So MUCH for Pakistan? Bangladesh takes a big decision… Yunus-led interim government puts a full-stop to history. And the Indira-Mujib legacy of many years! says Girish Linganna
Bangladesh’s Liberation War Adviser under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, Farooq-e-Azam, has called for festivals to be held all over the country to ‘celebrate’ Bangladesh’s (erstwhile East Pakistan’s) victory from the bonding shackles of West Pakistan (now Pakistan) in a stunning defeat of the latter under the capable—and visionary—leadership of India’s ‘Iron Lady’, Indira Gandhi, then prime minister of India.
Azam announced that ‘Bijoy Melas’ would be organized countrywide, replacing the December 16 (Vijay Diwas) Victory Parade that had been a ritual for years. “Bijoy Dibos has been a significant day for our nation,” he announced. “Our nation fought for nine months to win this victory. The entire country was associated with this celebration,” signifying that, this year, the boots of the country’s military and security forces that had marked the December 16 ‘Victory Parade’ for years since the 1971 Liberation War will fall silent.
Azam announced, “There was a time when villages and the entire nation were involved in the victory celebrations. But, slowly, these celebrations faded out. This time, all districts, and sub-districts, throughout the nation will observe this ‘Bijoy Mela’, where cultural, fine-arts, industrial and agri fares will be showcased. Besides that, indigenous trade items will be displayed. Cultural shows will be held. Men, women and children will participate in these fairs and enjoy the rich atmosphere. Our schools will also hold programmes.”
Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971, Aftermath
A tall order that! Considering that the country—and its long-lost friend regained, Pakistan—are both tottering at the edge of bankruptcy! Bangladesh’s post-Covid recovery continues to be impacted by high inflation, a balance-of-payments deficit, financial sector vulnerabilities and increasingly limited job opportunities for its youth—especially women and educated youth, says the World Bank in its twice-yearly update, released on October 15, 2024.
The latest Bangladesh Development Update highlights that global and domestic factors have created a challenging macro-fiscal context for the country. Bangladesh’s real GDP growth moderated to 5.2% in FY24, primarily for weak consumption and exports, projected to decelerate to 4.0% in FY25, driven by subdued investment and industrial sector activities, before accelerating to 5.5% in FY26.
Bangladesh also faces increasing income inequality, particularly in urban areas. From 2010 to 2022, Bangladesh’s Gini index—a measure of income inequality—increased by nearly three points from 0.5 to 0.53. The report highlights urgent and bold reforms necessary to help the country return to a strong, inclusive and sustainable growth path.
Despite the overall unemployment rate declining between 2016 and 2022, young people face significantly higher unemployment rates, particularly in urban areas. Availability of jobs has declined for urban educated youths and job creation in large industries, such as ready-made garments, has stagnated. Since 2016, while more jobs were created in Dhaka, three divisions—Chittagong, Rajshahi, and Sylhet—faced significant net employment losses.
Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, says inflation, driven by high food and energy prices, averaged 9.7% in FY24. Inflation spiked in July and moderated in August, expected to remain elevated in the near term, but gradually subside in the medium term if supply-side issues stabilize and prudent monetary and fiscal policies are maintained.
And the Genesis of the Liberation War of 1971
‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina’s father, who was assassinated by a group of Bangladesh Army personnel who invaded his residence as part of a coup d’état in the early hours of August 15, 1975, spoke in strident tones in his magical speech at the Race Course Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan), in Calcutta, on March 7, 1971, calling an entire nation to rise up in arms against an exploitative government in erstwhile East Pakistan, informally declaring independence for Bangladesh, proclaiming, ‘The struggle this time is a struggle for our liberty. The struggle this time is a struggle for our independence,’ calling for ‘every house to turn into a fortress’, and ending on the notes of ‘Amader keu dabaya rakhta parba na (nobody can ever pin us down)’.”
On October 30, 2017, UNESCO added the speech to the ‘Memory of the World Register’ as a documentary heritage. It was delivered during a period of escalating tensions between East Pakistan and the powerful political and military establishment of West Pakistan.
What followed in the days immediately after is now history! The Bangladesh Liberation War began 18 days later when the Pakistani Army initiated ‘Operation Searchlight’ against Bengali civilians, intelligentsia, students, politicians and armed personnel and ‘Bangabandhu’ was put under house arrest by Pakistani soldiers on March 25 midnight just at the start of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.
The Indo-Pakistani war that preceded Bangladesh’s Independence in 1971, India’s support to the ‘Mukti Vahini’ in Bangladesh, and the diplomacy that followed, is the saga of Indira Gandhi’s leadership.
Mujibur Rahman: Man Who Would Be King
In 1969, General Yahya Khan took over the reins of Pakistan from Field Marshal Ayub Khan and elections were announced the following year—truly the first elections of independent Pakistan. In these 1970 elections, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Awami League won 160 out of 162 seats in East Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won 81 out of 138 seats in West Pakistan. The majority was with Rahman and he should have become the Prime Minister, but Pakistan’s military regime did not allow this to happen.
By March 1971, Awami League cadres were on the streets, demonstrations were rife and strikes were the order of the day. Pakistan’s army was openly vandalizing the country. The Hamoodur Rehman Commission gave an official count of 26,000 deaths. Lakhs of refugees fled to India seeking shelter.
Despite India’s support to the Awami League led by Mujibur Rahman, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi decided not to interfere directly. But, on December 3, 1971, the Pakistani Air Force attacked the western regions in anticipation of an attack from India. By the morning of December 4, India officially declared war against Pakistan. Indira Gandhi had found a just reason for intervening.
Indira’s vision was very clear—the war was to be short and decisive as fear of intervention from such countries as America and China loomed large if the war continued for long. Indira did not want India to start a war under any circumstances. The Pakistani Air Force attack had ensured this. Indira addressed the country, saying, “A war has been imposed on us.”
Indira completely relied on her military chief, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who affectionately called Indira ‘Baby’. On December 16, 1971, just 13 days after the start of the war, General AA Khan Niazi, in-charge of the Eastern Command of the Pakistani Army surrendered in Dhaka, handing over his service revolver to the Indian Army’s Eastern Command In-charge Lieutenant General JS Arora.
Kolkata Jamboree: The Bangladesh ‘Bijoy Utsav’
After a gap of two years, the Bangladeshi government is, once again, organizing a mela in Kolkata to celebrate ‘Vijay Diwas’. To be held at Netaji Indoor Stadium, ‘Bangladesh Bijoy Utsob’ will run from December 15-19. Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commissioner, Zokey Ahad, claimed they could not organize the festival for the past two years due to ‘administrative issues’. “But, this year, we’re organizing it in a very big way. We’ve got very good support from the West Bengal government. They’ve also taken responsibility of handling security at the venue,” he told reporters.
‘Surprises, Delights’ Galore on Victory Day!
– Visitors at the festival will dig into such delicacies as sweets and biryani from Bangladesh
– Cultural troupes will entertain audience with Lalon Geeti, Nazrul Geeti and Rabindrasangeet songs, besides ‘new-age music’
– A delegation of ‘Mukti Joddhas’ will be attending the festival, where select Bengali films will be screened
– West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s attendance carries political significance. She has said her government will “fully support the Centre in whatever decision it takes on the Bangladesh issue”
– Bangladeshi singer, Runa Laila, winner of seven Bangladesh National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer and also winner of the Best Music Composer award for film ‘Ekti Cinemar Golpo (2018) will perform
(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)
(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own and do not reflect those of DNA)