A Tribute to His Living Memory
- Aftab Hossain
Shaheed Ziaur Rahman appeared on the horizon over the shipwreck of a nation aspiring a new rebirth – a bloody one that was. It was the defining moment and decisive too like one of the Shakespearean paradox for his famed character — Macbeth – The Prince of Denmark: “to be or not to be“. The time came to the decision when he was on duty of MV Swat. He paused but decided finally to fight it to the last. He had played his historic role and his fate was sealed.
I was at the Benapole border check-post on 3 April 1971 when Swadin Bangla Betar was on the air. The station broadcaster was telling the audience, “Zia had taken over the leadership of East Bengal regiment and Major Jalil had taken over leading the war of Liberation of from the deadly Pakistani hordes in the South Eastern Bengal.” Before this we heard a few days ago, Zia announcing the Independence of the country on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman”, who, according to him was staying in the clandestine planning for Liberation of Bangladesh. He took immediate action for on the spot mobilization of his forces and he went himself into action leaving his wife and children in facto interned in Dhaka Cantonment controlled by Pakistani Army.
Prince of Denmark was facing a dilemma cut between his debauched mother and his father who was not there(dead). The father figure of the upcoming Bangladesh was absent like the Captain of the Navy ship on the `War of the Nile’ was not responding , Bianca was asking his father for his command so that he could take the step next. So Zia had not his politic al leader to command and guide him. He decided on his own. He moved to Rangpur set up his war camp in Roumari on the Indian border. He did not venture to enter India – the most safe, secure and of course comfortable place. He was a soldier to bottom and till death came to greet him – relieving all the pains and painstaking he had undertaken to liberate his adorned soil and the people.
When he thought for the country, as ill-luck would have it, leading freedom fighters in the Armed Forces were nurturing their ambitions as cozy as oyster inside shell. Though they could serve the country could be better served as they brought about its birth. But they proved wrong . They themselves were mutually destroyed. Zia symbolized the undisputed leader of the soldiers of the army. They imported sanguinary politics in the army which the Army constituted on the colonial model could not afford to. And knowingly or unknowingly it was Col.Retfd) Taher a politician than a soldier to rescue Ziaur Rahman in captivity in Dhaka cantonment.
The writer of this article, himself witnessed the JSD cadres leaving from the Shaheed Minar fire armed for cantonment and Zia was rescued. But it is record Zia did not asked for that. The Bigba(Biplobi Gono Bahini) was working for revolution inside the cantonment to relieve rather the drudgery of the Batsmen – the ranking soldiers under the the philosophy expounded by JSD think tank leader – Sirajul Aalm Khan (called Kapalik Dada) – a now disciple of Gen. Uban Singh who was also the mentor of General Ershad. And Zia was freed and it was a death summon against him issued. Ex-Col, Taher was on trial and he got what he unknowingly planned. So Taher – a great patriot to be hanged had to comment `whatever the treachery would come from his hanging rope would never match with that of Zia who he saved. He didn’t know, it was conspiracy hatched beyond the border of this country to put the leading freedom fighters on the course of their self annihilation. The army should entertain any kind of emotion or else they won’t serve their country. The emotion can bring freedom and Bangladesh is a case in point at defending it. But I am sorry to say, this has not ,however, has any role in defending and promoting independence.
It was the British Indian authorities who advised the would be Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru not to take in Azad Hind Fauj men in the Independent India’s Armed Forces. Nehru listened to it and obliged. The Indian Army remains politics free. And here Bangladesh committed to blue murder. The army was first neglected and a parallel army (Rakhsi Bahini was created and the Armed Forces had gone on the sidelines.
Before coming back to this I would like to point out to the fact that Zia was a disciplined man and he did never object to the promotions over him. Shafiullah had become Chief of the General staff and it is alleged our friendly neighbor liked him. There was opposition to placing the army officers from Pakistan in responsible positions. But General Ershad was chosen for Dehradoon staff college training in India. Why? This remains shrouded to mystery but no mystery ever for those who have the insight. And here to General Uban was also his mentor. General Ershad is still flourishing and getting warm reception in India. Zia did not have the luck not to have that .Really lucky! Most striking example of a disciplined army officer is : When the Hero of the Nation had fallen his reception was very cool, his alleged `heartless’ reaction was : `So what! the nation will not stop, rather continue to move as usual” Some of our people had taken with a grain of salt. It was plausible but this was the grim truth without any color. He was army man he was to save the sovereignty first and last thing; it was a matter for a civilian to decide. So it prepared a good ground to bring allegation against him as murderer of the `Father of the Nation’. Zia was a better statesman than politician like the ilk of Khondoker Mostaq Ahmad who can afford to this to the nation as a whole.
The unrest in the army continued and under a two dozens of putsch or some kind of coup continued. One of it was disclosed by the Egyptian intelligence and lot of officers lost lives. The tradition fearfully continued culminate into and epitomized in the BDR killings . We lost around 70 Generals. The thieves, thugs and murderers are still flourishing and possibly it would continue to do so into unknown future, But it keeps us bewildering as eve –r how Zia could not anticipate this having high level training in army intelligence. One thing was most noticeable that most of the killed army men were officers and Zia still remained popular with low ranking soldiers! General Manzur on the last leg of his failed coup moving towards the territory of our friendly neighbor not Burma which a Western news agency reported last on his movement as he tried escape his fatality. Zia said, `Mazur wouldn’t kill me’. And Manzur said before he was captured by police he did not like to be handed over to the army. He had do reveal something to the court of justice. But it was ensured he could not reveal anymore. Zia only said, Manzur would move to his position he desired only when he had come of age.
