Bangladeshi confedearation with Pakistan
This article will be updated on a perdiodic basis. Last updated on June 27th, 2008
| NEW YORK | RUPEE NEWS | Februalry 27th, 2008 | Moin Ansari | Pakistan and Bangladesh separated on December 16th, 2001. It has now been several decades since that fateful night in December when there was mourning in Islamabad and celebration in Dhaka. A lot of water has now gone down the Indus as well as the Brahmaputra. A new generation is in charge of the destiny of the two countries. This article is based upon reports from the Indian Intelligence services like RAW which claim that the previous Bangladeshi government was about ready to announce a confederation with Pakistan. Obviously this sensational news from a respected member of RAW caught many by surprise.
Some investigation is desirable. Was this the first time that such sentiments were aired by Bangladeshis? Why would Bangladeshis who fought hard for their independence from Pakistan even contemplate such a reversal of history? What is going on in the Indo-Bangladeshi relations. These questions have been thoroughly evaluated and discussed in various articles on this site. In summary we will list them here. On 14th August 1975 (the day has many meanings, carefully chosen by those who instigated the coup), the patriotic Bangladeshi forces refuted the Mujib moves to amalgamate Bangladesh back into India and killed him and his family. The Rehman family was wiped out and their bodies left in the streets to rot–sending a strong message to the pro-Indian lobby in Bangladesh. The message on 14th August to the world was that Bangladesh did not want to be part of “Akhand Bharat”. The events of 14th August buried the notion of Bangladeshi secularism deep into the Bay of Bengal and upheld the 1940 Lahore resolution. President Khondkar Mushtaque for the briefest time declared the Islamic Republic of Bangladesh and then announced a confederation with Pakistan. This was announced in all major newspapers of the world and is prolifically described by Stanley Wolpert’ “Zulfi my friend”. A quick reversal of the fortunes of Khondkar Mushtaque Ahmed did not allow the announcements to come to fruition.
Since 1974 there has been a lot of backwards and forwards swing in Bangladeshi governments between pro-India and pro-Bangladeshi elements (which include those who still have feelings for Pakistan). The BNP-JEI government was surely not pro-Indian. It was at the helm of affairs and according to the RAW officials had wanted to assure Bangladeshi independence by refuting Indian overtures and wanted a confederation with Pakistan to stay independent. Obviously a confederation with Pakistan would immediately get it a nuclear umbrella and Pakistan bases in Bangladesh could in theory allow the transfer of missiles and aircraft to Dhaka and other sensitive areas.
All the propaganda in the world has not been able to drown the mutual feelings of respect and brotherhood between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The next elections are of course tilted towards the Awami League and pro-Indian elements within Bangladesh. However it seems the last world has not been written on this chapter.
The interim government was India’s answer to this move and put water on it.
- A BANGLADESH WRITES ABOUT HER VISIT TO PAKISTAN: http://garamblog.com/2008/07/27/a-bangladeshis-visit-to-pakistan/
- FTA WITH BANGLADESH: http://rupeenews.com/2008/05/31/fta-with-bangladesh/
- GREATER BANGLADESH INEVITABLE: http://rupeenews.com/2008/05/28/greater-bangladesh-is-inevitable/
- PAKISTAN HELPING BD IN NUKES: http://rupeenews.com/2008/05/21/nuclear-technology-pakistan-helping-bangladesh/
- BD GRANDSONS: http://rupeenews.com/2008/04/20/bangladesh-grandsons-can-joy-mujib-defeat-tarique-zia/
- BD WANTED CONFEDERATION WITH PAKISTAN: http://rupeenews.com/2008/02/27/bangaldesh-bnp-jei-government-was-reportedly-working-towards-a-confederate-relationship-with-pakistan-indian-newspaper-report-by-bhaskar-roy/
This map shows what all the Muslims of the Subcontinent struggled for.
This map shows the history of deceit and treachery that kept the Muslims apart
This is the joint history. We can hang together or hang seperately.
- Partition of Bengal’s implications for Bangladesh & Pakistan then and now
- http://rupeenews.com/2008/05/28/greater-bangladesh-is-inevitable/
- http://rupeenews.com/2007/12/02/taslima-nasrins-dilemma-the-polemic-scheme-unravels/
- http://rupeenews.com/2008/04/20/bangladesh-grandsons-can-joy-mujib-defeat-tarique-zia/
- http://rupeenews.com/2008/05/28/greater-bangladesh-is-inevitable/
In an article titled “What Dhaka needs to learn“, the seasoned Indian diplomat Bhaskar Roy asserts and vocalizes the growing pro-Pakistani feeling in Bangladesh. What started as whispers has now become a cacophony. The press is full of stories of the rising tide of fundamentalism in Bangladesh. This rising tide of “fundamentalism” actually has pro-Pakistani sentiments at its core.
