Giving up all for BanglaDesh
A former Pakistan diplomat in Calcutta
explains why he changed his allegiance
Calcutta April 25-Mr. Hossain Ali, the former Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan who is now “head of the BanglaDesh mission” in Calcutta, has said that his decision to transfer his allegiance to the “government of BanglaDesh” was his own but also involved the future of all his staff. They looked towards him as head of the mission.
He added in an interview: “They have given me strong support and have since been working round the clock.” He said that he was a citizen of Pakistan,” of which what now is BanglaDesh was the majority party” But he added “Since I am also a Bengali, my support goes naturally for BanglaDesh.” As a Pakistani be was a loyal public servant of Pakistan. But because he came from BanglaDesh his loyalty to Pakistan was derivative of his loyalty to BanglaDesh.
“Now that BanglaDesh is independent all the Bengalis in the mission have most willingly and happily become Bangladeshi citizens”. he said. They decided to transfer their allegiance only on April 18 because the government was sworn in on the previous day.
When they found that “an aggressive foreign army was waging a total war against the entire population of Bangladesh”, when they fulfilled all the conditions of statehood, they had no alternative.
Mr. Ali said it had been a very difficult decision. “We had to break completely from the past and lose all that we accumulated in our terms of service- pensions, provident fund, gratuities, properties and all. We thought that justice and a fair deal for Bangla is with all that.”
He said the six ponts put forward by Shaikh Mujib, the East Pakistan leader, could have kept Pakistan intact but, doing what it did the West Pakistan regime had itself recognized the de facto existence of a separate state.
Mr. Ali admitted that an established government would not easily hand over power. “But it was inconceivable that the military government would refuse to do so when the majority of the population of Pakistan and the entire people of Bangladesh were behind Shaikh Mujib.”
He had never been a member of the Awami League. “In fact I never voted. Being a government servant posted abroad I never had the opportunity. Neither did I know very much about the activities of the political parties, except what little came out in the press.”
When the Awami League obtained its landslide majority in an election that, Mr. ali said, was really a sort of referendum on the six-point programme, he hope that the Awami League would form a government in Pakistan.” or at least rule BanglaDesh , which gave it the massive mandate”
Even after the start of the military operations he was hopeful that things could not be as serious as reported, as the Pakistan news media and other reports reaching him always presented a picture of normality. But as the days went on, eye-witness accounts and harrowing tales from individuals whose integrity was beyond doubt began to reach him
Mr. Ali said that in Dacca alone at least 60,000 people were killed. He added: “I had already transferred my allegiance to the people. I decided to transfer my allegiance to a government of the people when one was formed.” – Asia News Service.
Reference: The Times, April 26, 1971