Zia is reported to have been the Father of Modern Army in Bangladesh. And if was still fathering we very much notice that our army had a lot of improvement ; They have been let to become Merchant of Venice as history witnesses these days. To support the view. let us have look at General Harun. He was lured into MLM trap , made money, escaped the hand of law unscathed and lost into oblivion. Gen, Shafiullah is a lost case scenario having to loiter on his Sector Commander base only to serve dirty politics and no body politick.. General Khaled Mosharraf , described `finest cadet of Kakul Military Academy, lost his life with ‘ great Haider’ the most celebrated trainer in the Agartala Freedom Fighters’ Training camp in an in-fight with again the army men. They have thus served the nation which may not well have been their original intention but for invisible hand.
Zia was a man known his loyalty to this country the neglect of his own family even. To him it was Bangladesh very first. He felt the army could not run the country for long and the Martial Law was never his hand maiden. He was just a DCMLA under behest of the state so he wanted to involve the people in building his country, So he ventured multi-party politics to run a democracy. He brought some people around him but they proved otherwise. They were either weak or likely to fall pray to the temptations. We have seen so many PMs , even man like Mr. Ataur Rahman, a politician senor to even Mujibur Rahman, failing to deliver the goods. They held the premiership and failed Zia as with the politicians who failed the veteran politicians like Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It was all being alleged that Mostaq, the right hand man of Sheikh Mujib was involved in the murder and in its latest version, the blame rested with Ziaur Rahman.
It was Zia who allowed multiparty politics and also allowed our present PM along with her sister who stayed back in India alrmed on their back journey from Europe. Now Zia had to be anointed with the new charge. I presume now that it is no to avenge death but a political ploy to keep his political party BNP at bay. Shahid Zia never made any attempt to malign anybody but got frustrated with the politicians. At one point, he was constrained to make a bitter comment :` I shall make politics difficult”. He thus angered the vested interests. He only wanted to change and improve the lot of the people. In ricocheting effect he was ganged up by the shrewd but spineless politicians and corrupt ones against whom he vowed to bring them to book. The people were very much indeed with him, I mean mostly the mute majority. But perhaps hardly he knew the vocal minority held the majority in hostage by their sheer power and the democracy brilliantly shone in its dirtiest definition:` the last refuge of the scoundrels’ and vindicated the classical truth: majority could as well have been the fools.
He had Justice Abdus Sattar right but he was overaged to face the conspirators with such boldness as shown by Abdur Rahman Biswas because he had no constituency. He was the member of first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in a different context. But that underwent a radical change when a frustrated Suhrawardy left for the Lebanese CapitalBeirut. So the choice was difficult though in principle Zia made no mistake . Later, Mrs. Syedul Hasan confided that nobody, even the BNP never ever remembered after Sattar passed away and even Ershad had the audacity to shame him. It was no less than Ershad who was originally from West Bengal like late not lamented issueless helpless lonely Justice. Many of Zia’s cabinet members betrayed him though there were honorable exceptions.
He rarely wore a broader smile in his face At least to me always sunk in deep thought Prince of Denmark like and a bit sad. But never courage left him alone. So it was sober Zia that had taken bold venture into regional politics. Whatever the SAARC is making now had a great promise for regional co-operation and he made it possible. He wanted to live alongside neighbors with equal honor, not as an underdog. He realized the facts of life that he has neighbor who is just like the USA and his country is a `Mexico model’. So he attempted a Model which would make it possible for littorals states of giant India to live in dignity at least.
He only stressed on armed forces strong enough to defend the sovereignty, he never planned anything grandiose to make it seem it look like an Armed Forces capable of becoming a threat to any of the neighbor but strong enough to defend the country and its people deserving some respect. At one stage, he disclosed to Matiur Rahman, a promising journalist on board a plane heading for Dhaka that he was just sitting on a volcano crater. Actually, he did so. He was surrounded by his foe we have told earlier.
Why did he tell so we don’t exactly know. But I am sure, he was just pointing out to his own nemesis -the Frankenstein he inadvertently created. He deeply believed in his people, but it was not the people but for the `people’ about which he had intelligence at last but it was too late to forestall them in time. So he was a bit childlike, immature. He loved children very much – the future of his country. The Children Park and Shishu Academy still bear testimony to the fact. He was just like child but a obeying son of a Father – the Captain of his ship, he was calling out for his command for the instruction about what to do when the ship(nation) was dangerously rolling in the rough sea. Father did not respond. When he reached his prime, father lost, he was facing the dilemma of the Prince of Denmark –` to be or not be’. Zia was not a Prince but just a proud boy of this soil. When he faced the barbaric shooter’s magazine that emptied with burst fire, the boy fell not giving in. He was immortalized. So, let us tell in the verse of the poet :
“The boy stood on the burning deck
When all but he had fled
The flame that lit the battle’s wreck
Shone round him over the dead
Yet beautiful and bright he stood
As born to rule the storm
A creature of heroic blood
A proud, though childlike form.”
So the country saluted him — when they brought their warrior dead, singing his own favorite lines : My life , My Death, My Bangladesh. `So what!’