It was a question of life and death before Bangla diplomats
From TARAPADA BASU, PARIS, JULY 15.- It was a question of life and death. Moreover, it was a struggle between honor and dishonor as well as a choice between the devil and the deep sea with the rejection of West Pakistani fascism for patriotism towards Bangladesh. In addition, it was for the consideration towards democracy, socialism, secularism and good neighborliness against which the military rulers of Pakistan are inhumanly ranged without any regard for their fellow human beings which distinguishes rational human beings from animals.
These were some of the focal points which I gathered from my interviews with the two at Pakistan’s Embassy in Paris, and their wives. The interview took place at a place far away from Paris and it continued the following day at their hiding place which was also somewhere in France. Agents of Pakistan are looking for them so they asked that names of the two places, where I met them, should not be disclosed. They and I took great care traveling hours to reach the rendezvous, fixed soon after these two left Pakistan’s Paris Embassy.
They are the Naval Attache, Mr. Souquat Ali, his wife, Rowsonare, the Cypher Code Attache, Mr. Hosharef Hussain. Both the diplomats are 20 years olds. All of them come from East Bengal. The Ali’s have two sons, one of two years and the other of nine months.
Ali’s service record is good. He joined Pakistan’s Navy in 1956 and obtained submarine training in the USA for six months. He was also in Turkey serving in a Pakistani submarine called Gazi in 1955, he was in Karachi in June, 1969, he was posted in Paris to deal with Pakistan’s submarine project. During his time several Bengali submarine crew left the submarine Mangru in April to join the liberation forces of Bangladesh. Soon after March 25, when Pakistan’s armed forces started a war against the unarmed people of Bangladesh, he was pushed from his responsible position to a post of clerk because he was from East Bengal. While in the Navy he graduated from Karachi University Mr. Hussain matriculated from Dacca, graduated from Karachi and obtained his M. A. degree from Punjab University before he joined the Class II diplomatic service of Pakistan. He was attached to Pakistan’s High Commission in Malaysia for three years. He was in Rawalpindi between 1964 and 1966 and in October, 1970 he was sent to Paris.
At the beginning of the interview they and their wives expressed their gratitude towards the French Government and the people who had been extremely kind to them. When the French authorities heard their stories and injured feelings they were sympathetic and granted them permission to stay in France until their applications for political asylum in France were considered. They hope to join the humanitarian works in France for Bangladesh. While in hiding they are naturally cautious. For three days the Pakistani Embassy was practically closed as members of the Embassy were detailed to find these two defectors from Pakistani services, Wives of these two diplomats have wholeheartedly supported the steps taken by them. These two families are living very modestly on their savings. They left their flats, rented by the Embassy, with most of their belongings still there.
Pakistan’s Embassy in Paris is dominated by the military attaches and their staff. At the instance of Islamabad passports of these two men and their wives were taken away from them. They were ordered to go to Rawalpindi with tickets marked “nonstop Paris to Islamabad.” Such orders came before their scheduled period of stay. One of them came to Paris only eight months ago and the other has served just two years. Whereas many non-Bengali members have been in Paris for more than the scheduled period of three years.
These two gentlemen are grateful to India for bearing the burden of over six million refugees. They found the policy of Pakistan had been based on hatred for India without any good neighborly feeling. Young officers of West Pakistan have been full of anti-India feeling and treat Bengali employees as Class II citizens of Pakistan.
Apart from the two submarines mentioned, Pakistan took delivery of two more submarines called Hanger and Shusuk. They joined the Pakistani Navy in September 1970 and like Mangru they were bought from France. There have been many Bengali submarine trained men. No one knows what they are doing today. Fates of some of them are still unknown. These two who have defected from Pakistan’s services, do not know anything about Pakistan’s submarine activities. But they heard from their Bengali friends in West Pakistan where their friends had been passing their days with fear. Fates of some of their friends from whom they have not heard are shrouded in mystery. Because of this state of affairs they refused to go to Islamabad.
Although they have no doubt that France will eventually grant them asylum in case they have to leave to France, they will ask the French authorities to approach India for facilities to join the services of the Government of Bangladesh. At the moment they and their wives are learning French. They are typical representatives of the common people in Bangladesh fighting for freedom.
Mrs. Ali asked by the wife of Commodore Humayun Aethur whether she or her husband heard from those defected submarine men now in India.
Mrs. Aethur is from the family of Nawab Salimullah of Dacca and her husband is from West Pakistan. As the Allies have not been in touch with these people and have not heard from any of them, she was taken aback by such a question. Later, when Mrs. Aethur heard from her father of what had happened to Dacca at the hands of Pakistan’s armed forces she was deeply moved.
There were visitors from East Bengal sent by the Yahya regime to Paris and other capitals of the West. Among them were Prof. Din Mohammad, Justice Nurul Islam, Mr. Hamidul Huq Chowdhury, whose son-in-law a Bengali is number two in the Embassy of Pakistan in Paris and a few others. These visitors tried to justify the action of the Army in East Bengal and told foreigners and employees of Pakistan’s Embassies that they had been helping the military regime to prevent India from taking over East Pakistan like the way she took Junagar, Hyderabad and Goa. Such anti-Indian propaganda carried no conviction either with foreigners and officials of foreign Governments or with East Bengali employees. Foreigners apparently paid no attention to this argument or any other anti-India propaganda as they repeatedly asked why atrocties and genocide were committed by Pakistan’s Army and why over six million refugees entered India. They also asked why freedom-fighters of Bangladesh were fighting for democracy and freedom in East Bengal and above all for the survival of East Bengalis, who were still today subjected to atrocities and genocide, according to independent and foreign witnesses.
These two gentlemen have received letters from West Pakistan where factories have not been regularly working and state of unrest prevails. Despite the blame put on India and East Bengalis, West Pakistan is beginning to realize that the military rule is tolerated with fear. The Pakistani Embassy in Paris is frequently visited by officials from the Chinese Embassy. They have also heard from their friends in West Pakistan that the Chinese have been prominently active there.
They have no doubt that China is actively supporting the military regime in Pakistan.
Whatever may be in store for the Alis and the Hussains in Future they are determined to work for Bangladesh and if necessary die for Bangladesh. They expressed their hope that Bangladesh would be free soon with sympathy and support of the Indian people and other freedom-loving people. They bade farewell to me saying “Jai Bangladesh”.
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 16.07.1971