& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Those Terrible Days, Those Glorious Days

By K G. Mustafa
*** At day break on March 26, Manu Munshi, a staff photographer of the Purbodesh, called everybody to a window to see something. It was Zulfikar AH Bhutto riding an open jeep with General Tikka Khan and moving towards the Government House! ***
HE 7th of March, 1971. was landmark in the history of our liberation struggle. On this day the military rulers of Pakistan sent to Dhaka an army officer to replace both Governor Ahsan and GOC, Yakub Khan. The officer. General Tikka Khan, was known as The Butcher of Baluchistan for the massacre he had committed in Quetta in 1962. General Tikka Khan's appointment was made at a time when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was running the Chilian administration of the province by issuing -directives" to all government as well as nongovernment officers and staff. , The general's arrival also coincided with the public meeting at the Race Course which was addressed by the Sheikh.
Rumours had it that the Sheikh would proclaim Independence at the meeting and the armed forces, under Tikka's command would bomb the crowd in retaliation. The situation was tense, although the mood of the people was defiant.
Bangabandhu came to address the million-strong listeners about two hours late. He delivered a rather sh At speech, but the best of his life. He refuted President Yahya's accusations one by one. and, at the same time conveyed his message home to the vast ma Jorlty of the audience. The message was loud and clear! The struggle this time Is the struggle for emancipation, the struggle this time is the struggle of our independence.' With this announcement the on-going non-cooperation movement got an unmistakable direction. Tikka’s troops were not seen anywhere near the meeting place or above.
Bui, the military rulers were not sitting idly by. With a view to breaking the non-co-operation movement, the Mar-tUd Law authorities Issued an order asking the civilian em-ployees of the armed forces to i resume their work with effect from March 15, 1971. The following day Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Issued 35 directives according to which the civil administration of the province would be conducted. The administration complied with the Banga-bandhu's directives.
President Yahya Khan flew in to Dhaka on March 15 to hold talks with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The talks began on March 16, 1971. While Generals Plrzada, Omar and Mltha Khan were assisting Yahya, Sheikh Mujtb was being assisted by hts partymen Syed . Nazrul Islam, Tajuddln Ahmed and dr. Kamal Hussain, as well as by academics like Professors Abdur Razzak. Mozaffar Ahmed Chowdhury, Rahman Sobban, Khan Sarwar Murshid and Dr. Anisur Rahman, among others. The talks took place at the President's Rest House which was renamed Ganobhavan in 1972.
I was among the press corps present In the Sheikh's residence at Road No. 32, Dhanmondl. On return from his talks Mujib met the pressmen to say only these words: " Talks arc progressing. I can't say anything else at this stage."
Next day also the Sheikh repeated what he had said on return from the President's Rest House. Holiday's Enayetul-lah,wouid not allow the Sheikh to brush aside newsmen like that. He raised his voice to tell Bangabandhu: "While pretending to conduct negotiations, Yahya Khan is actually preparing for mounting a military operation against us. Why are you giving him so much time?"
Bangabandhu gAve Enayetullah a patient hearing, and then, calmly said, "who told you that I also don't need time?"
The situation took a very pernicious turn on March 19. As asked by Bangabandhu, 1 went to his residence at 7 p.m. on that day. He was briefing me off the record, on the latest talks he had with President Yahya Khan.
It was agreed. Inter alias that the Constituent Assembly would sit in two committees — East Pakistan Committee and West Pakistan Committee — to draft the basic laws for the respective wings. But the leaders of smaller West Pakistani Par ties, like Mian Mumtaz Daula tana. — Wali Khan, were not satisfied with the tentative formula, but, Yahya Khan thought, Zulfikar All Bhutto would agree. He was due to arrive in Dhaka on March 21, 1971. However, the Sheikh warned me not to be optimistic about it, because, "I don't know what the hawks In the army are doing. They are deadly against transferring power."
At this stage Abdus Samad Azad, followed by Tofae) Ahmed, entered the room and we heard angry slogans outside. Bangabandhu rushed out saying "Look here, the hawks are In action." A huge procession converged at the gate. They said an army patrol killed two persons at Joydavpur, in violation of a clearcut assurance given by Yahya Khan I ha I the army personnel would be confined lo barracks during the talks.
