My mother cooked fish curry, steamed vapa pitha until around 16 freedom fighters filled their stomach. They came around 10 pm at our house and left before dawn. My father always accompanied them and I was busy ferrying vapa pitha. My father felt my two brother's company among them as they were after their formal training in Shiliguri's jungle perhaps were preparing for ambush or crawling somewhere on the front line, empty stomach. The same spirit should have energised my sick mother to feed these hungry guests at the middle of the night remembering her sons. When they left I learned they are from the elite of the freedom fighters, got special training and facilities as well, called Mujib Bahini. Mujib was not present to oversee the fight but that is how it was manifested. An army of fighters that include army, EPR, police and little trained but dedicated common youths formed the liberation army, while the elite contingent started emerging enjoying preferences and different philosophy. Military was sidelined by the founder of the nation himself, Rakhyi bahini was created as an elite and privileged force in place of regular army. That was unprecedented in any modern state. An independent nation's won army and its strategy to strengthen it was missing as we emerged as a proud nation. 1975, what we have seen again onslaught on army whatever the pretext may be. Bright, experienced and well trained officers had to demise from the army off and on. Many coups, mutiny until the death of Zia cost many lives, again many bright and trained officers from the army including Major General Ziaur Rahman and Brigadier Khalid Musharraf. During this time a simple major wished to be the president of Mutiny stopped but made to indulge in non military activities or exposed to public corruptions and this continued till 1990. This also weakened the military's strategic alliance with the state and the society at large. Institutional instability continued.
The indulgence did not stop, chain of commands were not strengthened rather left exposed to create many social controversy and conspicuous discourse. Not a healthy attitude toward our national army. A group of people remains critical about its strategic importance. Frustration surrounding it remained high during one democratic regime to another. On the background of this controversy and discord came the 1/11, military institutions were put on the front line of disintegration one more time. What is being expected of or cherished out of its state's strategic, political and social activities, rather pulled it down from its remaining trust and integrity, otherwise necessary for a strong defence institution of a state. Another paradigm to weaken the military system further institutionalised. So was the general trend of the development of our military institutions and its strategic alliance with the state. Whom should we blame?
On 25th of February a direct onslaught in the name existing frustration!
Resembling many others, my mother cooked middle of the night despite her frail health, my father proudly served them food and other necessary items, when the nation was not even born, out of their pure love to built our own strength and power. They are not alive to see how their wisdom and dream being shattered by putting the military on a strategic decline and wane and the state at peril. Today, looking at the complete massacre, destruction and even disrespect of the dead by their own compatriots, happen to outnumber the total officers killed during nine months of our glorious liberation, in one night, I only feel devastated. |
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