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Chintito

Diplomatic venture for truth to prevail

Chintito

Several weeks back an email reached my inbox. In reference to this column's stand against the traitors of Bangladesh 1971, it was abusive to the highest order; actually somewhere in the middle because it referred to mid-body parts. It was signed by someone fictitious calling him/herself 'razakar-er natni', meaning grandchild of a razakar, meaning someone who collaborated with the enemy Pakistan during our glorious War of Liberation 1971 in killing, raping, maiming and terrorising innocent Bangalis. Obviously this is a child mesmerised by blind love for its dada/nana. The no-name and no-address business is understandable because these living beings (hard to pass them off as 'people') do not have the courage to face the truth and have been hiding behind a shroud for the last 37 years, only emerging parasitically with the help of self-seeking power-thirsty politicians.

More recently, they manhandled freedom fighter Sheikh Mohammad Ali Aman at a conference of fallacious 'freedom fighters', supposedly called to celebrate the greatest moment in Bangali's history. What an irony! In demanding the trial and punishment of the criminals of ekattur at that very symposium, the man who took up arms with the resolve to rid this soil of Pakistani forces was attacked by natnees of the conniving collaborators, some of who were addressing the ill-motivated gathering.

While it is true that a real man cannot bite back a mad dog, there have been continuing protests, rallies, seminars, press releases and petitions demanding the trial and punishment of those who perpetrated the cowardly attack on Aman. Concurrently the age-old call for all sinful nanna-munnas of Islamabad to be brought under the anvil has been renewed. Unfortunately, such gestures from the ranks of the people have been viewed as weaknesses and as no serious threat by any government.

The government should realise that demanding in the manner now being pursued by the peace-loving people of the country is the most civilised position that one can assume. This repeated pleading of action from the government and not taking the law into their own hands is difficult to imagine even in some of the most economically advanced countries of the world when the contest, however uneven, is between patriotism and betrayal. The people want the government to use its machinery and mechanism to apprehend the criminals, past and present, such that the future of Bangladesh belongs to only those who believe in the ideals on which muktijuddho was fought and won.

The demand is also sidelined towards only those who attacked the freedom fighter. To put an end to such nonsense as fake organisations of freedom-fighters by non-freedom-fighters, the role of those who knowingly attended the conspiratorial meeting to undermine the achievements of the nine-month war should also be put on trial.

Very often it is heard that the power of the khuti of the razakars, al-badar, al-shaams lie in their good relationship with the Arab World, meaning Saudi Arabia, Libya, UAE and so on. The blatant question then is what have our ambassadors have been doing? What are they doing now, for heaven's sake? It is a collective diplomatic failure of a four-decade old country that we could not convince the Saudis and the Gaddafis and the Emirs and so on that the Pakistani junta and their collaborators have committed crimes against humanity in 1971, that the people of Bangladesh are the good guys and not those who falsely dress like the Arabs, talk in Arabic and give a chumma on each gaal at every opportunity. As Muslims the Arabs would take in earnest the truth, if truth be told earnest. If President Bush can convince them and garner their support with his pack of selective truth, how difficult can it be for us to convert them with the one hundred percent facts of manslaughter, rape and deceit?

Let us organise an exhibition of photographs and documents of our War of Liberation in those countries from which the razakars gain support and sympathy. Let their governments and people see what degree of injustice was done by the Pakistani military and civil junta since 1947, how they bludgeoned a sleeping population with their military might on the black night of 25 March 1971, and how the unarmed Bangali nation was compelled to fight for its freedom.

Every Bangali having a friend or acquaintance in such countries where the razakars have spewed poison against the Bangali nation, must narrate to them the horror of 1971 and before, and now even after. They must write letters to the editors of newspapers in those countries. However late, we must launch a concerted campaign to establish the truth. That is the genuine learning from Islam and one can be certain from all other religions as well. We have fallen victims to a vicious tale of lies by those who fear that truth shall spell their political extermination.

To the above end the ambassadors of those countries in Dhaka also have a major role to play, as they can gather as much information on the truth as they want from various sources, radio and television, and mainly the people, and report the facts to their governments. As Muslims, it is their religious and moral obligation to search for the truth. Please!

WRITE TO CHINTITO <[email protected]>

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