Bangabandhu and Bangladesh are inseparable

He did not earn this recognition all on a sudden, emerging from a nonentity. Rather there is a long story behind his making, which needs no elaborate discussion, as every Bengali is well aware of this. Suffice it to say that right from the Language Movement of 1948-1952, the United Front elections of 1954, anti-education policy movement of 1962, Six-point movement of 1966, Agartala Conspiracy Case of 1968, Mass Upsurge of 1969, Elections of 1970 to the Liberation War of 1971 he was omnipresent. To deny this fact is to deny the very existence of Bangladesh. Because Bangabandhu and Bangladesh are inseparable. So whenever one talks about an independent Bangladesh one has to remember all these events and when one does so one cannot but remember Bangabandhu.

On the other hand, except for the War of Liberation in 1971, during various phases of national liberation struggle mentioned above, none among the Bengalis heard the name of Major Ziaur Rahman before his reading out the Declaration of Independence, which had tremendous impact on the people as everybody was taken aback by the Operation Searchlight, on March 27 on behalf of "our Great Leader, the Supreme Commander of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman," as he said, from Swadhin Banbgla Betar Kendra which was then stationed at Kalurghat, Chittagong. This fact Zia never ever denied or distorted in his lifetime.

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Though in 1949 after the formation of the AL the struggle for emancipation started gaining ground but it was not until Bangabandhu held the helm of affairs of this organisation that the struggle got momentum ultimately culminating into the War of Liberation in 1971. In this long struggle for independence many personalities played very significant roles, as has been rightly pointed out in the aforesaid editorial of the DS, but the role played by Bangabandhu surpassed them all in terms of volume and magnitude. Which is why Bangabandhu could become the undisputed leader of the Bengalis even before the starting of 9-month long bloody War of Liberation.

Whereas during the war Zia fought alongwith his other colleagues in the battle field as one of the sector commanders of the War of Liberation. The only difference between him and his other colleagues was that because of his reading out the Declaration of Independence on behalf of Bangabandhu he was (and will always be) enjoying a higher esteem in the minds of the people, apart from his becoming widely familiar which helped him later tremendously to consolidate his popularity among the masses after coming to power.

As in the past, on the other hand, during the war too Bangabandhu was the inspiration of all activities. The name Bangabandhu became synonymous with the word Bangladesh. He became symbol of the Bengali nation. Though he was away from us but everything was being conducted in his name. The world opinion was always concerned about his fate. The freedom fighters used to start war with his name and, if won, triumphed by chanting slogans in his name. There was no controversy about his supremacy at the time. People used to pray and fast for his release. Their love and respect for him could be gauged on his homecoming day January 10, 1972 which is unparalleled in history.

So to read the history of Independence of Bangladesh is also to read the history of Bangabandhu. Ziaur Rahman shall occupy a good position in that history. But there is a gulf of difference between the two because had Zia been killed by the Pakistani army when he was going to unload arms and ammunitions from MV SWAT his name might have remained unknown to the Bengalis like millions of unknown martyrs. Whereas by that time Bangabandhu was enjoying highest popularity and respect among the Bengalis and was the only concern for the Pakistanis. Had he been killed on the night of March 26 at his 32 Dhanmondi Residence by the Pakistanis, instead of being got arrested, the name Bangabandhu must have been revered even by those people who now, for petty political interests, question his place in the history. They must not forget that before the political birth of Zia on March 27, 1971 Bangabandhu had already become the household name among the Bengalis. Not only that in between March 7 and 26 Bangabandhu had reached such a position where merely his nodding rather than talking was enough for indicating what should have been the next course of action. During the long 24 years' relentless struggle Bangabandhu had to spend nearly 13 valuable years of his life in prison, while Zia did not have to spend even 13 seconds in jail for the cause of the Bengali nation.

Besides, without Zia an Independent Bangladesh was not only inevitable but also a reality because by March 27 it became an established fact. But without Bangabandhu an independent Bangladesh would not only be impossible but also could be dangerous, given the presence of huge Indian army and intra-fight among various political parties at the time. Zia seems to be aware of this fact. After coming to power till his death Zia uttered not a single word against Bangabandhu and his contributions to the Bengali nation. For this Zia deserves to be highly appreciated and respected.

An independent Bangladesh was a lifetime dream of Bangabandhu. A staunch critic of Bangabandhu and Bangladesh and a close ally of both Ayub and Yahya Khan, GW Choudhury (who joined the Pakistan Cabinet in October 1969) revealed this fact while talking about a tape prepared by Yahya Khan's intelligence agencies (GW Choudhury, The Last Days of United Pakistan, C Hurst and Company, London, p-98). The subject matter was the Legal Framework Order (LFO) issued by the government on March 30, 1970. On the recording Bangabandhu said: "My aim is to establish Bangladesh. I shall tear LFO into pieces as soon as the elections are over. Who could challenge me once the elections are over." When the tape was played to Yahya Khan, he said: "I shall fix Mujib if he betrays me." After this revelation nobody should have any doubt about Bangabandhu's ultimate objective and the pivotal role he played for establishing an independent Bangladesh.

Saiful Alam is a businessman.