42nd Victory Day observed

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Monday, December 17, 2012Front Page

Vow to complete war trial
Nation pays homage to Liberation War heroes on 41st anniversary of victory

Vow to complete war trial

Teachers and students of Tangail Cadet Academy dressed in red and green arrive at the National Memorial in Savar to pay tribute to the Liberation War martyrs on the Victory Day yesterday. Photo: Anisur Rahman
Staff Correspondent
Celebrating the 41st anniversary of victory in the Liberation War, people from all strata yesterday called for immediate completion of war crimes trial.

They also vowed to resist the fundamentalist and militant forces to establish a secular and prosperous Bangladesh.

The nation is bearing the stigma of war crimes since its birth in 1971. Initiative has been taken to try the war criminals, and the country is now waiting for the end of the trial to get rid of the burden of stigma.

"The last wish of my life is to see the execution of death sentences to war criminals. If the wish is fulfilled, my soul will rest in peace after my death," said Jahangir Alam, a freedom fighter.

Alam was observing the Victory Day celebration programme at the Dhaka University playground yesterday.

This was the wish not only of Alam, rather it appeared that the same were the wishes of thousands of people, who called for hastening the war crimes trial and upholding the spirit of independence.

"Like that of 1971, the whole nation will have to remain united against communalism, fundamentalism and militancy--this should be our victory day pledge," said Kajal Abdullah, a student of Dhaka University.

The nation yesterday celebrated the day saluting the valiant sons and daughters of the soil, who made their supreme sacrifices for the birth of Bangladesh.

On this day in 1971, Pakistani occupation forces chief general AAK Niazi along with 93,000 troops surrendered to the joint forces of Mukti Bahini and Mitra Bahini in Dhaka.

Bangladesh proclaimed its independence on March 26, 1971 after 23 years of struggle for self-determination, bringing down the erstwhile West Pakistani armed forces' genocidal wrath on its people the night before.

In a heinous genocide, the Pakistan army and their local collaborators -- Razakars, Al-Badrs and Al-Shams -- launched a barbarous crackdown on the innocent people of Bangladesh at midnight past March 25, 1971.

The nation, under the paramount leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, finally clinched independence on December 16 after the nine-month war.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar on the outskirts of the capital at dawn.

Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia, different political, social and cultural organisations, senior government officials also gathered at the memorial to pay tribute to the martyrs.

Enthusiastic with the spirit of independence, people of all walks across the country rushed to the memorial of the martyrs to pay tributes to the war heroes.

Hasina also placed a wreath at the portrait of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Bhaban in the city's Dhanmondi before attending the Victory Day parade at 10:30am.

Later, Hasina took salute from the armed forces at the parade programme at the National Parade Square. President Zillur Rahman could not attend the programme due to illness.

The day was a public holiday. The national flag was hoisted atop all government, semi-government and other important establishments. The day was heralded by a 31-gun salute at dawn.

Bangladesh missions abroad also celebrated the day. Special prayers were offered in the mosques, temples and churches across the country.

Parts of the capital wore a festive look on the day. Many buildings were illuminated, while vehicle owners also sported the flag on their automobiles.

Streets had been swarmed with enthusiastic people carrying banners of different political, social, cultural and professional organisations, and singing patriotic songs.

Many were seen draped in green and red clothes matched to the national flag.

After placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar, LGRD Minister and Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said they hoped to end the war crimes trial and implement some verdicts before the next Victory Day.

To mark the day, newspapers published special supplements, television channels broadcast talk shows, cultural programmes and dramas.

Different political, social and cultural organisations organised elaborate programmes including discussions, rally, procession, photo exhibition, painting competition.

 

[PRINCE_THE_SHOWSTOPPER]

Hindu killed in point blank. Nice story but fact of the matter is Hindu fled to Bharat to save their skin from the wrath of Pak army and Islamist.

when PA and razakars came they killed everyone,notwithstanding hindus and muslims...when bangladesh got liberated,these razakars were running everywhere to save their lungis and the wrath of pakistani army was anyways this is not a story but fact...and believe it,not only hindus fled to "BHARAT",there were lots of muslims too that came here

 

[PRINCE_THE_SHOWSTOPPER]

Exact answer is unknown number of rape happened and so did unknown number had been killed and sacrificed their life. Unlike you indians and Awami thugs, people are not in dispicable business of using number of death and rape victim.

