Muhammad Yunus: It seems some people and nations never learn from their mistakes from the past. Pakistan and Bangladesh are no exception. The nations of Asim Munir and Muhammad Yunus are once again taking India lightly. They probably have forgotten the fact that India stood like a giant to help Bangladesh against the atrocities of Pakistan.
1971: Memory, Pride And Humiliation
For Bangladesh, 1971 is etched as a Liberation War. It is filled with unforgettable pain, trauma, atrocities, pride and identity.
The 1947 partition between India and Pakistan culminated the seeds of regional and religion indifferences between the two countries. In the 1970 parliamentary elections, an overwhelming number of East Pakistanis voted for the Bangladesh Awami League, which was founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
However, it was blocked by the Pakistani Army led by Yahya Khan. Rahman was put behind bars, resulting in mass, nationwide protests. Pakistan’s army brutally suppressed it and ordered mass-scale rape of young girls and women, and oppression of one and all.
A massive refugee movement then happened into neighbouring India. India decided to support East Pakistanis and East Pakistani guerilla forces, supported by India, fought with the Pakistani Army. This caused an open war between the two powers beginning on December 3, 1971.
Pakistani troops at Dhaka surrendered to India forces on December 16, 1971. East Pakistan became the independent country of Bangladesh, resulting in the resignation of Yahya Khan. He was replaced by his foreign minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who put him under house arrest.
Pakistan’s Atrocities
Mass killing and rapes of Bangladeshi people and women were ordered by Yahya Khan before the 1971 war started. It is believed that 400,000 women and girls were raped by members of the Pakistan Army and more than 3 million people were killed.
This resulted in thousands of birth of war babies, suicides, pregnancies, infanticide, abortions and ostracism of the victims. During this time, Bengali nationalists also went on to commit mass rape of ethnic Bihari Muslim women as they were supportive of Pakistan.
The Forgetful Behaviour Of Muhammad Yunus
Are Pakistan and Bangladesh deliberately forgetting the past and going against India?
