By way of Sahidul Hasan Khokon: For girl freedom fighter Sheikh Fatemah Ali, now in her seventies, the Western pitch for human rights is unnecessary.
“This narrative by way of overseas rights teams simplest seeks to offer protection to the killers who perpetrated terrible atrocities on us,” stated Fatemah, who suffered unspeakable torture by the hands of Pakistani troops and their native collaborators.
Although buoyed by way of the victory within the Liberation Battle that resulted in the emergence of an impartial Bengali geographical region, Fatemah resented no longer simplest the letting off of the killers of the rustic’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by way of Bangladesh Nationalist Birthday celebration (BNP) founder Gen Ziaur Rahman’s army junta, but in addition his failure to get the conflict crimes trials began.
Most effective after the Sheikh Hasina govt began the 1971 conflict crimes trials after coming to energy in January 2009, may just Fatemah breathe simple.
“However I will not perceive why the UN nonetheless refuses to recognise the 1971 genocide of Bengalis by way of Pakistan Military and their native collaborators. That is truly obscure,” stated Fatemah, all through a rally held within the capital Dhaka just lately.
Golam Rahman Tito’s circle of relatives suffered a horrific ordeal — first by the hands of Pakistan Military collaborators, and after the rustic’s independence by the hands of pro-Pakistan Opposition – BNP-Jamaat alliance. In 1971, Tito’s brother was once picked up from his house and killed by way of native Jamaat leaders, who sided with the Pakistan Military. The circle of relatives even failed to track his frame regardless of frantic searches.
Tito misplaced his sister within the 1975 coup d’etat. His sister had married Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana – the 2 surviving daughters of Mujib – misplaced 19 in their members of the family within the bloodbath on that fateful night time.
A lot to their dismay, the killers had been embraced by way of next governments, led by way of the Opposition alliance for many years. Even now, one of the vital killers are supplied everlasting safe haven by way of quite a lot of Western international locations that often sermonise nations like Bangladesh on human rights, in step with conflict heroes who joined the Dhaka rally.
The rally by way of sufferers like Tito and Fatemah, who misplaced close to and costly ones all through the violence unleashed by way of the pro-Pakistan Islamist Opposition, introduced the point of interest again at the decades-old deafening silence of a few “rights teams” over sheltering of self-confessed conflict criminals and killers.
Consistent with the audio system on the rally, human rights acts as a pretext to name into query the equity of the conflict crimes trial. This, coupled with “willful lack of know-how over impunity endowed by way of quite a lot of Western nations thru sheltering conflict criminals and killers of Mujib circle of relatives” provides to rising proof of double requirements perpetuated by way of such teams.
No marvel that a minimum of 19 assassination makes an attempt had been made on Sheikh Hasina, now top minister, because the West continues to harbour a couple of killers.
UN “silence” over 1971 genocide
A number of freedom warring parties addressing the rally deplored the UN’s deafening silence and willful lack of know-how that they consider left the 1971 genocide unrecognised, regardless that 5 many years have elapsed and it will simplest embolden the perpetrators.
“It sort of feels they’re unwilling to even pay attention to the opposite aspect of the tale –what concerning the 1971 Liberation Battle the place 3 million Bengalis had been killed and quarter million ladies was once dishonoured. UN has no longer but dubbed 1971 atrocities as genocide,” stated Tarana Halim, president of Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote.
“Abandoned by way of my husband and circle of relatives, I, with a bunch of others who survived the conflict atrocities by way of Pakistan Military, met Mujib at his house in Dhanmondi in a while after the rustic got here into being. Deeply moved by way of the trauma, at the side of a distasteful method from society that engulfed our lives, Mujib stepped ahead and stood by way of our aspect. Due to his fatherly method and rigorous efforts on a part of his govt, we began getting again to customary existence. But inside of only a few years, Mujib, along with his members of the family, was once assassinated in his house, recounted Fatemah.
Middle of the night bloodbath of 1975
The ugly assassination of Mujib with 19 members of the family on August 15, 1975 was once an international conspiracy that researchers consider was once to avenge the defeat of 1971.
A teary-eyed Tito, hassle of an eminent athlete Sultana Kamal who tied knot with Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Mujib, unravelled anxious ordeal his circle of relatives needed to undergo for many years as killers of his sisters had been embraced by way of the rustic’s first army dictator Gen Zia and later by way of her spouse Begum Khaleda Zia, who now holds the highest rank in BNP.
A pupil of the College of Dhaka, Sultana held nationwide data in lengthy soar and 100-metres however her existence was once lower brief on August 15, 1975 as a band of disgruntled military officials stormed into Mujib’s place of dwelling in Dhanmondi and gunned down as many as 19 members of the family, together with 10-year outdated Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Mujib.
““…My sister and all family members (there that night time) had been gunned down. What was once their fault? Mujib needed to pay along with his existence for main a country to independence… Why did the rights teams by no means discuss concerning the rights of such a lot of killed that night time?” Tito requested on the fresh rally in Dhaka.
“In 1971, native collaborators with the Pakistan Military picked up my brother from his house and later murdered him… We couldn’t even find the stays of my brother to accomplish his burial.”
Plenty of conflict heroes additionally pulled up the United States for sermonising Bangladesh on human rights whilst on the identical time giving sanctuary to a killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Rashed Chowdhury, who was once sentenced to dying within the case over the assassination of Bangabandhu, has been dwelling in the United States for a very long time. Any other convicted assassin, Noor Chowdhury, resides in neighbouring Canada, in step with media experiences. Because the Pakistan forces discovered it onerous at the battlefield, the United States even dispatched the much-coveted 7th fleet in a determined bid to lend a hand Pakistan win the conflict, turning a blind eye to such conflict crimes inflicted by way of Pakistan Military. China additionally stood by way of Pakistan.
