PRESS STATEMENT OF
MAULANA ABDUL HAMID
KHAN BHASANI
President, National Awami
Party, Bangla. Desh, April 22, 1971
Lakhs of Bengalis suffered tortures in
jails and in detention and many of them were hanged
for trying to free the country from
the British imperialists. It is a tragedy that though they achieved freedom from
the British rule, the West Pakistan rulers and exploiters hatched a conspiracy to
crush the 7~1, crore Bengalis
politically, economically, culturally and socially, though the Bengalis were in
a majority in Pakistan. The historic Lahore resolution for
the creation of Pakistan spoke of two
independent and sovereign States in the East and the West. The struggle for making
East Bengal a sovereign independent State
has been going on since the creation of Pakistan, in accordance
with this resolution. The
West Pakistan rulers have tried to foil this
struggle by oppression and by appointing
some agents who worked in the interests of the West Pakistan feudal and capitalist
overlords. But the people of East Bengal have struggled
continuously for the last
23 years and have given much blood to get independence for themselves.
The armed struggle of 1971 is the
culmination of this struggle.
In 1949, the then
Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan tried to foist a
ridiculous constitution which was nipped in the bud by the people of East Bengal. They foiled the
attempt of West Pakistan leaders to crush the mother-tongue of
Bengalis, the majority of the people of Pakistan. The historic
Language Movement of 1952 is a shining example. In 1954, the people of East Bengal recorded a
historic victory in the ballot boxes against the exploiters from West Pakistan. Then was imposed
Iskander Mirza's rule and
they inflicted inhuman atrocities on the people of East Bengal, after Mr. A. K.
Fazlul Huq's Ministry was dismissed
by the Governor-General Ghulam Mohammad. Afterwards, the
military dictator Ayub dissolved the Parliament and
nullified the constitution and banned all political parties. He inflicted a
reign of terror on all political parties. But the Bengalis were not daunted.
They
were not silenced. In 1962, the students started a movement against Ayub. With the help of some agents, Ayub
tried to hoodwink the world and tried to crush the independence movement in East Bengal. The revolutionary
Bengalis started a movement against the Ayub regime
and protested against the Ayub regime's so-called
Agartala Conspiracy Case. When the students, peasants, workers and
political parties launched mass movement in 1969-70, Ayub
was compelled to retire after handing
over power to another military dictator Yahya Khan. Gen. Yahya Khan was
forced to promise that he would establish democracy but he continued his conspiracy behind the curtain. The West Pakistani military rulers, capitalists and feudalists thought that in the name of Islam
and integrity and by spending huge amount
of money, they would be able to win over some traitors who would work as
their agents for permanent exploitation. In
1970, however, the people of East Bengal voted for the
Awami League enmass and expressed their determination
to establish a sovereign Bengal on the basis of
the Lahore Resolution. More than 99 percent of the representatives
were elected in 1970 with boat as their symbol. The reason for this historic
victory can be found in the dream of the Bengalis to have an independent and sovereign Bangla
Desh. Rulers of West Pakistan could not realise
beforehand that the people of East Bengal would give such
a tremendously unified election verdict against the oppression and exploitation
of West Pakistani vested interests. This election verdict made them unnerved
and simultaneously infuriated them against the people of East Bengal.
So, totally, ignoring the democratic
rights of 7.5 crore Bengalis. Gen. Yahya Khan, under cover of long negotiation unleashed
his army on the people on March 25. He himself fled away from Dacca at midnight. Under Tikka Khan's leadership, an orgy of violence and murder was let loose in Dacca from 10-30 p.m.
on March 25. The army started killing the students, young men, teachers, professors,
intellectuals, traders and others with tanks, artillery, mortar, machine-guns and other deadly
weapons. They demolished schools, colleges,
mosques, temples, hostels and industrial areas and burnt innumerable houses. From March 26, they
started this killing in cities like Jessore, Rangpur, Pabna, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Bagura, Tangail, Mymensingh and many other places. They bombed and strafed thousands of innocent
people. They burnt the villages on
the road side and committed mass murder. Women and children were not
spared. Women were molested and
there was wide scale looting of food stuff and livestocks.
Shops and banks were looted by the
soldiers. Women were kidnapped from
schools and colleges. Who knows what has happened to them.
