Dear Alochoks
The offences against the honour of General Osmani began since the
first day of the creation of Bangladesh. The surrender of the
Pakistan Army in 1971 to the Indian Army, without even the presence
of General Osmani, sets the stage for the rotten political history of
Bangladesh ever since.
Beyond his exemplary service to East Bengal - under the flags of
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - General Osmani showed unusual
courage and honesty when Sheikh Mujib created Baksal.
He publicly distanced himself from Sheikh Mujib saying that he didn't
follow Sheikh Mujib just to see democracy in Bangladesh destroyed.
General Osmani showed that love for Sheikh Mujib did not mean a blank
cheque for Sheikh Mujib - that Bangladesh is bigger than Sheikh
Mujib.
Nowadays, as our love for Sheikh Mujib and Ziaur Rahman is turned
into politically exploited idolatry, our nation cries out for men of
character and courage such as General Osmani.
Here in Kuwait we have honoured this gentleman by the creation of the
Osmani Sporting Club. It is only a year old but has established
itself in the cricket scene of Kuwait playing regularly against
Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and corporate clubs. The club is only a
year old and is staffed by young boys whose enthusiasm for the game
is marvellous. We hope this year, or next year, to establish the
Osmani Cup and make it the biggest cricket tournament in Kuwait.
It is the only proper cricketing club in Kuwait in the Bangladeshi
community. You can imagine what happened to previous attempts to
establish cricket amongst NRBS - yes thats right, AL and BNP even
ruins cricket. Look at the politicisation of the Bangladesh Cricket
Board.
Regards
Ezajur Rahman
Kuwait
--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "Md. Aminul Islam"
<aminul_islam_raj@...> wrote:
>
> Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
>
> Monday, September 1, 2008 02:27 PM
GMT+06:00 Print Friendly Version
> Point Counterpoint
>
>
> Tribute to General Osmany
>
> M. Azizur Rahman
>
> The freedom fighters fought under the command of
Gen. Osmany.
> THE culture of writing memoirs and narrating eyewitness accounts of
the Liberation War is quite rich in our country; yet, I have
developed only the habit of reading others' accounts rather then
writing them. It pains me to see that very few have written about
Bongobir General M.A.G. Osmany. Even those who enjoy the fruits of
General Osmany's role do not remember him.
>
> The name Colonel (later General) Osmany electrified all Bengali
officers and former Pakistani troops, and invigorated the Bangladesh
Liberation War's freedom fighters. Finding a Bengali officer who was
in Rawalpindi but did not enjoy Colonel Osmany's hospitality was
hard. For anyone in any form of distress, Colonel Osmany was always
there. These days men like him are rare.
>
> He had all the attributes of a successful leader: discipline,
honesty, integrity, punctuality, selflessness, and simplicity. He
cared for those under his command, handled crises well, made the
right decisions, and was dependable, patriotic, loyal and selfless.
He had no political ambitions beyond serving his country to the best
of his ability.
>
> On September 1, 1918, Bongobir M.A.G. Osmany was born in Dayamir of
Sylhet district. He was educated in Assam and Sylhet and graduated
from Aligarh Muslim University in India. Before completing his
Masters, he was selected for the prestigious Indian Civil Service
(ICS) cadre. Instead, he joined the British Indian army as a
commissioned officer in 1940 after training with the Indian Military
Academy in Dehradun.
>
> World War II had already begun when he arrived at the Burma front
as a newly promoted major. After the Indian partition, he joined the
Pakistani army, and then retired as a colonel on February 16, 1967.
He entered politics in 1970 and was elected a Pakistan National
Assembly member on Awami League's ticket.
>
> I first met Colonel Osmany on April 9, 1971.We were at Sylhet town
on the southern end of Keens Bridge over the Surma river. A fierce
battle was raging between Pakistan's army and my company group of the
2 East Bengal Regiment which consisted of EPR (now BDR) members,
police, Ansars, and local civilians.
>
> Under cover of heavy mortar and machine-gun fire, the Pakistani
army, with its infantry, attempted to cross the bridge and capture
the Surma's southern bank. Every time, their assault failed. Both
sides suffered heavy casualties. Pakistan air force's jet fighters
were also closely supporting its army. Bodies of wounded and dead
fighters littered the Surma river's banks.
