From: hossain@sol.cs.wmich.edu (Moazzem)
Subject: Re: The word "liberation"
Organization: Western Michigan Univ. Comp. Sci. Dept.
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 17:59:12 GMT

In article <1992Oct2.151021.20843@udel.edu> kazi@dobie.cis.udel.edu (Zunaid Kazi) writes:
>
>Since we are on this thread, here's an interesting but little known fact:
>
>On the airport dias which was set up to receive Sheikh Mujib, (on his truimphant
>return to freedom and free Bangladesh in 1972), one of the first words that
>Sheikh Mujib uttered were to the then Prime Minsister Tajul Islam. He said,
>"A tomrA ki korlay? Desh takey bhengay dilay?" [What have you done? You broke
>up the country?]. This is based on a first hand account from someone who was
>standing next to Sheikh Mujib at that time. I have no doubts as to the
>veracity of the quote; though the actual wordings might have been slightly
>different.
>
This is the first time I am hearing this. Zunaid, can you please give
the actual reference of the quote. At this point, I find it very hard to 
believe this. If this were true, we would have heard it at least million 
times by this time. After 1975, the way Sheikh Mujib was portrayed to the
people by the later governmets, not to mention by Jamate-Islam, this could 
have been a very good point for them. So, I would like to see more on this.

>What is the implication of the quote? I don't think his intention was the
>creation of an independance Bangladesh. I believe he would have been quite
>satisfied to work within the framework of a federated Pakistan, that was
>spelled out in AL`s 6-point program. The high degree of autonomy that was
>inherent in that plan would have sufficed for him. 
>
First of I would like to see the actual quote and its proper reference.
I do not agree with your hypothesis. You are right, the 6-point movement 
did not have any word on liberation. I don't think starting the movement right
from the beginning with liberation would have been a good political movement.
Although the then movement started with the autonomy and then 
Pakistan government started the war, Pakistan govt. was trying to display 
to the whole world that it was a civil unrest that was started by few 
"terrorists" of then east pakistan. Now we would have been real terrorists!
From that point, I would give an A to then AL leaders for their vision.

I would say, it was a liberation movement started with the 6-point movement.

I would request Denis Wright also to write on this.

>But events unfolded too quickly. Even though Sheikh Mujib and the Awami League
>would have balked at outright secession (inspite of the speeches; "Ebarer
>shongram, shadhinotar shongram"), to many, autonomy was one step shy from
>the actual goal. This was especially true of the students, who would stop
>at nothing but outright independance. 
>
Autonomy does not mean shadhinota.

>But after the terror of the night of March 25, all such discussion is moot.
>Too much has happened to ever consider the possibility that there is any path 
>other than outright independence. I presume the 10 month long incarceration
>of Mujib prevented him from realizing the enormity of the genocide and
>destruction inflicted on us. Had he known, the words would never have been
>uttered.
>
I can not agree on this either. The killing did not just happen in between 
march 25, 1971-dec. 1971. It started from 1952. And Sheikh Mujib was not 
out of those incident. 

--Moazzem