Bangladesh Envoy For Britain
By David Loshak
Somewhere in the Sylhet district of East Pakistan Two emissaries, claiming to represent the newly formed government of BanglaDesh, left Calcutta for Amsterdam and London yesterday.
They traveled under assumed names, presumably in quest of arms, aid, and diplomatic recognition for the breakaway province of East Pakistan.
The envoy bound for Amsterdam is thought to be or is posing as, an Indian national, and there are indications that the Indian Government has given assistance to the clandestine emissaries.
Formation of the New Bangladesh Government was announced on Wednesday and Mr. Tajuddin Ahmed, an official of the outlawed Awami League party, was stated to the Prime Minister.
But the whereabouts of the seat of Government is still unknown. It is also certain that many elements inside Bangladesh will not accept its claim to leadership.
Maoists take over In Sylhet, diehard extremists who are followers of Mao Tsetung are rapidly taking over control of the BanglaDesh resistance movement.
President Yahya Khan’s policy of armed repression has helped the Maoist extremists by demonstrating, at least to their satisfaction, the apparent futility of conventional democratic methods. The course of events in East Pakistan is swaying many others to this view.
It is ironic that Bengali guerrillas should be pinning their faith to Chairman Mao, as China’s present policy is to support President Yahya’s suppression of the “people’s war.” But the Bengalis have hardly any communications with the outside world and are largely ignorant of international power politics.
Orders in the Sylhet area come rasping out from a bedraggled, unshaven and barefooted irregular whose appearance totally belies his steel-hard toughness. He is a determined and dedicated leader, whose grit demands respect…
Until a week ago he was held in Sylhet Jail and he showed me vivid weals on his back, only just healing, from the floggings meted out by his West Pakistan Jailers.
Since his escape, he has established himself as the inspiration and driving force of the resistance movement in the area.
No neutrality “Where does Britain stand?” he asked me. I said that the British Government was neutral.
“Rubbish. There is no neutrality. How can you be neutral about massacred people? Those not our friends are our deadly enemies,” he shouted.
We stopped at a cluster of depot workers under some trees. Ali began his routine “pep talk.” Suddenly, a smartly dressed youth of about 18 was pushed up against a palm tree.
“Hands up,” Ali shouted. Then he turned to me and said: “This man is to be shot. He is a traitor. He has broken orders. He has misused petrol. Should I not kill him?”
The youth had used a jeep without permission, but at no personal gain, to take a helpless refugee family to safety.
I thought I was about to witness a summary execution, put suddenly
Ali, ever arbitrary, relented. The youth was marched away, his remission probably to prove short. “It would not be good to kill him in front of a foreigner,” Ali said meaningfully.
Reference: The Daily Telegraph, 16 April 1971