As Bangabandhu addressed the crowed, 1 left for the Observer House
On the morning of March 23. 1971, Mumtaz Dnulatana of the Council Muslim League, Abdul Wall Khan of the Na tional Awaml Party called on Sheikh Mulib to tell him that they would not accept a formula that would make Bhutto the sole arbiter of West Pakistan. Mujib, tn reply, said "Let West Pakistan leaders set their house in order. I assure you I will not interfere." The same afternoon those leaders were on board a PIA plane bound for Karachi. Bhutto stayed behind.
I did not visit Road No. 32. Dhanmondl after my last meeting with the Sheikh on the KMh of March, 1971. But. Bangsbondhu's press secretary. Aminui fluq Badsha. used to see me every might.
On March 23. a number of incidents took place in the Chy In some places Pakistani flags were lowered by angry youths To them Pakistan Day meant nothing. They had al ready hoisted Bangladesh flag on March 2. 1971, and there fore, the Pakistan flag was no longer their national flag
Aminui Huq Badsha came to visit me In the small hours of March 24 at the Observer House. He said to me. "Leader (meaning Mujibl wants you to brief foreign newsmen, with out quoting him, that "the proclamation of independence of Bangladesh has been decided upon by Bangladesh leaders since talks With West Pakistani leaders have bogged down." Badsha did not foil lo warn mt that this briefing was meant for foreign press only, and not for food press.
However, a meeting of experts was due to take place al the President s Rest House tn the afternoon of March 24. 1971. 1 was m the Dhaka Press Club at around 4-30 p.m. Ta juddin Ahmed dropped in with typed document tn his hand He wanted to know tf I could help him In reaching Dr Muzaffar Ahmad Chowdhury. I could not help him as I had no contact with our "Mac str".
Half an our later Rahman Sobhan passed by. I enquired what was going to happen. With his posture of confidence, he replied."something will happen, this way or that way."
The expert level meeting was shifted to 5 p.m. the following day. that Is, on March 25. It was day of rumours. The Press Club being a listening post, people of various hue visited ft throughout the day.
In the afternoon a journalist working for a Urdu newspaper said to me that Bhutto talked to pressmen at In ter con at 3 p.m. He said, he had an appointment with Yahya, but "the President was not there at the Rest House. Perhaps - he has gone to the cantonment to Inspect troops."
I returned home (at our Az Impur Estate flat) after 5 p.m. At around 6-30 p.m. a relative of ours. Mansur, telephoned me from Kalyanpur to say that Yahya had left for Karachi at 6 p.m. and he did not feel safe in that area as tension was mounting both In Mirpur and Mohammad pur. I promised to check up and advise him, but 1 failed to contact anyone.
At around 9 p.m. my elder brother, Khondker Mohammad Ellas came to my place. His son Sun-Yat was already with us since evening. Elias and his son left for their home tn North Shahjahanpur after some discussions with me. 1 decided to go to Observer thinking that a newspaper office was a better place to know what was happing all around.
I walked down to Motijheel. News editor ABM Musa turned up after shifting his family to Dhanmondl from Mohammad pur. Troops were out on the streets by 10 p.m. At around 11-30 p.m. we saw tracer bombs fl red towards Rajarbagh Police lines. Thunderous sounds of all kinds of arms were heard from all around. It was a nightmare. Arson and killing went on In Motijheel area as well. We saw through
windows the whole of PatuatuH in the old city was set ablaze. A 72-hour curfew was clamped Blackout was ordered. The monotony of curfew and blackout was broken by tracer tembi, artillery fire and tank bombardments.
At day break on March 26. Manu Munshl, a staff pho-tograher of the Purbodesh, called everybody to a window to see something. It was Zulfikar All Bhutto riding an open jeep with General Tikka Khan and moving towards the Government House I
Two hours later Musa sprang another surprise. Hts transistor was broadcasting Yahya’s address lo the nation. In the lowest possible volume, we heard Yahyas Justification for waging war on Bangladesh, banning Awaml League and teaching the Bengalis a tessonl
We were holed up in The Observer House until 8 a.m. on March 27.
The author Is the Acting Editor of the daily Sangbad.