Bangladeshis have rejected the Mujib secularism which transformed Muslim Bengal into an Indian colony, and the younger generation is increasingly becoming conservative–and according to some “extremist.” Mujib created the country in the name of Bengali nationalism, but it failed to attract the Hindu Bengalis to a “Bengali secular state”. It was hoped that West Bengal sould rush to join East Bengal in brohat Bengal. When this did not happen the Muslim Bengalis felt jilted by the Hindu Bengalis.
Mujib has also harped upon the lack of democracy and Bengali rights in a united Pakistan. However once is power in Bangladesh, he created a one party state, decimated the opposition and tried to lead Bangladesh as an Omnipotent dictator. There was widespread discontent with Mujib and his philosophies. He had banned all political parties in Bangladesh and coronated himself as a dictator “president for life”. He also waned to sign a treaty of friendship with India which would have reduced Bangladesh to an Indian state like Sikkim.
The recent 5 year rule of the Jamaat e Islami (JEI) and the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and the three years of work inculcated a spirit of nostalgia for a greater Muslim nation in SouthAsia. That nation would be a nuclear power with missiles and could strengthen the movements in Northeast India, so that the Muslim majority areas of Assam and Bihar could also join the Muslim nation.
Indian military Generals and politicians have gone hoarse with charging the Pakistani ISI with covert actions, in alliance with Bangladeshi forces. These operations in the seven sister states of Northeast are so successful that many in India have given up on controlling the seven states. In effect the Northeast India is pretty much independent, without supervision from the Delhi.
After 1971, the anti-Indian, and sometimes pro-Pakistani elements within Bangladesh eliminated Shaikh Mujib ur Rehman and got rid of all his progeny…with only one survivor left, Shaikh Hasina Mujib.
After a series of coups Khondkar Mushtaq emerged on the scene in Dhaka for a brief period of time. He publicly announced a confederation with Pakistan. However Khondkar reign was short lived, and before Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Khondkar Mushtaq could consolidate the gains, the pro Indian forces had once again pulled the plug on the confederation with Pakistan. Stanley Wolpert in his book “Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan” alleges that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had engineered the coup of Khondkar Mushtaq. It is never mentioned in news stories or history books today, but the news archives of that era will divulge the truth to those who are willing to scrutinize the headlines of major Pakistani newspapers.
Khaleda Zia of the BNP and wife of a former Pakistani trained general was openly anti-India and pro-Pakistani. The alliance nurtured the questioning of the reasons for the creation of Bangladesh, and the JEIopenly proposed the 1940 resolution which confederates Muslim Bengal with other Muslim majority areas of South Asia.
Today the West Pakistani trained General Moen is in power and has extensive contacts with the Pakistani government and the military. He cancelled a trip to India in favor of Pakistan, and understands that without the approval of China-Arabia-Pakistan nexus, the powerbase in Bangladesh would be small.
The JEI and the BNP won the last election with a razor thin majority but the election was not allowed to stand, and disputed by the Indian-Awami League alliance. They disrupted the JEI-BNP prolonged rule and are reluctant to hold new elections, because the fear that the JEI and the BNP will sweep the polls and once again announce a confederation with Pakistan. It is inevitable!
It would be like Bangladesh rejoining Pakistan, it would be Muslim majority areas of SouthAsian re-negotiating a contract to live together and gain strength.
A joint Bengal-Pakistan would be the largest Muslim state, nuclear powered which would become a permanent member of the Security Council and ask Afghanistan, Bihar, and Assam to join the new country.
“aik ho Muslim haram kee pasbani keh leyeh”
What Dhaka needs to learn by Bhaskar Roy
BhaskarRoy, who retired recently as a senior government official with decades of national and international experience, is an expert on international relations and Indian strategic interests. In this exclusive column for Sify.com, he says, strategic alliances between countries of South Asia would be a disaster for the region, as also for SAARC.
Bangladesh Army Chief Gen. Moeen U Ahmed, who arrived in New Delhi on February 24 for a weeklongvisit, will have a lot to discuss with the Indian leaders. He is scheduled to meet the top Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Gen. Moeen’s last scheduled visit to India a year ago was aborted at the last moment. The cancellation or, in polite diplomatic term, postponement of the visit was attributed to important domestic pre-occupation. Soon after, however, he visited Pakistan. Obviously, there were strong powers within the system created by the erstwhile BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) government that came in the way of the General’s India visit.
The BNP-JEImain coalition of the four-party alliance government in Bangladesh had basically created an anti-India sub-structure in the country. This was not new, having started from as early as Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s assassination in August 1975. The BNP-JEI government from 2001-2006 only consolidated the process. Even Awami League Chairperson and elder daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman began to believe that without the blessings of Pakistan, and Pakistan’s supporters like China and Saudi Arabia, she would not be able to return to power. The cause of liberation of Bangladesh began to be questioned in a deliberate strategy.
