The War for Liberation for the freedom fighters has been a catalytic game changer or a major watershed in their lives, transforming their world view about their lives, the philosophy of a nation, construction of nationhood, keeping the spirit or ideals of liberation as the centerpiece of the very foundation of the idea of an independent sovereign state.
Fifty years down the line, the freedom fighters -- those who are still alive and 70-plus years old -- had never allowed the memories of the war to fade. You scratch the veneer and you will find they are leaping back to those fateful days, the guns, the bombings, the ambushes, the raids, the hit-and-run attacks on the enemy posts to steal their confidence and peace of mind still fresh in their memories.
Since the war ended, so much water has flowed through the rivers of the land and so much has happened -- politically, economically, socially, demographically, geographically, and topographically; to put it pithily, there has been a sea of changes in the country encompassing every aspect of life. Alas, the freedom fighters have grown older by 50-plus years, yet the memories of the war never dulled or gathered dust in their minds.
It may be mentioned that during the War for Liberation, the country was divided into 11 sectors for smooth and coordinated conduct of the war.
A group of freedom fighter officers from Sector 6 (composed of greater Dinajpur and Rangpur districts, less certain eastern parts of Rangpur district), in a recent gathering at the residence of Major A Matin Chowdhury, from the 1st Bangladesh War Course and Chief Patron of the Bangladesh War Courses Foundation (BWCF), comprising the members of the two courses, floated an idea to revisit those battlegrounds where they fought during the war.
The proposition was immediately grabbed by all those present, including their wives who readily agreed to join the group. Flt Lt (retd) Iqbal Rashid, who was a Sub-Sector commander under Sector 6, took up the leadership of the team. The entire visit was sponsored by Major Matin.
The three-day visit from September 4-6 2022, was attended by the following officers:
1. Flt Lt Iqbal Rashid
2. Major A Matin Chowdhury and spouse
3. Major General Masudur Rahman BP and spouse
4. Col Aminul Islam and spouse
5. Major Abdus Salam and spouse
6. Major Ashraf Ud Doula and spouse
7. Lt Col Dr Gulap Hossain
Motahar Hossain, MP and former State Minister, and Firozur Rahman, both of whom were members of the 2nd Bangladesh War Course, and left the army following their return to the country from India in February 1972, also joined the group in Rangpur.
As the team arrived at the Saidpur airport by US-Bangla flight at 8:30 in the morning, unlike the usual September overcast, the sky was strikingly shiny and bright, and the airport was glowing with the morning sun, as if to accord a warm welcome to the heroes, to the victors of the '71 war. Our eyes were fixated on a large crowd of elderly people on the tarmac, each of them holding a flower bouquet in their hands. We were wondering if there was a big VIP on the plane.
As we disembarked with Iqbal Rashid in the front, the whole crowd, after a little hesitation to ascertain if he was the right person, came rushing to him with tears of joy, maybe with a tad tinge of sadness, rolling down from their eyes. There was a huge commotion and outbursts of emotion. Everyone wanted to garland him, touch him, hug him, speak to him all those unspoken words that remained suppressed in their hearts for so many thousands of days.
These were the freedom fighters who fought under Iqbal Rashid during the war of liberation -- the youthful daredevil fighters of '71, now old and in their twilight years but still full of spirit and camaraderie. The presence of their commander in their midst rekindled the lost vigour and brought out the rebels caged inside their troubled souls.
Some of the crowds also approached us with flower bouquets and hugged us. But a great surprise was still waiting outside the airport. As we exited the airport, there were hundreds of those septuagenarian freedom fighters, haggard by the old age but stoutly youthful, standing in attention to salute Iqbal Rashid, their long-lost commander.
After the formalities at the airport, the group as decided earlier, split into two. One group led by Iqbal Rashid headed for Nilphamari, his Sub-Sector Headquarters and the other group led by Gen Masud headed for Tetulia, Banglabandha, Thakurgaon, and Panchagad. However, as requested by the Brigade Commander of the 222 Brigade, the second group visited the Saidpur Cantonment as most of the officers of the group had served in the Saidpur cantonment for a couple of months, following the independence of the country.
These were extremely critical periods, as these officers were not only involved in the rebuilding effort of the nation, they were also tasked to maintain security in Saidpur and adjacent areas, the city being one of the largest concentrations of the Biharis, who sided with the Pakistan army in annihilating the local Bengali population.
The Saidpur cantonment is also a place which charted an irreversible course of life of your author, but that’s for another day.
The Brigade Commander and the officers of the Brigade, all cheerful and excited, were happy to meet in person with the heroes of '71, who were instrumental in rebuilding the Saidpur cantonment following the ravages wrought by the Pakistan army and plundering by others, during and in the wake of the Liberation War. In keeping with the time-honoured tradition of the army, they were extremely courteous, respectful, and hospitable. The visitors and the hosts also exchanged gifts between them.
At every stoppage of the visit to the westernmost sector, the group, led by Masud, was welcomed by the freedom fighters of the area with a similar emotion, love, and affection, and they all visited the spots where exchanges of fires and armed encounters took place with the enemy forces. The locals also shared their memories with the visiting groups, and voiced their thoughts on some of their present-day challenges and disappointments with certain developments, or the lack of it.
In Nilphamari, the situation was rather different and beyond expectation, as thousands of people including the war veterans turned up to see Iqbal Rashid and hear him speak. Iqbal was overwhelmed by the atmosphere and he, too, couldn't control his tears and emotions. They also apprised him of some of their economic issues, and he assured them of his support in this regard.
After the day’s program, both the groups fell back to Rangpur and spent the night at the BRAC resthouse. But before going to bed, they sat in the lounge and shared their experiences of the day, being oblivious of the time passing into the wee hours; and there were no signs of tiredness or fatigue on their faces. They were alerted only after their wives’ calls.