>
> As a young captain with no battle experience, I tried to maintain
the morale of my men by visiting the front-line troops. At one point,
the enemy fired on my jeep, which fell into the river near Jalopar
Mosque. No doubt, the Pakistan army possessed superior firepower and
continued to pin us down.
>
> On the way to the front line, I positioned myself on the roof of a
half-constructed building near the bridge. This roof provided a
better view to overlook and command the on-going battle. Amidst the
confusing and deafening sounds, a thick voice suddenly spoke behind
me: "Young man, what's happening?" as if the situation warranted some
explanation from me.
>
> I could never imagine that a visitor of small stature as Colonel
Osmany (I had never seen him before) would have the guts and
curiosity to be on the battlefield. He must have traveled a long way
on foot to reach me. It was very dangerous. After a brief
introduction, he quickly learned the battle situation and felt pity
for my immature tactical disposition and inept handling.
>
> I was sent there, from my battalion headquarters at Teliapara
eighty miles away, to capture Sylhet town. My officers and I had
assumed it was abandoned, or thinly held by the withdrawing Pakistan
army. Not having any operational intelligence, I fought fruitlessly
against a formidable adversary only to be violently repulsed. They
were heavily entrenched around Salutikor airport, and with freshly
reinforced troops, counter-attacked my position. By then, I had lost
the euphoria of capturing my home district from the Pakistani army
and establishing a free zone.
>
> I had only negative answers to the queries of my commander-in-
chief: replenishing the losses of arms and ammunitions, arranging
burials, evacuation and medical support for the wounded, reinforcing
manpower, communicating with headquarters, arranging to feed the
troops, sustaining against the Pakistani onslaught, and preparing the
next plan of action, if any. My earlier training at the School of
Infantry and Tactics fell short of battle requirements.
>
> Finding me at a puzzling loss, the C-in-C rescued me. He advised me
to reorganise, break contact with the enemy, and withdraw to a better
defensive position (he suggested the next position) after burying the
dead fighters and collecting the wounded. He further cautioned me to
not allow the Pakistan army to pursue my troops.
>
> This plan was not easy to execute. Only one who has gone through a
similar plight can understand my difficulty. Surprisingly, before
departing, he praised my fighters for their bravery against a larger
and superior force, and gave me a big hug of reassurance. In any
case, we had executed the C-in-C's order to the best of our abilities.
>
> We met next time at Khowai hospital in an Indian border town.
General Osmany had come to see me after I was wounded at the Sherpur
battle, a ferry site on the Sylhet-Moulvibazar road. He must have
been following the battle situations of all the fronts and heard of
my condition. Upon seeing the deplorable condition of the
overburdened hospital and my poor medical treatment, he took me in
his helicopter to the GB hospital in Agartala for better treatment.
>
> These two small incidents are sufficient to understand what an
excellent leader this soldier was. Yet, such incidents were not
isolated occurrences but part of his daily activities.
>
> Since his death on February 16, 1984, Bongobir Osmany Smrity
Parishad has ventured to keep alive the name of this great son of the
soil. The parishad organises two exercises each year on the dates of
General Osmany's birth and death. These exercises take the form of
seminars/discussion forums. The venue was dubbed the Osmany
Milonayoton, thanks to the kindness of the Ministry of Works. These
two days the hall is reserved for functions organised by Bongobir
Osmany Smrity Parishad.
>
> Apart from this hall dedication, does not this great man deserve
more from his nation? Bongobir Osmany spent his life and donated all
his possessions for his people's welfare. As per the army's existing
practice, his bust photographs hang in the troops' recreation rooms
of all infantry units, East Bengal regimental centres, and School of
Infantry and Tactics. Why isn't this practice extended to all units
of the army, or better yet, for the entire armed forces, since he
commanded all services as the C-in-C?
>
> An officer can be a general but all generals are not good leaders.
General Osmany was such a leader and we were lucky to have had him as
our C-in-C during the Liberation War and then in independent
Bangladesh. No wonder that within nine months he was able to
organise, plan, and execute the liberation of Bangladesh from a state
of total disarray. His illustrious life shall be an eternal guide to
provide us with courage and direction during the turmoil.
>
------------------------------------
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