But there were also forces, albeit small, determined to keep Bangladesh’s independence alive. Another saving aspect, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman is still revered by a vast majority as the father of the nation, and his ideals of independence and secularism do still remain at the grassroots.
Pakistan wanted to avenge 1971. It found forces in Bangladesh who, at least, wanted an alliance with Pakistan. These forces had their own reasons, and the BNP-JEIgovernment was reportedly working towards a confederate relationship with Pakistan. The JEIworked with the Pak occupation army in East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) against independence. Begum Khaleda Zia, Chairperson of the BNP and widow of BNP founder and the first openly anti-India President of Bangladesh, Gen. Zia-ur-Rehman, is a product of the Pak military cantonment.
Strategic alliances between countries of South Asia would be a disaster for the region, as also for the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC). The SAARC has been sputtering for this reason. Pakistan has been stone-walling a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India for political and strategic reasons as perceived by Islamabad. Bangladesh followed in Pakistan’s footsteps. Recently, the Director General of Bangladesh Foreign Ministry, Dr. Rashid, told a seminar in Dhaka that an agreement withIndia will make Bangladesh captive with Indian businessmen. Bangladeshi businessmen at the seminar wanted a protected market. Only the World Bank representative held a contrary view.
Similarly, expansion of SAARC to bring in outside powers to balance or as counter a measure of a SAARC member could only assist in the fragmentation of this regional organisation. Unfortunately, this has already started.
Bangladesh is the main proponent of SAARC and hosted the inaugural SAARC summit in 1984. Dhaka may, therefore, shoulder this onerous responsibility to give the lead to bring the core SAARC members into a truly sharing family. Strategic alliance means co-operation against a third party. Bringing in an outside power is disaster for all concerned.
Gen. Moeenis not uninitiated to all these issues. In fact, if his track record since January 11, 2007, suggests he is acutely aware of the imbalances Bangladesh government got itself trapped into by pursuing both external and internal policies that defied a sane vision for the young country.
Obviously, Gen. Moeenhad to step through a minefield to attain the position and power that he wields today. But careful as he is, he does not wield these powers widely. Moeen gradually consolidated his position by promoting himself as a full general. He ensured that the Chiefs of the other two services were similarly promoted. The second level officers received up-gradation. These have been instituted. Those he found as obstructionists were sidelined quietly but without disgrace. A few had to be retired.
Gen. Moeenvisit to India now suggests he has been able to significantly impose his position in the country. He apparently enjoys an understanding with the Chief Advisor (Interim Prime Minister) Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed of the Caretaker Government.
The reshuffle of the Advisors (Interim Cabinet Ministers) this January apparently succeeded in easing out some Advisors committed to the BNP-JEI policies. That, of course, does not mean that the Moeen-Fakhruddin team are totally out of the woods. The Aegean Stable of Dhaka would need much more cleansing, if they can really be cleaned at all to satisfaction, which seems unrealistic at the moment. .
In the army backed-caretaker government, the army remains the mainstay. And it can be said that Gen. Moeen in the architect.
Gen. Moeen did not take part in the 1971 liberation war because he was in West Pakistan. Bengali officers and soldiers were disarmed by the West Pakistan army and garrisoned. He served as Bangladesh’s Military Advisor in its High Commission in Islamabad, and is a course mate of senior Pakistani Generals. But the perception that he is a Pak acolyte apparently proved incorrect. Subsequent developments suggest Moeen is pursuing a policy in Bangladesh’s national interest – that is, balance and co-operation without machinations.
A nation’s foreign policy is generally dictated by internal political balance and ideological disposition. In Bangladesh, another dimension has been added in recent years. What kind of a political dispensation can allow unbridled corruption among politicians, businessmen, bureaucrats and military officers? The army-backed caretaker government, or at least elements among it, is trying to break this vicious nexus. But they also have their drawbacks in legal acumen and political prejudices.
A challenge taken up by the army-backed caretaker government is to send the leaders of the two main political parties, Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, into political oblivion. One can hardly deny the fact both these leaders presided over the two most corrupt governments in the country. The Khaleda Zia led government from 2001-2006 not only ruined the country financially, but directly or indirectly encouraged Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism for political interests.
The caretaker powers should have realised that these two women carry the nationalist halo of the respective husband and father. They could have been left alone and restricted through rooting out their corruption instruments. This would have been a more doable task.
But the effort to root out corruption appears to have got entangled in a mess. The anti-corruption net was cast too wide, to even wipe out small businesses. The authorities should have realised that no country is, or can be, totally free of corruption.
