Recognise Indo-Soviet help in liberation war

Distortion of the history of the liberation war must be stopped and its true history should be upheld to the new generation to build the country on the basis of the spirit of the liberation war, said the speakers at a meeting yesterday.
The memorial meeting on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the chief of the joint forces during the liberation war, was organised by Bangladesh-Bharat Maitree Samity (BBMS), an association for friendship between Bangladesh and India, at the National Press Club in the city.
The speakers said the sacrifices of the Indian and Soviet soldiers during the war of independence should be recognised and a monument should be built to commemorate their contributions.
Speaking as chief guest Awami League (AL) Presidium Member Abdur Razzak said distortion of history must be stopped immediately and the people of the country should be united once again like '71 to fight the conspiracies against the country.
“The war criminals have got so much power that they now dare to tarnish the sanctity of the liberation war. They must be tried right now,” said Razzak.
He said thanks to the support of the Indian and Soviet soldiers, the independence of the country could be achieved quickly, and the strategies of Field Marshal Manekshaw made the war easy to win.
BBMS President and former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University AK Azad Chowdhury said, “Liberation war is not a stationary thing, it's a process and the country would forge another war to build the country based on the dreams of the liberation war.”
Prof Abul Barkat of Dhaka University said distortion of history started after the brutal murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“Those who were freedom fighters by chance had killed Bangabandhu and started distorting the history of the country to make Bangladesh a communal country like Pakistan,” he said.
“The liberation war was a people's war and India and Soviet Union have helped us a lot in the war,” he added.
Moderated by BBMS General Secretary Ismat Kadir Gama, the meeting was also addressed by First Secretary for Information and Culture of the Indian High Commission Dipak Mittal, BBMS Adviser Mozaffor Hossain Poltu, and HT Imam, secretary to the expatriate government formed during the liberation war at Mujibnagar.