Bangladesh Newsletter
No. 3
June 10, 1971
BANGLADESH PRIME MINISTER’S APPEAL TO WEST PAKISTANS
In a message to former West Pakistani there Mr. Tajuddin Ahmed said :
Before God we tried to preserve this nation of Pakistan in spite of the oppression, neglect and servitude inflicted on us by your rulers these 23 years. But your leaders could neither tolerate the idea of sharing power with us nor would they let go of us sufficiently to let us control our own destinies. As a result today you the people of West Pakistan are silent spectators to the genocide being committed on the people of Bangladesh by your rulers. By their acts of mass murder in Bangladesh the name of Pakistan will rank with the Mongols, the huns and the Nazis in the history books. On your conscience you will carry till eternity the curse of our murdered wives, our dishonoured sisters, our slaughtered children. But more destructive to you, you will carry the curse of this army of butchers with you for years to come. By God’s grace and our unconquerable spirit every last man of this army of occupation will either be driven out or destroyed by the people of Bangladesh. Out of the ashes a new Bangladesh will rise committed to peace, democracy and social justice resting on secure foundation of creed, language, culture and race and held together by the shared experience of a struggle which must take its place in the epic struggles of our time.
But you will be condemned to live under the bayonets of the Punjabi army. Sindhi, Pathan, Baluch and even the common man of the Punjab will one day have to rise against these killers who must now hold down by military force your just aspirations. Bangladesh was your last hope for democracy in Pakistan. In trying to suppress us you may have for years to come bound yourselves to military dictatorship.
In your interests as much as for the sake of humanity you must therefore rise in protest against this unjust war being waged by your army on the people of Bangladesh. Americans have protested in their million against their government for their intervention in Vietnam. The British and French liberal opinion protested against the colonial wars waged by their governments. Now you the people of West Pakistan must voice your horror and oppose by all means at your command this attempt by your army to hold down the people of Bangladesh by force and commit genocide in the name of integration.
WORLD BANK-IMF MISSION TO BANGLADESH
The struggle against the Pakistani invaders has reached a critical stage now. Pakistan is nearly bankrupt and will not be in a position to wage war in Bangladesh unless she gets aid by July. The Aid-to-Pakistan Consortium is to meet in Paris on June 21. A fact-finding mission from the World Bank and IMF is right now in occupied Bangladesh. This mission will stay in occupied Bangladesh untill June 10 and then move on to Islamabad before going to Paris. This mission’s finding will be very important to us because if they report conditions are normal then aid will flow to Pakistan. Of course we know the situation is not normal but what the mission sees will depend on the members perceptiveness and the extent to which the Pakistan army allow them freedom of movement. The Bank-IMF mission has 13 members and is led by Mr. P. Cargill, head of the South Asia Division in the World Bank. We hope the mission will see and report the truth. Report of the true situation may halt aid to Pakistan and create conditions in which she cannot prosecute an expensive war.
FOOD RELIEF
Rice prices have shot up alarmingly and in many places it is being sold at Rs 80 per maund. In some places this has led to the looting of the godowns of the hoarders. It is reported that people in the cyclone affected areas are now near starvation. Using the plea of food aid the Pakistan military is going to obtain 30 ships and an unspecified number of trucks from U.S. AID. We don’t understand how the U.S. government is going to ensure that these vessels and vehicles will be used for relief purposes only after knowing fully well that all the 50 speedboats given by U.S. AID for cyclone relief are being used by the Pakistan Army. A photo in DAWN showed General Niazi of the Pakistan Army inspecting one of these “relief” boats before their attack on Gopalganj.
And even if some of these vehicles are used for food distribution, we cannot see how the government will fairly distribute food aid to the villages unless the Thana officers and union council pay allegiance to the Pakistan Army. Food aid can be used to obtain their submission. In view of the recent attacks on Bhola, Hatiya and Sandwip by the Pak Army we think food aid vessels and vehicles and the system of distribution will all be used against the interests of Bangladesh. Ask your American friends to write to their senators and congressmen immediately.
NEWS FROM INSIDE BANGLADESH
From our sources in Bangladesh we have received the following news :
(a) General Osmani, C-in-C Bangladesh Mukti Fouj, has announced that after re-training in guerrilla warfare 10,000 freedom fighters have been sent to fight the invaders. More guerrilla-trained Mukti Fouj will be put into action soon.
(b) In Jessore sector, freedom figheters ambushed some army gunboats in Padma River, 40 miles from Dacca, and damaged a road-bridge.
(c) In Comilla sector, they destroyed rail and road bridges, obstructed army movements by road and successfully attacked and army column proceeding to Feni killing 200 Pakistani troops.
(d) In Kasba sector, there was heavy fighting between the army and freedom fighters.