Also, too many politicians are languishing in custody with charges filed against them but no conviction in sight. This is now giving the authorities a bad name including of inefficiency, personal vendetta and inability to rise above embedded forces backing their corrupt mentors.
The army-backed government is also being charged with economic inefficiency. According to official figures, foreign and domestic investment proposals dipped 55 per cent between January and November 2007, compared to the previous corresponding period. The reason apparently was instability in the country, but the authorities have to take the blame. Worst has been rise in inflation, especially food prices. This has severely affected the common man, and the crux lies here.
Significantly, the Bangladesh chapter of “Transparency International” has also reported that corruption has not declined, raising serious questions about the efforts taken so far to weed it out.
The issue of terrorism directly affects both Bangladesh and India. The army-backed caretaker government has made some progress, but not enough. They succeeded in executing top six leaders of the Jamat-ul-Islam, Bangladesh (JMB). But the organisation has not been eliminated. Arrests are being made periodically, but conviction delayed.
Most importantly, they have collected hard evidence on BNP ex-Ministers, MPsand leaders involved with the JMB. Although some of them are in custody, trials continue to either drag or are postponed. Obviously, there are reasons for this state of affairs.
The most high profile case of terrorism in the country, the assassination attempt on Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004 is in court. The main culprit, Mufti Hannan, Commander of the Harkat-ul-Jihad Al-Islami, Bangladesh or HUJI (BD) is in custody. Hannan’s confessions and other evidence clearly established BNP’s conspiracy in the attack on Hasina’s life. This may be the real reason why this case is not moving towards a conclusion.
Read all Bhaskar Roy columns here
Gen. Moeen would be well advised to keep in consideration the rise in Islamic terrorism in Bangladesh, especially of Pakistan’s ISI backed terrorist organizations. The HUJI is of the special concern to India. The majority of terrorist incidents in India had a HUJI (BD) connection, and New Delhi is yet to see any serious attempts by the Bangladeshi government to address these problems.
A former senior Bangladesh army officer has recently said that the HUJI (BD) was still active in the country, and their bases in the Chittagong Hill Tract area and Cox’s Bazar are functioning.
Further, there are issues related to camps or sanctuaries of Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) in Bangladesh territory. The Chairman of the ULFA, Anup Chetia, remains in a Bangladesh jail under a cosy arrangement between the country’s intelligence agencies and the ULFA. This has prevented Chetia’s extradition to India. The ULFA Central Command is located in Dhaka, the ULFA Commander-in-Chief lives in Dhaka, and the organization runs several business enterprises in Bangladesh.
The ISIis actively involved with the ULFA in Bangladesh. A recent confession by a captured ULFA leader claimed an ISI-ULFA plan to hijack an Indian aircraft like the hijack of IC-814 from Nepal in 2000. These are unfriendly, if not outright hostile acts against India. But these can be resolved by a friendly government in Dhaka.
Gen. Moeen should be prepared to answer some of these questions.
India has demonstrated its friendship withBangladesh, especially in the aftermath of the Sidr cyclone. Some sections, especially the JEI and sections of the BNP, tried to discredit India’s assistance in various ways. But this did not work.
Interestingly, the people in sub-continental countries around India are slowly beginning to realise that India is not a threat but a stable influence and presence. This has happened most recently in Pakistan, where the people refused to bite President Musharraf’s anti-India campaign on the eve of the elections.
There is a lot to be done in the Indo-Bangladesh relations. It is for Dhaka to grab the opportunity. Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed should return from India as an encouraged leader of his country.
The views expressed in the article are the author’s and not of Sify.com.
APPENDIX A
Sheikh Mujib wanted a confederation: US papers By Anwar Iqbal
WASHINGTON, July 6: The US State Department’s newly declassified documents about the 1971 debacle show that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman wanted to have a “form of confederation” with Pakistan rather than a separate country. The documents include two telegrams dating Feb 28, 1971 and Dec 23, 1971 “based on the sentiments of Sheikh Mujib and the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,” showing that Sheikh Mujib was not secessionist, as many in the then West Pakistan believed.
The telegrams, sent to the State Department by the US embassies in Pakistan and India, document key foreign policy decisions and actions of the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
The telegram, entitled “Conversation with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” shows the path followed by the Awami League leader as he “talks of excesses by West Pakistan, states he (Mujib) is not willing to share power and does not want separation but rather a form of confederation.”
In November 1969, a year before the war began, a US diplomat sent this report to Washington: “… East Pakistan, one also senses a growing undercurrent that beyond some intangible point the West Pakistan landlord-civil service-military elite might prefer to see the country split rather than submit to Bengali ascendancy.”
One telegram quotes Indira Gandhi as saying that President Nixon has “misunderstanding about India’s case” and that “there is fantastic nonsense being talked about in the US about our having received promises from the Soviet Union about the Soviet intervention against the seventh fleet and against China.”
