him the president- he came to power in a bloodless coup-d’etat. I think you have not read how he was thrown out of power. It was a revolution by Bangladeshis (http://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/09/world/revolution-brings-bangladesh-hope.html?pagewanted=1) Bengalis can never be subdued.

  I think both Pakistan and Bangladesh share the legacy of military rules which have come to power in turbulent times of our history and they have shed blood and made our politics very difficult.

  In Pakistan you have a bigger worry:

  Pakistan military has the biggest share in Pakistan’s stock exchange. It operates commercial bank, airline, steel, cement, telecom, petroleum and energy, education, sports, health care and even chains of grocery shops and bakeries.
  In short, the military’s monopoly is present in every sector of Pakistan economy.

  5 April 2010, 15:39 pm

  Reply to this  
• Jamshaid Khan Barki

  As I told you already, I’m not opposing your facts. All you say, is a dark history of sub-continent. Although we did not suffer that cruelty directly but can feel your grieves.
  Any how don’t let extra judicial killing in Bangladesh. Whether you believe or not, extra judicial killing is the start of every 1971.

  6 April 2010, 11:31 am

  Reply to this