A new enquiry commission, a dire emergency needed one in Bangladesh: Part-2
By Anwar A. Khan
The CIA has a way of very publicly blowing their cover-seeming to pop up wherever turmoil, strife, and political unrest materialize for their ill purposive. Despite being almost synonymous with dirty tricks, the Agency has essentially been given free rein, permitted to use whatever tactics they see fit to deal with any (real or perceived) threat to American interests, even if it thinks that the so-called American hegemony anywhere over the world may hamper.
If there's one thing we know about absolute power, it's that it corrupts absolutely; and if there's one thing we know about the CIA, it's that the astoundingly unethical and criminal squad across the world. We gave a crushing defeat to the criminal axis of CIA-ISI-China during our glorious Liberation War in 1971 to establish Bangladesh.
Abdul Gaffar Chaudhury's prominent words can be remembered here, "Now it is an open secret that Pakistan intelligence and CIA were directly involved in this conspiracy. General Ziaur Rahman and Khandaker Mostaq were co-conspirators. Almost all of them are dead now.”
“Those who are alive though old should be brought to justice. A commission should be appointed by our present government and the commission should have wide-range power to investigate. We may not be able to bring some foreign dignitaries like Henry Kissenger and David Boster to justice. Henry Kissenger was already accused for his alleged involvement in Allende and Mujib killings."
For a nation based on the idea of one standard of justice for all, this reckoning of setting-up of a new Enquiry Commission is long overdue. It is important that justice must be achieved. This is the only way people can build trust in the judicial system and contribute to establish the facts of un-civilized and savage playacts enacted during the period of 15 August, 1975 to 1996.
The sheer number and gravity of crimes committed during those times. Regardless of where they are now, there is not just a moral obligation but also a legal obligation to bring the perpetrators to justice. Their acts must be accountable for their ill-actions to the public eyes. The post-1975 landscape in Bangladesh was also much more complex and the political future of the country more uncertain because of the military dictatorial regimes.
Our glorious Liberation war of 1971 to found Bangladesh is our plume. Our national flag is our preen. Our national anthem is our prideful-ness. We achieved Bangladesh at the blood-bath of 3 million of our people by the lunatic Pakistani military regime and their local brutish cohorts, majorly the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) sub-humans. To attain Bangladesh, three hundred thousand of our mothers and sisters lost their chastity at the hands of those malefactors.
We saw their baleful everlasting annihilation of the freedom-loving people of all classes and of all religions in the country. These perps forced out ten million of our people from their homes with unspeakable sufferings, made them shelter-less and forced them to take refuge inside India. All these men-made disasters were played out throughout a 9-month war in 1971.
We finally gave them a crushing defeat on 16 December1971 and our beloved Bangladesh came into being as an independent and sovereign state in the world map. We are proud of the secular spirit that we earned through our glorious Liberation War in 1971.
But an unblushing Gen Zia, on 31 August, 1976, snubbed all our glorious achievements of 1971 and he, under an unlawful ordinance freed grievous misdeed-mongers of about 11,500 collaborators, mass-murderers, rapist, …who were in the jailhouse and put into trials by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Mujib. Not only that, these criminals were rehabilitated in every circuit of our society by this chicane of so-called ruler of Bangladesh.
Thus, he added a chickadee having a dark crowned chapter in our history. He gave those perpetrators a very free-hand to grow and reinforce their berths like banyan-trees everywhere in our sacred land - Bangladesh only for his corruptible political purposiveness.
So, as a freedom fighter of the 1971 war field, I endorse Gaffar Chaudhury's judgment, "A number of foreign people should come under the inspection of our proposed commission. We may not try them, because they are not under our judicial jurisdiction but we can at least expose them to the public of the world. Inside the country conspirators are hiding or are under disguise as Awami League supporters. They should be brought under enquiry and justice. Now this is the demand of the people of Bangladesh."
Dr. Kamal Hossain didn't have any contribution towards the creation of Bangladesh. Bangabandhu loved him so much. He first made him as his Law Minister and then the Foreign Minister at such a young age. He was abroad, as the Foreign Minister, when his great leader Bangabandhu was sent to death. Because of his education and extra-ordinary calibre, he was then well-known to all super-powers.
But did he do anything for his great leader? He could have toured and made shuttle diplomacy in countries after countries condemning the beastly slaying of Bangabandhu? Did he call any press-conference anywhere across the world seeking justice for his leader? His press-conference could have shaken the whole world, but he did nothing.
Rather, he chose to remain silent. We should condemn him in the most abrasive language and his name should also come under the scope of this would-be enquiry commission.
This is not the end here. After leaving Awami League, he floated a petite political party under the name and style of 'Gono Forum' and has resorted to the world of conspirators. He has also fallen-back to the anti-Bangladesh liberation camps and an actor of behind the screen.
I genuinely think that Gaffar Chaudhury is a-right when he writes, "But Bangabandhu's foreign minister was in Oxford at that time. Commission should enquire why he remained silent and did not lodge a strong protest against the military junta at the Commonwealth or the United Nations.”
When Allende was killed his ambassador to America, Pablo Neruda vehemently lodged protest in the United Nations and to other countries. When Ceausescu of Romania was overthrown and killed, some of his ambassadors in foreign countries protested the killing strongly. But not a single ambassador of Bangabandhu along with his Foreign Minister uttered a word of protest against the killing. Commission should investigate the reason."
A fiery orator, a true patriot, a great statesman - Bangabandhu Mujib was admired by all people across the country and around the world during his times. He and most of his family were sent to death so brutally in the wee hours of 15 August, 1975. Our dear four national leaders were also brush-fired by submachine guns and bayonet charged to death in the Dhaka Central jail-house at dead of night on second November, 1975.
A whole generation can't go to their graves without knowing important information that who were those bigwig sub-humans and acted behind the screens from both at home and abroad and did get executed those stalwarts of our political firmament by some vicious front-men. That's the most frustrating part for all of us!
I come to this magnificent point of Abdul Gaffar Chaudhury, because my conscience leaves me no other choice. I join him in his campaign to set-up a new enquiry commission to expose the truths only because I am in deepest agreement with the noble aims. His write-up is the sentiment of my own heart, and I found myself in full accord when I read his following salient lines:
"The people must know how deep Ziaur Rahman's involvement in the killing of the father of the nation was and why the-then Army and Navy Chief instead of resisting the few killers surrendered to them, declared their allegiance and immediately accepted the post of ambassadors to foreign countries.”
It should be investigated that how many army officers were close to Ziaur Rahman and assisted him in capturing power with bloodshed. If they are alive, they should be brought to justice. Bangabandhu was not just a political leader but he also offered the subcontinent a political philosophy called the 'democracy of the exploited'."
A time comes when silence is betrayal. That time has come for us in relation to Bangladesh. But silence is costlier than anything else! The new enquiry commission is a dire needed one. And our PM Sheikh Hasina must set-up that commission without wasting any more time to unearth the real truths. (Concluded)
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The writer is an independent political observer who writes on politics, political and human-centered figures, current and international affairs.