The next morning, on September 5, following breakfast at Masud’s in-laws' house, the group again split into two. One group, led by Iqbal Rashid, went to the Muktijoddha Sangsad for a meeting with the local freedom fighters, while the other group led by Gen Masud attended a welcome function by the GOC of 66 Div at the Rangpur Cantonment.
The GOC and his Div officers were equally effusive in welcoming the visitors, and showered them with a glowing tribute for their contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh. Their hospitality was impeccable and so was their warmth. They also exchanged gifts with the guests.
The war veterans and their spouses crossing the Teen Bigha corridor to go to the Bangladesh enclave of Dahagram, inside the Jalpaiguri District of West Bengal Iqbal’s reception at the Muktijoddha Sangsad turned into a vivacious reunion, where not only was Iqbal the prima donna of the gathering, but it also became a momentous event for the freedom fighters to reconnect with their fellow warriors for the first time after 50 long years.
There was another heartrending scene when a centenarian freedom fighter turned up in a wheelchair and struggled to stand in attention to salute his Sub-Sector Commander, Flt Lt Iqbal Rashid, and the latter, overwhelmed by the spectacle, broke into tears and hugged the old warrior tight to his chest.
The whole group then started for the Abakash rest house adjacent to Teesta barrage at Dalia point, where Motahar and Firoz were waiting to receive the team. Following lunch at the Abakash, the visitors headed for Burimari, which was the Sector Headquarter of Sector 6. On the way, the group also visited the Teenbigha Corridor and the Dahagram enclave of Bangladesh, located inside the Jalpaiguri district of India.
The Burimari Sector Headquarters was especially significant for officers of the 2nd Bangladesh War Course, as this was the place where they were selected as officer cadets during the war. Though the general area has undergone a huge change, surprisingly the classrooms of the high school -- where the candidates slept on the floors for three nights for their interviews -- have remained unchanged, standing as a dutiful sentinel bearing the history of the nation’s war, in its bosom.
The local freedom fighters organized a big meeting for the visitors, which started after Maghrib prayers, and was addressed by all the members of the group and continued until 10pm. Interestingly, no one left the meeting despite the incessant heavy downpour -- a manifestation of the attachment people feel for the War for Liberation.
By the time the group returned to the Lalmonirhat Circuit house, it was already midnight. The DC of Lalmonirhat was waiting with his full retinue of local administration to receive the liberators. He hosted a sumptuous dinner, followed by a brief introduction and exchange of views.
The next morning, the group arrived at Joymarirhat, under Bhurungamari Upazila, a theatre of a major battle. Here lie the mortal remains of Shaheed Lieutenant Ashfaqus Samad BU, who embraced martyrdom on November 20, 1971 -- only after 40 days of his commissioning into the Bangladesh Army -- in a frontal attack against the Pakistan army.
Our presence at the site of Samad’s martyrdom cast a shadow of sadness when some of the eyewitnesses gave a vivid description of the tragic incident. According to them, Samad was leading his company from the front to attack an enemy post. He was moved by crawling towards his targets. After clearing two enemy bunkers, as he was surging ahead towards the third bunker, a volley of enemy bullets hit his temple, and he died instantly. His dead body was reportedly evacuated the following morning under the cover of dense fog.
It was a sheer display of fearless bravery, courageous leadership, and undiluted patriotism that led to the martyrdom of Samad, a brilliant and talented student of Dhaka University before the war broke out. He was bestowed with the second highest gallantry award for his exemplary patriotism.
Sadly, there hasn't been a sincere attempt, either from the government or from the local authorities, to erect a befitting monument in memory of the great hero. There is only a non-descriptive grave in the area huddled together with three other graves -- one of which is of an unknown person, and the other two are of two freedom fighters. It has all fallen on the shoulders of a retired Senior Warrant officer and a freedom fighter Abdul Mazid Sarkar to maintain the upkeep of the grave and its security.
Following the recital of Surah Fatiha and presentation of salute at the graveside, Major Matin Chowdhury promised to build an appropriate Monument in memory of Bir Uttam Samad by the War Courses Foundation, and he asked the local freedom fighters to send him a site map of the land, where it would be built.
The last leg of the trip was a visit to the North Bengal Muktijuddho Museum situated in Kurigram. The museum was single-handedly established by Abraham Linkon, a recipient of the February 21 award, in his private property, to preserve and dissipate the glorious history of our War for Liberation for posterity.
The museum displays several valuable relics of the War for Liberation, including a rich collection of rare photos of the war. After the tour of the museum, Lincoln hosted a reception for the visiting group, which was attended by a large number of freedom fighters and local administration officials.
He also presented some unique gifts to the visitors, including a framed photograph of each of the officers, that also contained their respective brief biographies. The tour of the museum, without a doubt, was the major highlight of the entire trip.
To summarize the visit, my dispassionate observation is that the people of Bangladesh -- especially in the border areas where the early battles were fought -- besides the freedom fighters, hold memories of the War for Liberation with much reverence, love, and affection in their hearts. Those memories have never dulled or been obscured from their life.
It is, perhaps, those ordinary people, I am confident, who will never allow the history of the Liberation War to be tainted, fade away, or diminish in the vortex of the changing dynamics of the nation.
The visit was made smooth and hassle-free due to the unconditional support and cooperation extended to the team by the local district administrations of the areas that were visited.
Before I conclude, it’s my bounden duty to especially applaud the lady wives who accompanied the group for enduring the extreme inconvenience and fatigue, during the arduous and lengthy journeys, sometimes on bumpy roads, smiling and without complaints. The epic journey through the labyrinthine memory lane, if not for their encouragement, would have turned into a dull affair.
Ashraf ud Doula is a freedom fighter and former Ambassador to several countries.