Has anybody heard of such atrocities ? Is there any parallel in history ? The examples
of Ching-kai-shek in China and Czar in Russia and of
British oppression in undivided India
or the zulum of Zalem Yazid at Karbala pale into
insignificance before this latest
example of inhuman atrocity. The Yahya regime and his supporters think that
they will be able to crush the people of East Bengal permanently by
such oppression and they
will be able to continue their exploitation by breaking the backbone of
Bengalis. They thought of telling the world
that the people of Bengal did not want
independence. They wanted to tell the world that Pakistan's enemy India has created this
movement by helping a handful of miscreants of East Bengal. But the people of
the world cannot be misled. They knew why foreign correspondents were
expelled from East Bengal on March 26. Is it not because the Pakistani rulers
were afraid that the foreign press would
expose the barbaric atrocity and tell the world of the great struggle of independence of the people of Bengal ?
The foreign
correspondents endangered their lives to get news
of the war during the last world war.
There is not a single instance in
the history of the world of a dictator like Yahya who expelled the
correspondents from the country. The
barbaric Government not only prevented correspondents but they prevented the International Red Cross from going there to render help to the people of Bengal who have been
oppressed inhumanly and rendered homeless. They did this to cover up their
own misdeeds. They wanted to ensure that the world would not know that the
people of Bengal were prepared to give their lives for
independence. There is no connection between this people's war and India. If a nation does not have its own urge, it cannot get independence
with outside help.
The question is whether the people of the world and nation of
the world will support
the struggle of the 71 crore people of Bengal for independence or support the abominable conspiracy of the dictatorial
exploiting ruling clique which is indulging in mass murder.
Yahya, who is a Muslim himself, in the name of religion
is mercilessly killing lakhs of Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Buddhists. His soldiers who say that they are Muslims are raping women, including Muslim women. Though Muslims themselves, they are destroying mosques. They kill Muslims who are offering prayers. What
will the Muslim world do about this ? Will they support the un-Islamic antihumanity abominable policy of Yahya ? Or will they support the cause of truth, justice and love as preached by Islam ?
The 7.5 crore
Bengalis like to know from the democratic world
if it Rill support Yahya's dictatorship ? Will they remain neutral and
thereby support him under the pretext that the situation was Pakistan's internal affairs
? The freedom struggle of East Bengal cannot be Pakistan's internal
affairs. The West Pakistanis have ignored the Lahore Resolution which was
unanimously accepted by 10 crores Muslims of
undivided India. By ignoring this basic resolution of Pakistan movement they have tried to convert East Bengal as their colony for the last 23 years. This is a just struggle of the
heroic Bengali people for independence and for preventing exploitation and loss of independence. The demonic West Pakistanis are trying to enslave the Bengalis and establish their
empire. Has the world opinion nothing to do in this mass killing ? Will the democratic world support the mass killing with some excuse or other ? The socialist
world, including China, has always
helped the exploited and oppressed people in their struggle for establishing
their rights. What role will they play in the current killing in East Bengal when the 7J
crore people are fighting the final battle for independence after being
exploited for 23 years ? By
supporting Yahya, how can they
convince the world opinion that they are friends of the oppressed people ?
East Bengal is a part of Asia. The people of this
country look towards the Asian nations, particularly to the Afro-Asian nations. The people of East Bengal, in
this moment of crisis puts a burning question to humanity whether their great and just struggle will be allowed to be crushed
for ever ?
I make a fervent appeal to all peace-loving and democratic
minded people and Government of the world to extend an early recognition to the
newly formed Independent Government of People's
Republic of
Bangla Desh.
I appeal to all the people of East Bengal, I appeal to the peasants,
workers, blacksmiths, pottery workers, boatmen, weavers, persons engaged in cottage
industry, students, traders, intelligentsia and service holders and others to forge an unity like steel. Some opportunists of East Bengal who are exposed
are trying to mislead you in the name of religion and integrity by carrying
on false propaganda. They
are agents of the military junta,
industrialists, feudalist, and despotic bureaucrats of West Pakistan. These
Mir Zafars of East Bengal have stabbed the freedom movement in the back during the last 23 years
by being the agents of the West Pakistani vested interests. Don't listen to these traitors. The vested interests will have their purpose served if they can split
your unity and steely determination.
You will then be slaves of the West Pakistan military rulers,
capitalists, bureaucrats and feudalists for ever and ever. At the present
moment, unity, mental strength and burning patriotism are our most vital weapons. Our victory is certain. God hates
the oppressors and traitors. We will
definitely get the blessings of Allah in our great struggle and we will establish a free sovereign happy and
prosperous Bangla Desh in East Bengal.
May Allah be with us.
Source: Bangladesh Documents vol – 1, Page no – 303 - 306