Kurmitola cantonment now sanctuary for POWs
From A Staff Reporter, DACCA, DEC. 28- The Kurmitola cantonment is now a camp for the prisoners of war but, there are no barbed wire fencings no bricked walls no torture chambers.
The Pakistani troops in uniform continue to hang on to their barracks, move around freely and can even listen to Radio Pakistan. They have been disarmed but are more secure now than they had ever been. For the first time in many months they sleep at night without any fear of sneak attacks as Indian soldiers guard their barracks.
The defeat has sobered many and the pause has given them time to reflect on their sins. When I visited the cantonment yesterday quite a number of Pakistanis confessed that they had killed people, looted property and burnt houses.
The die-hards, however, tried to justify the massacre and carnage with slender arguments. “As disciplined soldiers we did what we were told to do” a Pakistani Major said. Another officer said: “They attacked us first and we retaliated”. Yet another officer said rather apologetically; “There are black sheep in all the armies of the world. We too have our share of these elements. It is they who had indulged themselves in orgies of violence”, But why? Why did you kill unarmed civilians? The officers were silent.
The victors and the defeated share the same food and get the same ration. Many of them even speak the same language. Their uniforms only distinguish one from the other.
“It is like losing a football match. That is how we feel. Sometimes we even forget that we have been defeated at war, that we are prisoners of war”. One Pakistani officer said. The spirit is one of friendliness. “Would you like to escape if you get a chance?” I asked a group of soldiers sitting outside their barracks. “No sir. We are safe here, ” they replied. The camp is now their sanctuary in a hostile country.
The POWs continue to follow their usual daily routine. They wake up at 5a.m. go for a 90 minute PT exercise beginning at 6.30 a.m. take bath, have breakfast, clean their dormitories, have lunch recreation in the afternoon and roll call in the evening.
Almost all the men and officers of the Pakistani Army had sent their families to West Pakistan in March. A few families including women and children are still here. But they are free to go to West Pakistan and the Red Cross is organizing their repatriation of these families. Each of those who want to be repatriated will however, have to pay Rs. 900 towards transportation costs.
The POWs have nothing to complain about. They are also oblivious of what is happening around them. Their only concern is to get back to their homes. Both the Indian and the Pakistani men and officers sit down on the same table, sip tea together and talk about themselves. At one place, I saw three Pakistani soldiers trying to persuade an Indian soldier to play cards with them. At another, I saw the Indians and the Pakistanis playing volley-ball.
Many Indian officers do not have proper accommodation in the cantonment. But this has not affected the Pakistani officers in any way. All of them have been comfortably accommodated in the Officers Mess.
The POWs have been allowed to retain all their belongings except arms and ammunition. They can go to the market. The conveyance and escorts are provided by the Indian Army. They can even write to their families in West Pakistan. They wrote their first letters yesterday.
Besides, about 8,000 Pakistani regular troops there are a few thousands of paramilitary personnel and civilians who had collaborated with Pindi in the cantonment. The Indian Army does not provide food to these civilians but they can purchase their own provisions for which the Army extends all facilities.
The citizens of Dacca now do not dread the cantonment. They crowd outside its perimeter. Some even manage to sneak in to pick up souvenirs, bomb fragments used bullets unexploded shells gas masks, and in fact anything they can lay their hands on.
As I was coming out of the cantonment in the evening I saw a small crowd blocking the passage of a convoy trying to shake hands with the jawans. There were cheers and smiles. The soldiers in bottle-green uniform appeared to be overwhelmed. In Dacca green stands for good.
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 29.12.1971