The documents released on June 28 provide full coverage of the US policy towards India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the newly created state of Bangladesh from January 1969 to December 1972.
Documents from March to December 1971 include intelligence assessments, key messages from the US embassies in Islamabad and New Delhi and the Consulate General in Dhaka, responses to National Security Study memoranda and full transcripts of the presidential tape recordings that are summarized and excerpted in editorial notes in volume XI.
The historian branch of the State Department held a two-day conference on June 28 and 29 on US policy in South Asia between 1961 and 1972, inviting scholars from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to express their views on the declassified documents.
During the seminar, Bangladeshi scholars acknowledged that their official figure of more than 3 million killed during and after the military action was not authentic.
They said that the original figure was close to 300,000, which was wrongly translated from Bengali into English as three million.
Shamsher M. Chowdhury, the Bangladesh ambassador in Washington who was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1969 but had joined his country’s war of liberation in 1971, acknowledged that Bangladesh alone cannot correct this mistake. Instead, he suggested that Pakistan and Bangladesh form a joint commission to investigate the 1971 disaster and prepare a report.
Almost all scholars agreed that the real figure was somewhere between 26,000, as reported by the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, and not three million, the official figure put forward by Bangladesh and India.
Prof Sarmila Bose, an Indian academic, told the seminar that allegations of Pakistani army personnel raping Bengali women were grossly exaggerated.
Based on her extensive interviews with eyewitnesses, the study also determines the pattern of conflict as three-layered: West Pakistan versus East Pakistan, East Pakistanis (pro-Independence) versus East Pakistanis (pro-Union) and the fateful war between India and Pakistan.
Prof Bose noted that no neutral study of the conflict has been done and reports that are passed on as part of history are narratives that strengthen one point of view by rubbishing the other. The Bangladeshi narratives, for instance, focus on the rape issue and use that not only to demonize the Pakistan army but also exploit it as a symbol of why it was important to break away from (West) Pakistan.
Prof Bose, a Bengali herself and belonging to the family of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, emphasized the need for conducting independent studies of the 1971 conflict to bring out the facts.
She also spoke about the violence generated by all sides. “The civil war of 1971 was fought between those who believed they were fighting for a united Pakistan and those who believed their chance for justice and progress lay in an independent Bangladesh. Both were legitimate political positions. All parties in this conflict embraced violence as a means to the end, all committed acts of brutality outside accepted norms of warfare, and all had their share of humanity. These attributes make the 1971 conflict particularly suitable for efforts towards reconciliation, rather than recrimination,” says Prof Bose. (Submitted by one of our regular Bangladeshi readers from the UK: Naved)
I don’t believe Bangladesh will return to the Pakistani union; however, Bengalis will no undoubtedly create a lot of alliances with Pakistan such as military affiliations.
No doubt most Bangladeshis, especially the business community, will support Pakistan since India has discredited itself by banning Bangladeshi investments in India. It’s better to have two brotherly nations together who were one country once. Look at USA and UK they were once country once and they fought each other, now they are the strongest of allies in sharing wealth, military intelligence, and innovations.
Brother AJ, your thoughts and opinions are part and parcel of the group think in Pakistan and Bangladesh
No one is asking for anyone to “return” to any union. However your example of the UK-US alliance was a good example of new alliances and linkages which will help the Bangladeshis and the Paksitanis.
Pakistan could extend a nuclear unmbrella to Bangladesh, and in return Bangladesh could allow bases to Pakistan.
Bangladesh could use the Gwader port to extend its maratime prowess.
Pakistan and Bangladesh could set up joint air bases in Bangladesh and Pakistan to extend their reach into the skies.
An FTA between the two countries could extend trade between the two countries. and create very powerful armed alliances.
A nuclear alliance with Pakistan will ensure the survivability of Bangladesh as a country and extend its reach into West Asia and a bridge to the Arab and Islamic world.
It would be nice to have close ties again such as in Dhaka where a lot of Pakistani businesses are flourishing since they have a huge consumer base for Pakistani products for Bengalis. A lot of Dhaka residents are Karachi born.
I read about the Bangla-Pak FTA but I didn’t keep up, did they create one or are they still working on it?
I invite you to read my article about Bangla-Pak alliances.
http://ajcrunk.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/strengthening-bangladeshi-and-pakistani-friendship/
We have posted a detailed response to your article which has some serious factual errors. There are certain “bogeys” which the enemies have tried to implant. These “issues” do not focus on the right priorities and are helpful to only the enemies.
The issues of racism, language, apology and recognition are not partinent as they have been addressed and we have the capacity to resolve them. Those who keep harping on resolved issues can not see the future.
