Mr. Munshi invokes “Indianization” to explain the grenade attack – an old trick whose shelf life had all but expired!  

By Shabbir Ahmed

After the killing of many Awami League leaders and workers by the grenade attack on their rally on August 21, 2004, some of my friends were hopeful that the present government would be under enough pressure from both inside and outside Bangladesh.  Therefore, they will have to carry out a relatively fair investigation to arrest the killer groups and try them later.  Despite the pressure on the government, many individuals like me are not hopeful about a fair investigation and a fair trial of the killers under the present government.  My idea was that the government would try to pass the present time of shock and then their blind supporters would start writing to confuse the gullible public and later the government would take necessary steps to diffuse the present momentum against them.  However, after reading the essay of Mr. M. B. I. Munshi, I have realized that I was so wrong.  The blind supporters of the present fundamentalist coalition government have already started writing essays on the grenade attack on Awami League to confuse without even allowing a minimum time for the people to absorb the shock. 

Mr. Munshi being a professional in law has written an essay accusing a neighboring country without any valid evidence in his hand.  The essay from this law professional is full of conflicting remarks.  For example, he thinks that Awami League is a pro-Indian party but on August 21, 2004, India wanted to sacrifice their much beloved Awami League by assassinating their top leaders.  According to this Bar-at-Law and Advocate (Supreme Court) Mr. Munshi, India wants to do this to satisfy their objective to get more involved in Bangladesh.  It is highly contradictory because to get more involved, India would not try to destroy their friends and allied forces in Bangladesh.  Rather, they would try to eradicate the unfriendly groups.  But so far, we do not see any attack on the rallies of so-called anti-Indian parties such as Jamaat-i-Islami and BNP. 

The general tendency of a group of people is to blame India to divert attention from the real problems within Bangladesh.  This ploy is called the ‘red herring.’  Mr. Munshi has studied all his life in England.  He must know what a ‘red herring’ is.  By doing this, they conceal the crimes of the perpetrators and they encourage them to continue doing more crimes.  The pro-Pakistani elements of Bangladesh have not become able to correct the mistakes of the past Muslim Leaguers and Jamaat-i-Islamists on blaming India for the internal problems and chaos.  In 1971, the government of Pakistan and their fundamentalist supporters blamed India for political chaos while they themselves created the problems in the first place by not handing over power to the elected parliament.  Ultimately, they dragged India into the scenario by killing millions of Bangalees and forcing about ten million more to take shelter there in the state of West Bengal.  The Pakistani regime and their supporters created problems for India by letting ten million people to take refuge there.  Later, India interfered with support of the majority Bangalees (except a few collaborators) to get rid of the killings created by the Pakistani military regime and their supporters.  So far, we have not heard from Mr. Munshi where his allegiance lies as far as Bangladesh is concerned.  He certainly talks more like a staunch Pakistani.  Go ask a Pakistani about India.  He or she will give you an earful.     

The Pakistani regime and their supporters created problems for India.  They provoked India to resolve the problems for Bangalees that Pakistani military and their stooges created.  As a result, India intervened militarily with popular support from Bangalees to get rid of the killer Pakistani regime and their stooges.  So, by compelling India to interfere into the internal matters of the then united Pakistan, the Pakistani regime and their collaborators caused a faster break up of Jinnah's united Pakistan with a shameful surrender of more than ninety thousand Pakistani killer soldiers and officers.  I think Mr. Munshi is aware of the shameful history of the then united Pakistan.  It appears to me that a good number of people did not learn anything from this episode of 1971.  Without solving internal matters quickly, they still prefer to Indianize the problems.  By Indianizing the internal matters of Pakistan in 1971, the killer Pakistani regime and their stooges in Bangladesh got proper lessons then.  Had there been no killing by the Pakistani and their stooges and had there been a smooth transfer of power in 1971, I think there would not be ten million refugees in India.  India would remain far away from the internal matters of Pakistan and Jinnah's Pakistan could remain united.  Therefore, people like Mr. Munshi should stop Indianizing the internal matters of Bangladesh. 

The pro-Pakistani elements of Bangladesh should not repeat the mistakes of the past.  They should always remember the shameful defeat of the Pakistani regime and their collaborators in 1971 to the joint forces of Bangladesh and India.  That defeat was due to the Indiniazation of the internal matters of the then united Pakistan.  Therefore, the supporters of the present pro-Pakistani and the fundamentalist regime should try not to Indianize the internal matters of Bangladesh.  They should try to stop repression on the opposition leaders/workers, minorities, tribes in Chittagong, and secular groups/intellectuals.  These groups of people should find their homeland as a place for living peacefully and for thinking and expressing their opinion freely.  They should not be oppressed to the point that they compel to take refuge in other countries like in 1971.  I would suggest Mr. Munshi to emphasize and exert pressure on the government not to cover up repression on the aforementioned groups of people in Bangladesh.  The government should try all the killers within the boundary of Bangladesh.  Indianizing the internal problems will bring more chaos and instability in Bangladesh just like in 1971.  I am sure that a law professional like Mr. Munshi does not want this to happen in Bangladesh.

---------------------

Dr. Shabbir Ahmed writes from Jacksonville, Florida, USA

His e-mail address is: shabbirahmed2000@...