From: salama@topaz.ucq.edu.au
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bangladesh
Subject: Other side of the coin
Date: 22 Dec 92 13:44:33 AET
Summary: The true spirit of reconciliation lies in the truth.
Followup-To: soc.culture.pakistan
Keywords: mukti bahni, atrocities
Distribution: world
Organization: UCQ


   Recently a number of misleading articles hve appeared on scp/scb
regarding the events of 1970-71. A few Pakistanis rushed to apologise for
what they know nothing about. A number of Bangladeshis had been blowing
the trumpet of their innocence and alleged atrocities of Pakistanis but
what they failed is to acknowledge their own brutal acts. If the Bangladeshis
are really sincere and honest for reconciliation then they should
acknowledge the truth and admit their atrocities against the nonbengalis
which well match the ones of Serbians against Bosnian muslims.
   Some of them have asked for "stats" and "sources". What they really mean
is to show the evidence from the western media. Unfortunately the atrocities
of the mukti bahni (freedom fighters) have not well documented by western
media but it doesn't mean that the evidence is not there. The reason why
western media didn't cover the massacre of nonbengalis by the mukti bahni
and their supports is very abvious. They weren't in the small places like
Santahar, Sylhet, Paksi, Dinajpur, Bograh, etc. The media attention was
focused on the political scene, mainly in Dacca and also that the scene of
army tanks rolling down the streets of Dacca made a better story from a
reporters point of view. Even if they wanted, they couldn't risk their lives
to witness the murders, rapes and lootings of hundreds of thousands of
Biharis. Biharis were politically too insignficant to be noticed by the
western media. Also that they were evacuated at very early stage from Dacca
and Chittagong. Then how they got the information of the alleged atrocities
of Pak army?
     The articles I had read long ago which reflected the atrocities of the
mukti bahni are unfortunately not available here and I don't remember the
exact references. But the truth doesn't lie in the "stats" and the "sources".
Eyewitnesses are still alive to tell the stories of those massacres.
     From my very limited resources here I will show why the western media
didn't cover the sufferings and miseries of nonbengalis in the hands of 
mukti bahni. Here is quote from KEESING'S CONTEMPORARY ARCHIVES, May 1-8, 1971
Pages 24568-9.
     "With official communications between East Pakistan and the rest of the
world cut, and a rigorous press censorship in force, THE ONLY NEWS OF THE
CIVIL WAR in the province came from CLANDESTINE RADIO BROADCASTS, from refugees
crossing into India, from statements by foreign press correspondents after
they had left East Pakistan, for the outside world and from INDIAN NEWSPAPERS".
    Thus after the evacuation of the foreign reporters on April 6 ( who were
only in Dacca and Chittagong) the western media relied on the propaganda of
the "clandestine radio broadcasts" and the Indian press. That tells a lot.
    Another quote from the same source will give you a glimse of the truth.
        "Evacuation of British and American nationals from East pakistan
    as well as those other nationalities were carried out by air and sea during
    the first week of April. British refugees from East Pakistan spoke on
April 6 of "bloody massacres" and "mass murders" in and around Chittagong, a
British engineer saying that he had seen bodies piled high in the gutters and
dogs and crows eating corpses in the streets nine days after they had fallen
there. Refugees spoke of MASS KILLINGS AND SHOOTINS BY BOTH SIDES, THE ARMY
AND AWAMI LEAGUE SUPPORTERS."
       The cries of the victims of mukti bahni have mostly gone unhaerd. If it
is not as well recorded by the western media as it should had been then it
doesn't mean that it never happened. You only need to listen to those people
to know the truth.
       I will give another quote from a book called "Conflict, Crisis and
War in Pakistan" by Kalim Siddiqui, published by The Macmillan Press Ltd, 1972.
      "The Awami League's greatest weakness was that while it had a vast
       following, it did not control the behaviour of its followers. To 
       BENGALIS' ETERNAL SHAME THE FIRST BLOOD IN THE CIVIL WAR WAS DRWAN
       BY THEM. THEY KILLED, LOOTED, BURNT AND RAPED INNOCENT WEST PAKISTANI
       CIVILIANS AND NON-BENGALI MUSLIMS-THE BIHARIS- FOR THREE WEEKS BEFORE
       25 MARCH, TAKING AN ESTIMATED 100,000 LIVES. Mujib failed to rise to
       the occasion to stop this carnage. Bhashani, the people's man, was the
       only one to condemn the sensless killing of Bihari Muslims."

This book and the others telling the other side of the story must be read to
see the whole picture.
    The purpose of this article is not to flame the hatred between the
Pakistanis and Bangladeshis but to keep the record straight. The point I want
to raise here is if the Bangladeshis are sincere in reconciliation then they
should acknowledge their atricities as well, instead of just blowing the
trumpet of their righteousness. One sided stories and accusation wouldn't
lead us to anywhere. I hope that some sensible Bangladeshis will come up
with true and honest spirit of reconciliation, acknowledging the truth and
admitting the evils done by the Bengalis. There is nothing wrong in admitting
the wrongs of the past, you only need courage.
    Salam.



Xref: sparky soc.culture.bangladesh:6997 soc.culture.indian:41735