Your article has some good points but the historical errors are based on RAW propoganda which is not valid anymore. Please see the book “India Doctrine” by Dr. Munshi and see the writings of Mr. Isha Khan and Dr. Mlaki who write for Rupee News also.
Great response bhaisab, I appreciate it. However, with the flaws it’s basically for the image of the new generation, which I forgot to mention. I replied back. Also, earlier I wrote a article about what broke the bond.
http://ajcrunk.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/say-%E2%80%9Cno%E2%80%9D-to-bengali-nationalism/
I only revived articles regarding the past is so the next generation would not make the same mistakes. There was a great saying but I forgot who said it, he said “smart people learn from the mistakes of others while fools learn from the mistakes of themselves”
And also bhaisab, regarding to your response on my blog, and I believe your Bengali colleague would agree with me also. It is in India’s best interests not to fight Bangladesh. Dhaka doesn’t have to fight New Dehli. Dhaka has warm relations with Islamabad and Pakistan’s ISI, but I could be wrong; plus with leaders of the rebels of the 7 sister states of North East India.
However, were you referring fighting India in a military manner or economically?
Amaar Bangla Bundhu (my dearest bangaldeshi brother):
AA and thank you for your response. Thank you for keeping the spirit alive. Yes I agree, we agree that we have to educate the new generation. I will try to respond to my brothers response.
Was Salaam
Moin
Amaar Bangla Bundhu (my dearest Bangaldeshi brother):
Se the writings of brothers Munshi, Isha Khan and Dr. Malik.
We don’t want Bangladesh to fight India in any way. We want what’s best for our Bengali brothers and sisters.
There is a concerted effort on the part of India to convert Bangladesh first into Bhutan, then into Sikkim and finally into a part of West Bengal and reverse the events of 14th August 1947 and revert the clock back to before October 24th 1906–when Muslim East Bengal (todays Bangladesh) was part of Hindu West Bengal.
This denoument of Muslim Bengal’s identity has to be resisted, socially, economically, poltically and yes if needed militarily.
Jazakallah khair.
Was Salaam
Editor Rupee News
http://www.rupeenews.com
Bhaisab, since you do a lot of research regarding the politics of South Asia, can you please find out anythign about Mughalstan? the proposed Muslim nation that extends from Karach to Kashmir to Dhaka.
Amaar Bangla Bundho AA:
Chaudhry Rehmat Ali called the Subcontinent “Dinia”. He did not call it “India” because that would have shown that more than 570 states were one country or something. Dinia represented the the 570 states. If you look at the map of “Dinia”, Chaudhry Rehmat Ali defined the many Muslim areas of the Subcontinent and assigned them different names. For example the states in the Northwest and West were called Pakistan (Punjab, Afghanis, Kashmir, Sindh, and Baluchistan). The sates of the Northeast were called Bangistan (bengal, Orissa, Assam etc). The states in the middle were called “Osmanistan” (essential Hydrabad and surrounding areas.
Mughalistan was the link that connected the states in the Northwest to “Bangistan” (todays truncated Bangladesh). Becuase Awadh and Delhi were Muslim majority areas many Muslims wanted the link. Many Msulims of Bangladesh and in India still yearn for the link that would link Bangladesh (Bangistan) to Pakistan, Kyrgistan, Azerbaija, Tajikistan and beyond.
Please see
http://rupeenews.com/2008/05/28/greater-bangladesh-is-inevitable/
and the other articles listed in the article.
Hope this answers your question. I have added the Mughalistan map at the bottoem of this article so that you can use it as a reference.
Do keep in touch and keep visiting.
Mughalistan khabor aaj keh motay aikanah sisholo
Dhanay baad
Was Salaam
Moin
I see, and your Bangla is pretty good, bhalo kotha bolte paren.
I wanted to invite you to read this article by a Bangladeshi who went to Pakistan, and please give me your thoughts.
http://garamblog.com/2008/07/27/a-bangladeshis-visit-to-pakistan/
Amaar Bangla Bundhoo (My dearest bengali brother):
I am 50 years old–a Pakistani American who was only a teenager in 1971.
I had tears in my eyes reading this article and coudn’t stop either the tears or stop reading.
I slightly disagree with your first sentence. Millions of Bangldeshis love Pakistanis too. What may surprise the dearest sister is that when Pakistanis visit they are greeted in the EXACT same way. No Bangladeshi insults their guest with the events of 1971 becuase they know that the struggle in 1971 was a joint struggle against dictatorship and contues as a joint strggle against Indian domination and hegemony.
I hve reached out ot Bangldeshis all my life. My dearest brother Dr. Isha Khan introduced me to the world of the Bangladeshi press recently.
We have hundreds of Bangladeshi readers on our site. Please write to us. You are already a sister in Pakistan, now become a celebrity.