Prison killings in 1975
In lower than 20 days after the assassination of Bangabandhu, 4 most sensible Awami League (AL) leaders had been additionally gunned down inside of a jail on November 3, 1975. Khairuzzaman Liton (Rajshahi mayor)’s father Qamruzzaman was once one amongst the ones leaders murdered within the prison at the side of 3 of his cupboard colleagues.
“After the assassination of Bangabandhu and his members of the family, my father along 3 different most sensible AL leaders had been ruthlessly shot useless inside of jail,” Liton recalled, addressing the rally.
Following the killing spree, Normal Zia rose to the rank of Military Leader who would later transform the president of the rustic, with out retaining any credible election and his upward thrust to energy set in movement the most important mockery of democracy within the newly liberated nation, in step with researchers.
“On the behest of Normal Zia, those killers broke into the jail and killed my father. From assassinating the Father of the Country after which getting rid of most sensible AL leaders who had been shut friends discuss of a mindset that obviously stood towards the spirit of the Liberation Battle and plunged the rustic right into a pit of communalism. Our rights had been trampled by way of Zia to solidify his grip on energy,” added Liton, a presidium member of AL.
Mujib killers awarded most sensible diplomatic missions
Lawrence Lifschultz, in ‘Bangladesh: The Unfinished Revolution’, has supplied main points of the CIA involvement whilst others have detailed the ISI participation even in opting for the day for the coup — August 15 — to precise Pakistan’s anger at Indian make stronger for the reason for Bangladesh liberation and the breakup of Pakistan.
On July 9, 1979, Normal Zia used Parliament to cross the notorious ‘Indemnity Ordinance’. The black regulation was once handed with the only function to supply a felony defend for the infamous killers of the rustic’s founding father. The ‘Indemnity Ordinance’ ensured no punishment could be meted out to the military officials who had been accountable for the killing of Bangabandhu and his circle of relatives.
By way of piloting it thru Parliament, Gen Ziaur Rahman left sufficient indication of his purpose in the back of rewarding the Mujib killers.
These kinds of killers had been appointed as senior diplomats in Bangladesh missions in another country and a few even rose to transform parliamentarians with complete impunity.
Relating to the disgraceful inclusion of indemnity for Bangabandhu’s killers within the 5th modification of the Charter, quite a lot of researchers referred to as that enactment “the start of the tradition of impunity for killers in impartial Bangladesh”.
Killing of conflict heroes in 1977
Mockingly with Normal Zia on the helm of the military, an enormous effort was once made to erase secularism because the core worth of Bengali nationalism.
All the way through Zia’s regime that lasted until 1981, over 1,000 military officials – lots of whom had been freedom warring parties – had been hanged with none trial below the pretext of a purge. Households of such conflict heroes are nonetheless seeking to find the stays in their pricey ones. On the rally, they puzzled the most obvious “double usual” on a part of the so-called rights our bodies for his or her selective technique to rights problems.
Kamruzzaman Lenin, who misplaced his father all through the purge below the Zia regime, stated: “Those extrajudicial killings had been performed from a political perspective – the ideology that hostile the rustic’s independence. I nonetheless don’t know the place my father’s stays are.”
“You’ll’t be selective in elevating rights problems and declare your organisation is freed from bias… the entire definition of human rights encompasses abuse of rights problems as a complete however being selective obviously unravels a hypocrisy,” he added.
The households grew to become out on the tournament below the banner of ‘What about our human rights?’
Sufferers of BNP-Jamaat violence (2001 to 2006)
A number of sufferers of BNP-Jamaat violence all through 2001-2006 additionally attended the development – not easy trial of the perpetrators, mentioning ratings of sufferers as the rustic witnessed communal assaults, homicide of AL activists and leaders, systematic removing of innovative writers and liberal thinkers all through the time.
A survivor of the August 21, 2004 grenade assault narrated her ordeal and recounted how the then BNP-Jamaat govt subsidized the killers, creating a mockery of the sufferers’ proper to justice.
Normal Zia lived by way of sword and died by way of it in a coup of types, however his legacy of blood was once carried ahead by way of his spouse, Khaleda Zia, and Tarique Rahman, particularly all through their coalition govt with Jamaat-e-Islami between 2001 and 2006, in step with media experiences.
Profiting from having some robust overseas backing, BNP- Jamaat-led coalition unleashed a minimum of 19 assassination makes an attempt on Sheikh Hasina, with probably the most deadly one unfolding all through the ultimate tenure of that nexus — referred to as August 21 grenade assault. The assault opened up in 2004 all through a rally addressed by way of then opposition chief Sheikh Hasina, that left a minimum of 24 other people useless.
Orchestrated by way of militants with lend a hand from Pakistan, the attackers had been ensured protected passage from the rustic to evade justice, in step with media experiences.
The then state minister for House, Lutfurzzaman Babar, reportedly handpicked by way of Tarqiue Rahman, now put in the back of bars along with his boss Tarqiue, again then emerged as a most sensible BNP policymaker, in step with media experiences held conferences with the attackers.
Now working BNP as performing chair, Tarique is main a fugitive existence in London as he left the rustic virtually a decade again to evade justice for his crimes, in step with political observers.
That August 21, 2004 was once every other darkish day for democracy and within the political historical past of Bangladesh. The grenade assault was once the second one largest blow to the AL, the celebration that led Bangladesh to independence from Pakistan in 1971, with the most important one being the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in step with researchers.
Any other team, comprising survivors of arson assaults all through 2013-2015, additionally attended the development and referred to as for exemplary punishment for the attackers. Additionally they referred to the selective bias of a few rights our bodies as their call for for justice went unheeded for years.
Edited By way of:
Tirtho Banerjee
Printed On:
Feb 17, 2023