[Attachment(s) from Shazzad Khan included below]
Dear Editor Sir,
Could you please publish my article in your esteemed daily for people to know the facts.
Kind regards.
Shazzad Khan
Gulshan-2, Dhaka
Answers to a Man Devoid of Logics
Shazzad Khan
In a week or so I have observed that our potential future leader (as claimed by BNP) Tarique Rahman has made some remarks which have sparked funny argument, dispute and fury among many people. Most of the time I have read those reflections in the papers with the view to educating myself because I believe by reading anything one can learn what is truth or what is false, what is right or what is wrong. In most cases I have found those writings or comments written from lopsided and weak political perspectives. Unfortunately instead of decent logical responses those have been very poorly founded.
Although on my part I do not feel to be a party to this political mud-throwing to each other, because this is not modesty which we require very much for behaving ourselves in civilised manner. But as a very plain logical person, who finds white as white and black as black, and beholder and reader of history I have very simple answers to the claims raised by Tarique very recently.
Tarique has claimed that his father was the first president of Bangladesh! When I read it I thought that may be Tarique was in a very good mood in London after having a full western dinner and made such a jocular comment for us over a puff of smoke, so that we might feel that he had been passing a very moody time nowadays. When a man is in a good mood he can make a lofty, loose comment easily for fun. But in a serious case this comment would be treated as madness; Tarique knows that pretty well. How come a mid-ranking unknown military officer major Zia having no political engagement or connection whatsoever becomes a president just by shouting 'I am a president'? Logically, if I shout on the road now that I am the prime minister how would people take me for? A simple mad, isn't it? Forget about me who is a very minor unknown common man. Say, you Tarique, who is a famous man in Bangladesh, have claimed that you are the present prime minister or president of Bangladesh, will not people take you for a mad? It is somehow a formality to go through that makes it.
What happened on the 27th March 1971 at 7.30pm at Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra at Kalurghat was nothing but a caprice of Zia's mind in a turmoil situation all around. To cut the long story short (I know the whole), what discretely happened in Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra since noon on 26th March to next couple of days were in most cases unplanned happenings. On the 26th March morning people in Chittagong received some kind of cyclostyled message arguably of Bangabandhu, and taking that message Abul Kashem Shandip of Chhatra Union (Motiya) rushed to Kalurghat transmission centre, and without discussing anyone of Awami League or whosoever announced that Bangabandhu had declared independence in Dacca. Later that even Awami League leader MA Hannan went to the Kendra and announced Bangabandhu's declaration taking full authority. At the same time some motivational songs and programmes were being continuously broadcasted in a disorganised and informal line-up by those present there at the Kendra.
On the evening of 27th March, i.e. next day, major Zia casually went to the Kendra to observe the security arrangement there. At one point Belal Mohammad lightly asked Zia to announce something to boost the morale of the armed personnel resisting Pak army sporadically in differently parts of the country. He announced around 7.30pm "I, Major Ziaur Rahman, do hereby declare the independence of Bangladesh on behalf of our great national leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman". However, the next time without consulting anybody Zia declared another message very capriciously claiming himself to be the president of the 'provisional government', although there was nothing like such government at that time. However, when Zia was reminded by Awami League leaders that it sounded baseless to declare himself as president, instantly Zia amended his mistakes and announced that a provisional government under the leadership of great Sheikh Mujib had already been formed and functioning. He also announced that Sheikh Mujib was with them. So what is the logic? On what ground Zia was the first president? Isn't Tarique making his father a laughingstock by claiming that he was the first president of Bangladesh?
Now the second answer. Tarique claimed that Bangabandhu came to Bangladesh with Pakistani passport. Again the simple logic. For argument's sake, say after 16th December 1971 Bangladesh printed some new passports for Bangladeshi citizens – which in reality was absurd at that time. Who was there to reach a 'new passport' to Bangabandhu who was interned in Pakistani jail after 26th March 1971? In fact, when a country is liberated or become independent it inherits all its previous rules and regulations and practices at least for certain period of time. Whatever there were in East Pakistan then, were the assets, liability, responsibility and practice of Bangladesh after independence through naturalisation. For example, for quite a long time we used Pak rupees in Bangladesh, because for printing new Taka you needed some time. Similarly, in schools we read books printed in East Pakistan time for quite a few months. So how it made a difference to Bangabandhu when he came back to Bangladesh with his the then passport? It was only a mere formality then – carrying his passport, which was in fact immaterial for Bangabandhu who had already become an international figure; all the boundaries were open for him.
During war time did we have any new passport printed? Could we expect that? Our passports were the ones of East Pakistan which was de facto Bangladesh. Apart from mere formality, Bangabandhu was brought by special plane of British Airways from Pakistan to Bangladesh via London and Delhi. So where is the point of dispute? Doesn't it sound ridiculous? For example, major Zia was born in Pakistan time. Does that mean he was still Pakistani after independence? Tarique, possibly you do not know that there is a word called 'naturalisation'. Zia became Bangladeshi by naturalisation. Similarly Pakistani passports, Pakistani rupees, Pakistani laws all became naturalised as soon as East Pakistan became independent. So do all of us and all the things. So what's the harm?
Let's our logic and reason rein our thought and action.
[Shazzad Khan is a development worker; Email: npfreethinker@yahoo.com]
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