I learned my Bengali in United Pakistan. You may not know this becuase it is not written in your history books, but millions were committed and bent upon transforming the country into a bi-lingual state–ignoring the ideas of Urdu lovers and fanatical unionists Nawab Waqa ul Mulk and Nawab Mohsin ul Mulk (the founding fathers of the Muslim League) and ignoring the history of Nawab Siraj ud Daulah show state language was Urdu and Farsi.
What they didn’t tell you about in the history books was the fact that it was the Bengali Muslim who overruled the 1940s Lahore resolution which called for TWO states…it was the Bengali Muslims who wanted one state and one language on the pretext that since the Punjabis, SIndhis, Baluch, Pathans and Kashmiris hade given up their own language for the sake of unity the Bengalis would also do so. My father used to always remind me that Pakistan Day was celebrated with more fervor in East Pakistan than in Karachi, Lahore or Islamabad!
With your permission I would like to reproduce this article on our site. We will soon publish the mirror image of this article titled “A Pakistani’s visit to Bangladesh”
I am so glad we met.
Editor Rupee News.
http://www.rupeenews.com
Hi. I m Shafqat and i’ve been following your articles for quite some time. I’m fond of ur writing because it gives me a different perspective, its like seeing a story from totally a new angle. I also write such stuff and tries to move away from the mainstream perceptions. I have recently started posting and publishing my articles on websites and Pakistan’s print media, and would certainly love to write with you because yours is the site which is truly critical in its approach.
Would like to hear from you
http://www.expresivo.wordpress.com
muhamad.shafqat@gmail.com
Shafqat: Thank you for your kind comments. We try to present ideas and thoughts that the mainstream either ignores or does not present or does not have the guts to define.
It is too much for the triumphalist India media sources (which caters to the elite) to describe events in an unbiased manner. The Indian press therefore creates a perception of events–far removed from the actual reality. The Indian population weaned on the milk of hatred towards Pakistan and all the other neighbors grows up thinking that this perception is reality.
Sections of the sycophantic Pakistani press regurgitates foreign news stories and either is unwilling or unable to write what the country wants to hear. Hawks like Shireen Mazari are sidelined and fired from government thinktanks because they are too vocal.
The American press of course is sponsored by six major media corporations that owns the entire spectrum of the networks. The Neocons have an agenda and the press discusses the talking points given to them. This was recently reveled the former press secretary on CNN
Presenting countercurrents requires research and is not a “cut and paste” activity pursued by many journalists
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brother moin i like your articles very much….they show i diffrent point of view which young readers like me need to think about…..
i would like to add a link ,mainly for my bengali brothers who have read this article….
it is a declassified documnt from arround 1971
thanks for your time
http://www.dawn.com/2005/07/07/nat3.htm
navid
Navid:
Amar Bangladeshi boundho dhanay bad. We added your submission to the appendix and credit given to you for submission.
Alama iqbal once said
Aik houn Mulsim haram kee pasbani keh liyeh
Neel keh sahil say lay kur ta khak kashgar
(One Muslim nation pretecting the Kaaba, from the shores of the Nile to Eastern Turkistan)
Thank you and keep writing.
Best Regards,
Moin
Wow! I just have a question for you Mr. Ansari where do get your facts from? My Alah someday enlighten you that people all over the world are his children… irrespective of their race, colour, the cultural and religious beliefs they have invented. And every tear drop and the blood of the innocent that was shed in this war in his name has hurt him immensely …
Perhaps a real name and real email id would show some credability.
This particular article is based on a RAW report and the references have clearly been mentioned in the header as well in the article.
Misguided and unsolicited advice is always rejected. Your prayer after the flame bait is acknowledged with humility. To this we say ameen and say the same to you.
Moin ansari saheb,
Hopefully Pakistan and Bangladesh will be reunited so that the task that the task of accomodating the Bangla demographic surplus will be undertaken by Pak- not India – in the future.
God bless Pak-Bangla.
Dev Kant
I support you Mr. Dev kant Bose. These bangladeshi’s got independence only because of the Indian help in 1971. Now see, how easlily they forgot the sacrifices of their forefathers. Let them unite and take care of surplus population, jihadis and other dangers they pose before the world. Let THEIR allah bless them.