on one hand ur saying this,while ur claiming unlike us (indians) and awami thugs,people don't know about the exact numbers and what ur govt is giving you is fictious..if u don't know the exact numbers,how come you know that these are fictious??? either you have concrete evidence to prove your claim,or you can say "i don't know".But ur simply saying not possible,how??? there was not only PA involvement in the massacre..razakars,al-badrs,al-shams,etc were also there.So,seeing the entire senario,how can you say "not possible"..i don't think u have travelled every nook and corner of BD and interviewed the victims to place your claim

 

[anilindia]

As R.J. Rummel writes,

The human death toll over only 267 days was incredible. Just to give for five out of the eighteen districts some incomplete statistics published in Bangladesh newspapers or by an Inquiry Committee, the Pakistani army killed 100,000 Bengalis in Dacca, 150,000 in Khulna, 75,000 in Jessore, 95,000 in Comilla, and 100,000 in Chittagong. For eighteen districts the total is 1,247,000 killed. This was an incomplete toll, and to this day no one really knows the final toll. Some estimates of the democide [Rummel's "death by government"] are much lower -- one is of 300,000 dead -- but most range from 1 million to 3 million. ... The Pakistani army and allied paramilitary groups killed about one out of every sixty-one people in Pakistan overall; one out of every twenty-five Bengalis, Hindus, and others in East Pakistan. If the rate of killing for all of Pakistan is annualized over the years the Yahya martial law regime was in power (March 1969 to December 1971), then this one regime was more lethal than that of the Soviet Union, China under the communists, or Japan under the military (even through World War II). (Rummel, Death By Government, p. 331.)

 

[dollarman]

I am from Sylhet and I confirmed that no one in my family(tribe) were effected by 71. No one. Not even loss of limb.

So, I have been hearing genocide took placed and thousands of women were raped. So those who believe in the claim, feel strong about it, can you come forward and share with us that how many of your family members killed/raped during 71 conflicts because if the death and rape figure is true(as per Awami maloon and it's dog squad) then some one must have been killed and raped from your family members(tribe). Be honest and come forward otherwise shut the F up.

Not a personal story (as I am not a Bengali, but a Punjabi/Gujrati mix), but I spent some time in Kolkata in the late 90s, and a lot of refugees in the border areas of WB were Bangladeshi refugees. These refugees, whether they are Hindu or Muslim were given Indian nationality if they arrived on or before 1971 (a lot of these refugees went back when the war was over, but the ones that didnt were given Indian Nationality), so many of them are Indian nationals now.

While I was in Kolkata (or Calcutta back then), my driver was a guy called Shakib Rahim. We used to talk when he was driving me around, and I learned some things about him. He was a Bangladeshi, and had fled to India in 1971 and was living as an Indian now after being given citizenship. His story was a very sad one, his father was an independence fighter, was killed by Pak Army along with his mother when the Pak Army ambushed his home one night. He and his sister, were taken as hostages by the Pak Army, and kept seperately. He managed to somehow run, and escaped to India (he was 18 then, his sister 16). He went back to BD when the war was over, only to find that his sister had been killed in one of the the Pak military brothels.

I dont know how true this story is, as he just said this stuff to me (he could have lied to me), but it is a sad story and tears me up how screwed up wars are.

 

[animelive]

Not a personal story (as I am not a Bengali, but a Punjabi/Gujrati mix), but I spent some time in Kolkata in the late 90s, and a lot of refugees in the border areas of WB were Bangladeshi refugees. These refugees, whether they are Hindu or Muslim were given Indian nationality if they arrived on or before 1971 (a lot of these refugees went back when the war was over, but the ones that didnt were given Indian Nationality), so many of them are Indian nationals now.

While I was in Kolkata (or Calcutta back then), my driver was a guy called Shakib Rahim. We used to talk when he was driving me around, and I learned some things about him. He was a Bangladeshi, and had fled to India in 1971 and was living as an Indian now after being given citizenship. His story was a very sad one, his father was an independence fighter, was killed by Pak Army along with his mother when the Pak Army ambushed his home one night. He and his sister, were taken as hostages by the Pak Army, and kept seperately. He managed to somehow run, and escaped to India (he was 18 then, his sister 16). He went back to BD when the war was over, only to find that his sister had been killed in one of the the Pak military brothels.

I dont know how true this story is, as he just said this stuff to me (he could have lied to me), but it is a sad story and tears me up how screwed up wars are.

