The above caption is a popular slogan of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). This slogan takes our memory back to the events, which occurred in Dhaka on November 7, 1975, events which many of us saw in person.
It reminds us of a legacy of the spontaneous resistance of the common people of Bangladesh to protect its sovereignty and independence. It was an unusual unpredicted, unannounced day of abrupt resistance when no one called anyone to come to the streets. There was no preparation, there was no leader, there was no one to command, there was no meeting, yet it was a resistance. A silent revolution occurred that protected Bangladesh. Such an unprecedented incident is rare in human history.
This spontaneous mass uprising occurred due to an unthinkable unity of the sepoy and the people. This unity frustrated the conspiracy of an anti-Bangladesh alien clique and its local agents, whose objective was to sell out the country in exchange for getting support to capture the state’s power. But the people’s resistance saved the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh on that day.
This unified resistance became a sources of patriotism, inspiration and encouragement which proved mightier than weapons. The patriotic forces, in the course of time transformed the outcome of the resistance on November 7, 1975, which was an unarmed non-violent peaceful resistance of the people along with the common sepoys of the then Bangladesh Army. They released General Ziaur Rahman, the proclaimer of Independence of Bangladesh in 1971, from house arrest. The anti-Bangladesh traitors and their alien mentors were defeated facing resistance, which proved that people are the ultimate sources of power and their unity is mightier than machine guns and tanks, or arms of any type.
When the BNP and its front organizations refer to the “weapon of ’75”, they are speaking about the unified unarmed spontaneous uprising and resistance to deter the conspiracy to kill Zia, frustrated at the intrigue of turning Bangladesh into a satellite state of a fake friend. It was orchestrated by the intelligence agency of that country hinted above with active collaboration of a gang of Bangladeshi mercenaries, whose identity and even names are known to many people at home and abroad. But its assignment was foiled due to the people’s resistance.
The defeated evil forces of November 7, 1975, flocked together under the cover of a grand alliance, which is a combination of several groups and factions. The Awami League (AL) suffers from groupings and internal rivalry even to this day. Some of these fractions were involved in killing Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975. The same groups also tried to kill General Ziaur Rahman on November 7, 1975 but were defeated due to the resistance of the common sepoys and the people.
November 7 of 1975, is the source of ideological consciousness and the tool of political activities of the BNP.
The new generation of the AL does not know, while its old generation knowingly tries to distort the background and outcome of November 7, of 1975, as it is a day of bravery and resurrection. AL activists deliberately misinterpret it claiming that it refers to August 15 of 1975 when Sheik Mujib was killed.
The leader of the Awami League Sheikh Hasina, to save her illegal power and her life, does not name the exact mentor that killed her father from behind the screen. Moreover, at least 19 ministers of the Mujib cabinet retained their position in the new cabinet formed by the AL leader Khondakar Mustaque Ahmad. He himself was a minister in the Mujib cabinet. So, a genuine question arises as to who killed Mujib?
It is essential to note that the tragic murder of Mujib on the dawn of August 15, 1975, occurred due to the conflict of sharing of power among the internal fractions of the AL and the silent support of the opposition party of that time, the India-sponsored Jatiya Samajtrantic Dal (JSD), popularly known as Jasad, and its armed wing, the Gano Bahini. The AL’s trusted ally, India’s intelligence agency RAW staged this tragic drama of killing Mujib from behind the scenes.
For years the AL tried to interlink the name of General Ziaur Rahman in the killing Mujib, but failed to produce any documents to prove the allegations. The most surprising story is that after the killing of Mujib, JASAD was liquidated as a single party. It is widely believed that India floated it to undermine Mujib and when he was killed, its assignment was finished and JASAD was not required anymore. It was subdivided and fragmented into several groups. It is also strange to note that leaders of all these groups, who once harshly condemned Mujib to his face are now the partners of Sheikh Hasina. What a strange country Bangladesh is!
Zia’s contribution
The unified upraising, which is regarded as a revolution, protected Bangladesh from the paw of a hegemonic bully and General Ziaur Rahman, the proclaimer of the independence of Bangladesh.
He got a chance to directly serve the country as the Head of State when President Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem resigned. It paved the way for Zia to serve the country who brought about revolutionary changes in every sector of Bangladesh.
He ended the curse of the one-party dictatorial one-man rule and restored a multi-party democracy. He explored our national identity known as Bangladeshi nationalism and encouraged the spirit of self-respect in all fields. He initiated massive programs of canal digging to store water during the rainy season to irrigate agricultural lands during the dry season. The project also eased waterways, increased fish production and deterred deforestation due to the Farakka Barrage. He ran from one village to another and went to the doorstep of the villagers to inspire them to grow more food, removing hunger, starvation, and poverty. During his rule crimes like robbery, extortion, hijacking were tremendously reduced, restoring peace and harmony in the society.
Zia followed a well-thought out and balanced independent foreign policy for Bangladesh, suiting its geo-strategic interests and within a short time, attained a prestigious position in the international arena. He emerged as a leading stateman in the Muslim world and negotiated many crucial issues among the OIC countries.
Some of his glorious achievements, among others, are the completion of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, the National Assembly Building, Zia (Shahjalal) International Airport, Zia Fertilizer Factory, the Islamic University of Bangladesh, Shishu Park, Shishu Academy, etc.
It would take volumes to document Zia’s contribution in developing Bangladesh during his about three-year rule. What would have happened to Bangladesh if Zia had been killed on November 7, 1975?
William B. Milam, former US Ambassador to Bangladesh, rightly answered this question: “It’s hard to imagine what would have happened to Bangladesh had Ziaur Rahman been assassinated in 1975 instead of 1981. A failed state on the model of Afghanistan or Liberia might well have resulted. Zia saved Bangladesh from that fate.”
Duty of Zia followers
It is the sacred duty of Zia followers to uphold his ideology and motto, to protect the country, its sovereignty and independence. He risked his life for the second time on November 7, 1975, and established Bangladesh on a strong footing. All these positive changes that occurred in Bangladesh till date, are the outcomes of 7th November, the day of a successful bloodless revolution of the unarmed people and their sons — common sepoys.
Now the nation faces a more dangerous crisis. Earlier it faced external threats, but now we are facing more difficult unthinkable dangers. The same evil powers and their agents endangered our existence. We should think back to November 7, 1975 and organize the same type of people’s resistance to salvage the country, its people, its socio-religious cultural heritage and secure its hard-earned independence and sovereignty. No group has any room to be scared or feel intimidated.
But the traitors, foreign stooges and looters who committed many crimes are very terrified, apprehending the consequences, which they deserve for their crimes against the country and humanity. They have committed horrific crimes such as murder, theft, bribery, extortion, misappropriation, rape, falsity, misuse of power, etc. So, this slogan “Pochatarer hatiar gorjay uthuk arekbar” obviously creates panic in their psyche and their heart tumbles and trembles them out of fear and they feel that the phantom of November 7 chases them round the clock. So, they are to oppose this slogan till their death.
*The writer is a Bangladesh-American journalist and researcher.
June 11, 2022
The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of Aequitas Review.
