KALEIDOSCOPE

History and the truth

Nasrine R. Karim

"These are the days when men of all social disciplines and all political faiths seek the comfortable and the accepted; when the man of controversy is looked upon as a disturbing influence; when originality is taken to be a mark of instability; and when, in minor modification of the original parable, the bland lead the bland.": John Kenneth Galbraith - (1908- ) Canadian-born economist, Harvard professor, The Affluent Society, 1976
   Unfortunately, that is what we have become the bland. Anything anyone is said is accepted without any investigation into the veracity of the subject. History has been re-written so many times to serve so many individuals, that it has become comic. It is about time that the "debunking of charlatans" (using a friend's words) take place!
   Let us begin with the book written by K.M. Shehabuddin who would like to be the "sunshine boy" of the day. I remember the night that Humayun Rasheed Choudhury (HRC), my father, after several sessions of secret persuasion meetings with Shehabuddin and his wife, and finally, literally pushing him to defect, actually drove Shehabuddin and his wife to a hotel to hand them over to Indian journalist Dilip Rai who would take care of further "details" of embracing the rebel government.
   Both were shivering with fear of the unknown. His wife kept repeating: "My hands and feet are cold. I am so afraid".
   My father kept reassuring him that everything has been taken care of and they are going to be provided for, they must not worry. How do I know? I was present. I think Shehabuddin has forgotten that little detail. Maybe everyone else is dead now, including our dear friend Denzil Peiris, who represented Far Eastern Economic Review, but I am still alive to tell the real story.
   K.M. Shehabuddin was a junior officer (1st Secretary) in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. That both he and his colleague, Mr. Amjadul Huq who was the Press Secretary at the time, defected under the guidance of Humayun Rasheed Choudhury is a fact. So his little snide comment in his quest to blow his own horn by stating HRC's negativity towards Bengalis is a travesty and an insult to history. Both he and his wife know that I am writing IS the truth.
   Shehabuddin was sent over to hold the fort, sharpen the pencils, and keep the desk clean till HRC arrived. Shehabuddin was really no loss to Pakistan High Commission nor was he a particular gain for the Bangladeshi rebel Govt. Amjadul Huq, on the other hand, served under my father in West Germany as Press Counsellor of the independent Bangladesh mission. Shehabuddin carried on with his career until he was posted, astonishingly, as the Ambassador to United States. I would term his appointment as an aberration by Sheikh Hasina, a misconception, (and she has many) about his role in the Liberation era. Thank God that Tariq Karim later took over from him and saved the day!
   Shehabuddin, as many would agree, was ineffective, unproductive and a complete loss for the nation in his role in the prime Ambassadorial post in Washington. I remember accompanying my parents to USA along with several parliamentarians from all political parties. It was the Bangladeshi Parliamentarians' official call on US Congress leaders.
   The appointments were actually initiated by our American friends, which the Embassy then confirmed. I was told that the State Dept. barely knew of our Ambassador's existence. Since my father was also an Ambassador in DC earlier on, he could immediately assess what was Shehabuddin's reach and standing with the host govt. during that meeting with Ben Gilman, Chairman of the House Int'l Relations Committee, and I presume so did everyone else present.
   Shehabuddin's wife's cooking must have saved his neck!. (They used to bring tiffin carriers of food for any Bangladeshi delegates visiting Washington).
   The sad thing is, that even during my father's lifetime, he never said anything derogatory about Shehabuddin. He knew what this man's reach could be. In fact HRC felt sorry for him to have been unceremoniously stripped of his temporary limelight during 1971. I am surprised that the small man should deride HRC after his death. After all it is HRC's pushing and prodding that has changed Shehabuddin's life forever. Small thanks he gets!
   The fact that Shahabuddin was never in position to do anything substantive during the Liberation war was evident. He did not have the seniority. He had no choice but to join the ranks of tens and thousands professing their allegiance to the Bangladesh flag. His only claim to fame would be the stint in Washington. A very questionable choice by authorities at the time! That only proved that we did not take our Foreign Policy very seriously then.
   During the Liberation War, the plan was - that all Bengalis would defect from the Pakistan High Commission before our family. My father, as the senior most Bengali and Deputy Chief of Mission, was to wait for the Non-Aligned Summit when the Pakistani High Commissioner would leave his post to attend, and that would leave HRC as the Charge d'Affairs. He was then going to claim the High Commission building and everything in it for Bangladesh. But that did not happen as the High Commissioner brought in Mr. Abdus Sattar (HRC's batchmate) to be in charge while he went to attend NAM in Algeria. Pity.
   All covert meetings (there were many within a span of several months) between the Bangladeshi rebel Govt. Foreign Secretary, Mahbubul Alam Chashi and my father, took place in my office in Thomson (Bharat) Pvt. Ltd. But then, junior officers like Shehabuddin perhaps were not privy to such meetings or such information. Therefore, as soon as HRC defected, Shehabuddin returned to his prior nonentity status. My father was immediately appointed Chief of Mission in New Delhi. The rest is history.
   It IS also history that the first independent flag of Bangladesh was unfurled, by my mother, in our garden in Delhi. I saw it with tears streaming down my cheeks sitting in London on BBC's PANORAMA. My father was inspecting troops at the border with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. No Shehabuddin in sight!
   HRC was a celebrity diplomat who negotiated with 42 countries for the recognition of Bangladesh successfully. He had worked closely with Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Gen. Sam Manikshaw on the strategy for the liberation of Dhaka. When Bangladesh was liberated, he addressed the joint session of the Indian Congress with: "Dhaka is free, the soul of Bengal is free..." This reel is still filed in the Bangladesh Archives today. Again no Shehabuddin in sight...
   It is not when diplomats defected but what they achieved afterwards that matters. Today all information is de-classified about Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, whether in India or Britain or United States or Russia. Anyone who is really interested is able to acquire correct information about our history and people's role in it.
   My father dictated his memoirs during that period while he was alive to senior journalist and media personality Motiur Rahman. I have been waiting for the right time to publish it since his sudden demise in 2001 as the sitting Speaker of the 7th National Parliament. His story depicts the in-depth details of the 1971 saga. HRC wanted it to be printed after his death, as it may ruffle a few feathers. I think now is the time to set thing straight. History must be told in its correct form and veer away from pandering to personalities and political parties such as BNP, or Awami League or the likes of K.M. Shehabuddin. The real FACTS must be told for future generations of this country.
   Humayun Rasheed Choudhury's role during 1971 is well documented in the media and no doubt, in all intelligence files. Our contact and inside coordinator in the Indian Foreign Ministry at the time, was our family friend, H.E. Mr. Hamid Ansari, who is no less than the present Vice President of India.
   So whatever small minds may think of themselves and their miniscule role during the time like that of K.M Shehabuddin, let me reiterate the truth will prevail whether they like to or not! The senior journalist who recommended the book for reading should also acquaint himself about the facts before advocating to his readers.
   It is the people of Bangladesh that has liberated this country and shaped it, no individuals or political party make no mistake about that!
   IF need be, we will do it again!