Don't bother, these religious extremists are too egoistic to accept their faults. They will defend the rapist, killer, looter Pak army any day over freedom fighters. Why else do you think we call them razakar? They are not even following their religion's code, how can someone defend rape even if it is done against people of another religion? As Bhutto said "suwar ke bacche jahannam me jay"

 

[anilindia]

The figure of three million has its origins in comments made by Yahya Khan to the journalist Robert Payne on 22 February 1971: "Kill three million of them, and the rest will eat out of our hands."

I came to know that even Niazi defended rape in bangladesh by saying “You cannot expect a man to live, fight and die in East Pakistan and go to Jhelum for sex; would you?”

 

[Zabaniyah]

The figure of three million has its origins in comments made by Yahya Khan to the journalist Robert Payne on 22 February 1971: "Kill three million of them, and the rest will eat out of our hands."

I came to know that even Niazi defended rape in bangladesh by saying “You cannot expect a man to live, fight and die in East Pakistan and go to Jhelum for sex; would you?”

There was that.

Mujib also said that:

Ian Jack (21 May) mentions the controversy about death figures in Bangladesh's liberation war. On 8 January 1972 I was the first Bangladeshi to meet independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after his release from Pakistan. He was brought from Heathrow to Claridge's by the Indian high commissioner Apa Bhai Panth, and I arrived there almost immediately.

Mujib was puzzled to be addressed as "your excellency" by Mr Panth. He was surprised, almost shocked, when I explained to him that Bangladesh had been liberated and he was elected president in his absence. Apparently he arrived in London under the impression that East Pakistanis had been granted the full regional autonomy for which he had been campaigning. During the day I and others gave him the full picture of the war. I explained that no accurate figure of the casualties was available but our estimate, based on information from various sources, was that up to "three lakh" (300,000) died in the conflict.

To my surprise and horror he told David Frost later that "three millions of my people" were killed by the Pakistanis. Whether he mistranslated "lakh" as "million" or his confused state of mind was responsible I don't know, but many Bangladeshis still believe a figure of three million is unrealistic and incredible.

Letter: Mujib's confusion on Bangladeshi deaths | World news | The Guardian

It appears Mujib was confused between 3 lakh, 3 crore, and 300,000 and 3 million

Don't bother, these religious extremists are too egoistic to accept their faults. They will defend the rapist, killer, looter Pak army any day over freedom fighters. Why else do you think we call them razakar? They are not even following their religion's code, how can someone defend rape even if it is done against people of another religion? As Bhutto said "suwar ke bacche jahannam be jay"

Amazing how they are willing to be under the leadership of a drunkard.

 

[anilindia]

Bangladeshi authorities claim that as many as 3 million people were killed
Hamoodur Rahman Commission (pakistan) put the figure as low as 26,000 civilian casualties
International media and books in English put figure at 200,000 to 3,000,000 for Bangladesh
BBC put the figure between 300,000 to 500,000

Time reported a high U.S. official as saying "It is the most incredible, calculated thing since the days of the Nazis in Poland."
The Guinness Book of Records lists the Bengali atrocities as one of the top 5 genocides in the 20th century

 

[ajtr]

Resisting ? Where ?

Getting shot by third world nation ? What would you call getting shot by ANA ?

Right getting shot in ones own country by 10 people taking over mumbai for 60 hrs and whole world watching is more honourable and brave.Its the worst sort of surrender i must say.

 

[Hindustani]

Right getting shot in ones own country by 10 people taking over mumbai for 60 hrs and whole world watching is more honourable and brave.Its the worst sort of surrender i must say.

Right. You guys have it every other day.

 

[ajtr]

@RazPaK Slavery for brotherhood ? Read fatman17's thread posted by him, It explains how West Pakistan and Punjabi elites and politicians treated East Pakistan. No brother do this to other. Accept the faults of your leadership which led to discontent among the people of East Pakistan.

You reaped what you sowed. Learn from it and don't repeat it again.

Did india reaped the same what it sowed in mumbai on 26/11?

 

[ajtr]

Don't disrespect others if you can't take it back.

right...........khud fazihat doosron ko naseehat

 

[Spring Onion]

Did india reaped the same what it sowed in mumbai on 26/11?

No it was anaye of biggest nature. zulum on those who had been planning worst than mumbai

 

[ajtr]

Funny thing is that they surrendered to this same third world nation army.

Atleast they had surrendered to army but you surrendered to ragtag terrorists in mumbai and kandhar....Thats the most shameful act.