As a Bangaldeshi, I truly abhor Indian sentiment.
my dear brother in pakistan moin saab, even after thirteen centuries islam has failed to unite even arab nations of west asia into a united one.even with their ethnic ,linguistic and geographical affinities. then how can religion be the base of a so called bangla pak confederation. if any thing has to be the basis of a nation ,it has to be common geographical, cultural,historical and ethnic bonds. i belong to a minority community in india.you should realise the fact there are more muslims in india than holy land of pakistan.muslims in india are more akin to their hinducounter parts than their muslim brethren in pakistan.majority of hindus in india are secular and tolerant.few years back india was ruled simultaneously by a muslim president and a sikh prime minister supported by the ruling front chair person sonia gandhi a roman catholic, three of them belong to minority communities.no other part in the world could imagine such a triumph of secularism. so my brother moin try to trounce the early medieval concept of nation hood based on religion.iam confident that moderate ,secular ,and tolerant elements in india,pakistan, and bangladesh will someday eliminate hindu and islamist extremists from the face of this sub continent. if a confederation has to form ,it should not be bangla pak confederation alone instead it should be india pak bangla confederation, it will be the super power of future.please my friends dont waste our energies in mutual bickerings.dont fell prey to western imperialist designs to divide us.
my dear brother moin saab, i have been reading some comments expressed by both sides on these columns , what i have to say is that ,there will be three perspectives on each historical event.one will be indian,other will be pakistani and a third will be of neutral.by analysing these three we have to find out the truth. as a pakistani patriot you have every right to defend yourself same is the case with an indian. as far as indian secularism is considered it is still strong.for the events in gujarat and orissa hindu fanatics alone cannot be blamed.gujarat riots was an un fortunate reaction to the godhra carnage of islamic extremists.in orissa some christian fundamentalist groups were engaged in malicious propaganda against hindu religion. so the survival and endurance of indian secularism rests on its continuing struggle against all sorts of extremisms in which moderates of all religions has to play their part. a few years ago india was simultaneously ruled by a muslim president, sikh prime minister and a roman catholic as ruling front chair person-apj abdul kalam, manmohan singh,and sonia gandhi respectively. even now secular india is ruled by a hindu president, muslim vice president,and still a roman catholic as ruling front chair person,above all key port folios of finance and defence is held by persons belonging to minority communities-manmohan singh and a.k antony respectively. dalit suppression is a thing of the past.now a dalit is at the helm of the indian judiciary-supreme court chief justice k. g balakrishnan and our largest state is ruled by a dalit woman. a system is in place for pthe proportionate representation of dalits and other back ward castes in government and educational institutions.in todays india birth in a brahmin family is considered to be a curse than boon.as you know moin saab, the role of dalits was played by slaves in all other societies even jesus and prophet mohammed failed to exterminate this curse.i also like to add, that there was no muslim rule in india for 1000years as termed by some muslim and hindu fanatics.it was a rule of turko-afghans and mughals not a rule of muslims.mohammed ghori and ghazni were mere turkish bandits not muslims,who misused the name of islam and prophet for their own material gains.majority of muslims in this subcontinent are converts from hindus- they may have done so not by cohesion as claimed by some hindu right wing groups,but by a desire to free them selves from the iron clutches of casteism. indians may be helping enemies of pakistanis and vice versa there by weakening each other .only solution to this dead lock is peace process and people to people contact….will continue later ,with love from india
My Dearest brother Omal:
Namashkar, Salam and Hello:
Thanks for your feedback. We appreciate your comments but Ruper News is not presenting any particular point of view. We criticize the the UK, the US, Germany, Italy, China and Pakistan. Not sure why Bharat should be an exception!!!!
If you take your rose colored glasses off you may be able to read and comprehend the writings of Arumdhati Roy, Dr Ruff, Dr Koncha to understand the conditions of Muslims, Dalits, Christians, Naxalites in Bharat. The tokenisms that you mention do nothing to ameliorate the condition of the 450 million Dalits, 150 million Muslims and the other 75% of the poulatipn that is the poorest in South Asia and the hungriest in the Subcontinent.
Secularism in Bharat is Hinduism Light with all the religious trappings of Brahamanism–flag, national anthem, religious dogma taught as history etc etc
If you read any and all Bharati comments on this site or look up soc.culture.Indian for the past three decades you will see the so called “secularists” pine for Akhand Bharat. Scratch any Bharati and you will find the worst bigot spewing venom against the existence of Pakistan and by association all Muslims—this is what is taught in your schools.
I have NEVER met a Bharti who EVER had anything good to say about Palistam of Pakistanis—it’s either hubris or bigotry or the religious training…we are not sure…but we have addressed it on this site on many articles if you care to look
Thank you for your comments and feedback. Please keep visiting and sharing your thoughts. We can agree to disagree.
Bangla Desh can send it’s administrators, planners, accountants & financial wizards to Pakistan as employees and high-level advisers to every Central & State government department; Pakistan can seen it’s engineers to help develop a riverboat & naval boat manufacturing facility. Can we also start opening up doors for Bengali restaurant chains? It’s about time the great cooking came back – I am sure people will be delighted to return to eating fish cooked the way it was meant to be – Bengali style. Oh yes! and the wonders they do with the lower grade varieties of rice. And don’t ignore the qalaqand – so low in sugar yet so tasty!!