Raising serious objection to Sarmila Bose's "testimony" on Bangladesh Genocide of 1971.
It is not enough to be simply emotional and object to Sarmila Bose's incredulous insensitivity to crimes against humanity committed in 1971 in Bangladesh. We have to show how easy it is to prove that her so called "study" is methodologically wrong, logically fallacious and her conclusions fatuous and risible.
How risible? Consider her recent most articles extolling the virtues of General Niazi, the butcher of 1971 in the then East Pakistan. I have read personal opinions of one high ranking Officer after another in the Pakistani armed forces of the time expressing disgust at Niazi's anti-Bengali racist attitudes and sadly admitting that Niazi was a disgrace to the uniform he was wearing. This does not point to a "carefully sourced" study, does it? Where did Sarmila Bose cull the information on Niazi's praiseworthy actions in East Pakistan from when Niazi's own account of events admits "errors of judgment"?
Her most outrageous posturing pertains to the case of wide scale rape that was definitely used as an important instrument of war in 1971. Distorting the fact that numerous rehabilitation centers set up all over newly independent Bangladesh which actually extended Govt. and non-governmental help towards the injured women (my mother was in the team of social workers in 1972), she writes:
<< Even if only a fraction of the total number of victims came to these centres, on the basis of their evidence, an estimate could be made of the total number and provide reliable information on who the victims were, who the perpetrators were, and the dates, places and circumstances of sexual violence.>>
She is not interested in the trauma, the misery, the wounded honor, or the shame that would prevent women from parading their story of victimization out in the public. She insists on hard math. The exact head count – the time, date and place –as if rape in a war of aggression is to be treated as any old municipal crime. Even the law does not require these details in a Tribunal dealing with crimes against humanity. What the International Law requires is the establishment of the fact that the crimes were committed in a "widespread and systematic" manner. For that there is plenty of evidence coming from Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report and other witnesses from within the Pakistani armed forces.
I can gather more testimonies if and when necessary. For the moment I have gathered the following from a Pakistani source:
A response by our Brig. FB Ali, to the article sent earlier, is being forwarded to put things in perspective.
Do we really need testimonials from the Assistant Editor of an insignificant Indian paper to reassure us that our army did OK in EP? Is that our level of self-confidence now?
Why do we need fairy tales and stories about things we all know about, either first- or second-hand?
The fact is that the soldiers and younger officers fought well in EP (as they have done everywhere else). The mid-level officers' performance was a mixed bag, some good, some bad, most average. The senior officers (Brig and above) performed poorly, with some exceptions. Many of the generals behaved terribly, and should have been shot for cowardice and the war crimes that they committed by directing or allowing their troops to commit atrocities against the civilian population.
"Tiger" Niazi was a disgrace to the uniform he unfortunately wore. He was a fraud, a lecher and a coward. When he was GOC 10 Div, it was well known in the garrison (I was there) that his staff car would often be found standing in Heera Mandi at night. As GOC EP he used to go around visiting troops and asking JCOs: How many Bengali women have you raped? When discussing his surrender with the Indian general he kept trying to ingratiate himself with him by telling dirty jokes. These are just a few highlights of this great self-styled Mujahid, who now also has the glowing testimonial of Ms Sarmila Bose.
Brig. FB Ali
Sarmila Bose is a disgrace to the Bangalee race and to civil societies of all times and all places.
--- Farida Majid
__._,_.___