(e) Attempts by the army to recapture the vital Teliapara road junction in Sylhet District were foiled after heavy fighting.
(f) A railway bridge was blown up in Dinajpur District and a large section of railway track was made unserviceable.
(g) In Chittagong sector, a railway bridge and a road bridge between Laksham and Feni was demolished. The Elliotganj bridge has also been blown up.
(h) In Rangpur sector, a column of Pakistan troops was ambushed near Kalughat and a large quantity of arms and ammunition was seized by the resistance forces.
(i) A railway bridge was blown up in Kushtia sector by the Mukti Fouj.
(j) An army depot near Barisal was reported raided by the resistance forces.
(k) Near Khulna, the water channel clearance operation by the Pakistani Army was thwarted by freedom fighters when they sank the barges again.
(l) Railway and steamer services throughout Bangladesh were paralyzed by the activities of freedom fighters and refusal of employees to return to work despite appeals and threats by the army.
(m) Hatiya, Bhola and Sandwip were invaded by the Pakistan Army after May 12. They devastated many villages and withdrew from Hatiya and Sandwip due to the heavy rains. However, they are entrenched in Bhola. Their presence in the cyclone affected area makes food relief a mockery.
(n) Chittagong North and South Sadar subdivisions are bing devastated by the invaders. A graphic description can be read in the London Times of May 18 (Hazelhurst’s report).
(o) Six time-bombs exploded in various buildings (UBL, State Bank, Secretariat etc.) in Dacca. With these bombs were notes warning against colloboration. It is reported that two prominent collaborators have been killed in Sylhet.
(p) Reports coming in on May 25 indicate that the following percentage of pre-invasion population remains in the towns : Mymensingh 10%, Chandpur 20%, Comilla 30%.
(q) Dhamrai has been looted. Temples and statues are being destroyed. It is feared that Dacca and Varendra Museums will be looted or destroyed. Already a vast amount of loot is being transferred from Bangladesh to the Punjab. Now they want to destroy our cultural artifacts. You may ask your university bodies to request UNESCO To insure that museums, temples, mosques, churches etc. are not destroyed.
(r) There have been several instances of the Pak Army requesting factory workers to return to work and then shooting them. Definite evidence of such massacres has been obtained from Gopalganj Sugar Mill, Rajshahi; Khulna Newsprint Mill and Bata Shoe Factory, Tongi.
(s) All Thana Development Centers are empty and no work is going on at Thana or village level.
CONDITIONS FOR A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT
In a broadcast over the Free Bangladesh Radio, on June 6, 1971, the acting President of Bangladesh, Syed Nazrul Islam has outlined four conditions for a political settlement to the war in Bangladesh. The conditions are :
1) unconditional release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other members-elect of the National Assembly who have been arrested ;
2) withdrawal of West Pakistan troops ;
3) recognition of the sovereign Republic of Bangladesh, and
4) compensation for losses suffered during the two and a half months of conflict.
VISAS AND SCHOLARSHIP
So far we have received five letters from stranded scholars in this country for assistance in visa and scholarship problems. We have taken up these cases with the proper authorities. We hope that soon the persons involved will hear from them directly. Once again let us repeat that if your scholarship has expired or has been terminated by the Pakistan Government or you have visa problems, please let us know.
SCHOLARS APPEAL TO NIXON
American, Canadian and other scholars specializing in the language, literature, history, economy and life of Bangladesh and West Bengal held their annual conference at the University of Minnesota on May 29-30, 1971. Two sessions of the conference were devoted primarily to the discussion of the current events in Bangladesh. In a statement sent to President Nixon, Secretary of State and the members of the Senate and the House, participating American scholars appealed to stop all military and economic aid to the Government of Pakistan. Following is the full text of the statement.
As scholars of Bengal, we share a deep distress at the continuing attempt by the Government of Pakistan to kill and terrorize large numbers of Bengali people and to destroy their society. Having examined the extensive evidence available to us relating the events that have occurred in East Bengal since March 25, 1971, we can only conclude that it is the policy of the Government of Pakistan to elininate Bengali culture and society as we presently know it. We are aware of the full seriousness of this charge and do not make it lightly. Yet we feel that we, as students of Bengali culture and society outside of Bengal, have a special
esponsibility both to the people whose life and work we have studied and to our academic colleagues in East Bengal. As citizens of the country which has largely equipped the Pakistani army, we cannot remain silent while that army kills the people to whom we are so deeply indebted. We therefore ask the U.S. government to use all proper means available to it to bring an end to the killing in East Bengal. We are concerned at recent reports, for example, that of the Christian Science Monitor of May 26, 1971, that “the U.S. now is reported ready to participate in a standby loan of roughly $100 million to be given by the consortium this summer”. We believe that the U.S. should not give further assistance of any kind to the Government of Pakistan untill it ceases the use of military force in East Bengal. Moreover, we urge that all possible assistance be provided to the enormous and over-increasing number of Benglis who have been forced by the Pakistani army to leave their homes.
