Conspirators and Bangladesh

Star Archive

A particular personality may be killed and even his close associates may be temporarily silenced, but their ideas and principles can never be defeated or compromised. It is true that the conspirators were able to kill Bangabandhu, and nearly his entire family and some of his political associates, but were they successful in eliminating the spirit and ideals of independence for which the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his close political associates struggled throughout their lives.
If we look back on the period of Pakistan rule between 1947 and 1971, we see that our political history was the denial of self-rule for the Bengalis and their exclusion from effective participation in the share of state power in the centre. The emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation in 1971 was the first time that its people got the chance to manage their own affairs. Till then whosoever had exercised state power in Pakistan had derived authority through the capture of power rather than from the people.
But the army-bureaucratic coterie of Pakistan, which effectively ruled the country, could never forgive Bangabandhu and his close political associates for organising the Bengalis against the Pak Military junta. They maintained close contacts with their Bangladeshi collaborators, the Razakars and al Badars of 71, as well as with some international conspirators, for implementing their heinous design to destabilise the fledgling nation.
The brutal assassins killed the Father of the Nation not only to capture power. The conspirators had a long drawn plan also to reverse the history of our independence which started with the Language Movement in 1952. The conspirators knew well how popular Bangabandhu was and that was why they were afraid of even his dead body. He was burried far away from the capital.
Bangabandhu was undoubtedly a hundred percent Bengali. He was also a true Muslim. Hypocrisy in the name of religion was never found in him. That is why his dream Sonar Bangla concept has no room for exploitation in the name of religion, caste or creed. Democratic principles were the basis of governance and secularism was one of the state principles. But that were not acceptable to those who opposed our war of independence and could not accept at heart the birth of a secular nation called Bangladesh.
And thus the conspiracy started -- not only to physically eliminate Bangabandhu but to have a Bangladesh they imagined, and not the Bangladesh he founded in 1971. The first phase of the conspiracy was his physical elimination. The conspirators took it for granted that once they were successful in physically eliminating him, the major obstacle in their way to establishing a Bangladesh of their choice would be removed. They were able to execute their sinister plan on August 15, 1975.
After August 15, 1975, the conspirators immediately changed the name of Bangladesh Betar to Radio Bangladesh and tried their best to make maximum use of it in propagating their anti-people designs in negating the ideals for which Bangladesh was founded. They gradually started re-opening some of the issues which the seventy five millions of people of this country had settled finally in 1971 through their supreme sacrifice. Use of religion for political purposes was a dirty trick and those who used it during the Pakistan days were once again found active in pursuing their old game in the national politics in Bangladesh.
Since the spirit of our independence was the main target their conspiracies mainly centered round this. The conspirators who captured power after the killing of Bangabandhu engaged all the agencies to find out those who were by heart pro-Pakistani and belonged to anti-Bangladesh lobby, for posting in key administrative positions. A man like Shah Azizur Rahman who was sent to UN for opposing the cause of the Bengalis was made Prime Minister of the country, and Razakars like Abdul Alim and Maulana Mannan were made ministers.
And the real game of the ugly design started after that. Like the Pakistani rulers who wanted to introduce a "lingua franca" distorting the language of the Bengalis with the help of a group of hired agents, the conspirators similarly hired people who were known for their anti-Bengali role during the war of independence in 1971, to introduce Bangladeshi Nationalism in place of Bengali Nationalism only to confuse the people about their cultural identity. The ugly motive behind this heinous step was very clear -- distort the history and culture of the Bengalis.
The sky of Bangladesh is now apparently free from the dark cloud of conspiracies especially after the annulment of Indemnity Act and subsequent trial of the killers of the Father of the Nation and the four national leaders in jail. Many of the known collaborators and conspirators were brought to political limelight by the martial law administrators. Fortunately, the promulgations of martial laws which were subsequently endorsed by the parliament have been declared illegal and unconstitutional by the higher courts.
More importantly, the trial processes for the war crimes and acts against humanity during the war of independence in 1971 have also been started on the basis of the unanimous decision by the present parliament. As a result, many of the known faces who opposed the independence war and acted as collaborators of Pakistan army have been put under trial.
We must be aware that the conspirators and their associates are once again active to create obstacles in the way of economic development, political stability and welfare of the people. Therefore, it is high time for taking effective deterrent steps against those known conspirators and their associates.
On the National Mourning Day, let us pledge to do our best to complete the unfinished task of Bangabandhu in building a Sonar Bangla. And in this way only can we express our heartfelt gratitude to the greatest son of the soil.

The writer is Chairman, Society for Projection and Advocacy for Awareness Programme.