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE

M.T. Hussain

Some quarters claim, however insignificant the quarters may be, that the Caretaker Government (CG) must further net some more persons for 'abetment of corruption' that they might have done during the tenure of the previous government to prove one hundred percent 'neutrality' of the CG. These suggestions have surfaced soon after the arrest of Begum Khaleda Zia on the 2nd September.
   What is neutrality? Neutrality means 'impartiality', that is to say, to do nothing as partisan favouring nay of the parties. Patriotism may be defined as deep love for one's own country and its interests. The two terms lack clarity although used quite often to mean one's thought and mind about the two issues.
   In Bangladesh the term neutrality is used in current vocabulary for the Caretaker Government (CG) as we know it for about one decade and a half. The CG was said to be composed of neutral persons. Could they be neutral in absolute sense? How a sensible, meritorious and highly educated person holding position of high-level political and administrative power in modern days could be free from political thought and belief of his/her own? It is only a utopian idea and not realistic, because none of such intelligent persons could be oblivious of one's country's interests and welfare. The matter is also true because as we know well that any rational being is a political animal.
   Bangladeshi or Bangali?
   Patriotism is a term not without ambiguity. The big ambiguity or confusion arises for the very term nation/state one may belong to. The confusion multiplies when the nation/state happens to be a new one such as Bangladesh is that within six decades had changed its national nomenclature and identity for three times - British Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi, and yet there is serious squabble till today with high passion on the question of Bangladeshi and Bangalee since after 1971 for 36 years on.
   We thus hear very often than not that those who identify themselves, as Bangladeshis are not patriots in the eyes of the Bangalis. The passionate debate hardly caring for reasons does not seem to end soon although both propound secular political philosophy for the country in their own way that to others are only sham one.
   For the last 36 years in the name of secularism, the ruling class wished to teach the people that human values based in spirituality is meaningless by all their actions thus breeding corruption, earning black money, widening income gaps, spending recklessly in sinful lives of conspicuous consumption hardly caring for the suffering neighbors in midst of widespread poverty and destitution of millions and millions.
   The CG, it can safely be presumed, has made as good beginning and it may leave the rest to the next elected government to pursue for the nation for gradual containment of massive corruption in future.
   Let us not forget that unless restraint on human greed is practised at personal level through a sort of patriotism or Taqwa, meaning self-restraint, effective containment of corruption would remain a very difficult task to accomplish. Fear psychosis through crude policing could do some instantaneous good effects. Durable effect for goodness in society or in other words patriotism of all people, could only be effectively established when we inculcate Taqwa or self- restraint in our own and everybody's day to day lives. This is certainly a job of rebuilding mindset that has to be done over a long period through re-planning of family values that many of us had lost in the anarchic and sham secular practices among the new ruling class.

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE