Sheikh Hasina Wajid has resigned and left for India, her father’s support camp that she nurtured throughout her tenure. The army has taken over and has pledged to normalize the situation in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s policy of allotting huge quotas of jobs for the families of so-called freedom fighters aka Mukti Bahini supported by India ie Calcutta caused her downfall.
The protests by students and the common man were subjected to violent crackdowns, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of protestors. The Supreme Court intervened but Sheikh Hasina Wajid resorted to foot-dragging. She will probably leave for the UK. In the meantime, the Bangladesh army chief has pledged to restore normalcy. The ghost of the 1971 tragedy that ended in the dismemberment of Pakistan seems to have taken its toll on Sheikh Hasina Wajid.
The 1971 tragedy had been given the connotation of a freedom struggle whereas a smaller number of soldiers from West Pakistan were fighting against the Indian army under the guise of Mukti Bahni with a destroyed communication network. The radio station was wiped out and communication lines were cut off by ravaging gangs of Mukti Bahni. A massive propaganda was launched by Indians to exaggerate the conduct of Pakistani forces in East Pakistan. Western media was fed by Indians and reporters were given specific angles. Stories of massive bloodshed among Bengalis were disseminated without proof. Stories of rapes and torture were spread. No official account was ever given or in the case of numbers declared never verified. Indian author Sarmila Bose in her book Dead Reckoning dismissed these accounts of killings.
Sheikh Mujeeb Ur Rehman after cutting off from Pakistan established his rule modeled on a fascist dictatorship. He and his colleagues and some family members were killed in a coup by General Zia Ur Rehman. Sheikh Mujeeb showed his allegiance to India which favored him by first paving the ground for his support base because of Calcutta and its traders’ linkages with Sheikh Mujeeb. The 1971 events turned into guerilla warfare with Indian-trained Multi Bhani and Indians themselves attacking an army defending its Eastern wing.
The fall of Dhaka was imminent in the dust of Indian disinformation, human rights allegations, and Western powers especially the backtracking of the US. The Islamic groups allied to Jamaat I Islami stood with Pakistan’s armed forces but could not stem this grave conspiracy against one of the biggest Muslim countries.
Sheikh Hasina Wajid inherited her father’s venomous legacy and punished the old leaders of Islamic outfits. The dethroning of Shiekh Hasina Wajid shows that the people of Bangladesh are fed up with this freedom struggle tales which were cruel onslaught of Mulkti Bahani killers mesmerized by the populism of Sheikh Mujeeb Ur Rehman. They want to move ahead with the policy of merit and honesty in state affairs
The myth of 1971 stands exposed in the wake of the increasing needs and requirements of the people of Bangladesh. The myth of freedom fighters stands busted!