A similar statement has been issued by the non-American scholars expressing their concern and appealing to the United Nations for immediate action.
JOIN BANGLADESH RALLY IN NEW YORK
A mass rally in support of Bangladesh will be held in New York on Saturday, June 12, 1971, under the joint sponsorship of Bangladesh League of America, American Friends of Bangladesh and the Joint Committee of Indian Associations. Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury (Vice-Chancellor, Dacca University and member, Human Rights Commission of the United Nations), Iqbal Ahmed (West Pakistani scholar), Jayprakash Narayan (Indian Sarvoday leader), Ruth Gage-Colby (peace leader) and several UIS. Congressmen and leading citizens will address the rally.
Participants in the rally will assemble at 12 :00 noon at Columbus Circle, 59th Street and 8th Ave, New York City and March along Central Park south to 5th Ave. A demonstration will be staged in front of the Pakistan Consulate. Speakers will address the gathering at the Hammerskjold Plaza (First Ave and 47th St.).
ORGANISATION NEWS
A meeting of the Bangladesh Defense League was held in Chicago on June 6, 1971, to consitder the ways and means of coordinating the activities of different groups around the United States and Cananda. Representatives from Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin were present in this meeting. Bangladesh groups working in nine south-western states already organised themselves into a zonal unit and sent a representative on their behalf to participate in the meeting.
Legal Counsellor of the BDL explained the legal framework of the organisation and clarified various legal points for the benefit of the participants. BDL accountant presented the appropriate procedure for collecting funds and channeling them to the central fund. Other organisational matters were discussed in detail and arrangements for closer cooperation to achieve continuity and maximum effciency in the efforts of the individual units were agreed upon.
A Board of Directors, under whose guidence the cooperation of activities will be undertaken, was formed with one representative from each group. This will later be enlarged to include representation from all other groups not yet represented.
Mr. Mahmud Ali, former Vice-Consul of the Pakistan Consulate in New York, who severed his relations with the Governement of Pakistan and declared allegiance to the Bangladesh Government, also attended the meeting and presented a report. The meeting approved the budget of the Bangladesh Mission in New York and the amount was released from the BDL fund.
The meeting also allocated funds to immediately establish a Missin in Washington, D.C.
The meeting approved a guidline for all member of the BDL to the effect that each member will contribute a minimum of ten percent of his take-home salary to the BDL untill the invaders of Bangladesh are driven out. Bangladesh Government is in urgent need of large sums of foreign exchange. All members and sympathisers are urged to donate maximum possible amount.
It was further decided that a research unit under the title ‘Bangladesh Research Center’ be established as a subsidiary of the BDL. The Research Center will be responsible for bringing out timely books, articles, papers, brochures, to advance the cause of Bangladesh and counter the false and malicious propaganda of the Pakistan Government and its embassies around the world. Bangladesh Research Center will welcome materials for publication and distribution. Please send us your suggstions.
The President of the BDL will visit the West Coast and contract the Bangladesh groups to exchange ideas with them with view to coordinating their efforts with other group.
A nation-wide campaign for donation to the Bangladesh Emergency Welfare Appeal is being worked upon. A brochure to accompany the fund raising appeal is under preparation.
EVIDENCE OF TERROR ATTACK ON DACCA
Here are some extracts from messeges exchanged between control, the headquarters of General Tikka Khan, the military governor, and army units using numerical call signs, on the night of March 25. The transcript is now in the hands of the government of Bangladesh, and copies are to be sent to the Secretary of the U.N. and all heads of government. We are quoting from London Times of June 2, 1971,
Control : Well done. What do you think would be the approximate number of casualties at the University?
88 : Wait. Approx. 300. Over.
Control : Well done. Three hundred killed? Anybody wounded or captured? Sitrep (situation report). Over.
88 : I believe only in one thing—300 killed. Over.
Control : Yes, I agree with you. That’s much easier. Nothing asked nothing done. You don’t have to explain anything. Once again well done. Once again I would like to give you shabash to the boys.
77 : Latest from 88—that he is making progress. But there are so many buildings that he has to reduce each one in turn. He has so far suffered no casualties but there is firing against him. He is using everything he has ot. Over.
Control : Tell him that his big brothers (artillery support) will also be coming shortly, I hope. So those can be utilised for knocking down the buildings. Now on the other side I think Liaquat and Iqabal (student’s dormitory) is now quiet……
Issued by
BANGLADESH DEFENSE LEAGUE
Chicago Chapter
5245 S. Kenwood, Chicago, Ill. 60615
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