Mahjabeen Khaled, a former lawmaker and the daughter of Major General Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttam, recently spoke to Dhaka Tribune's Ali Asif Shawon about the tragedy that took place on November 7, 1975.
November 7 is a black day for Bangladesh as many freedom fighters and army officers, including Major General Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttam, Col Khondkar Nazmul Huda Bir Bikram, and Lt Col ATM Haider Bir Uttam, were killed on the day 47 years ago.
Pro-liberation war forces mourn the deaths of freedom fighters on the day, but BNP and its allies celebrate November 7 as National Revolution and Solidarity Day. The BNP claims the events on the day were a “civil-military uprising”.
Even though nearly half a century has passed, the culprits and masterminds of the November 7 killings are yet to be brought to justice.
Dhaka Tribune: As the daughter of a slain military officer, what is your take on the day?
Mahjabeen Khaled: I reckon November 7 is still a complicated chapter for Bangladesh. We are yet to get rid of this black chapter even though 47 years have passed since the killings. We still don't clearly know what happened from November 1-7 in 1975. BNP and Jasad mark the day on their own. Awami League and pro-liberation war forces observe it as the day of the killing of war heroes, which is the case in truth.
On this day every year, I demand justice for all of those who were killed. Nowadays it seems as if nobody is interested or bothering about it. I want the distorted history to be corrected. Politics should centre on history.
I believe many people are still confused about the intentions of Khaled Mosharraf on that day, but we as a family knew what he had actually aimed at. He was a proud fighter. There was no doubt about his patriotism. When the 1971 Liberation War broke out, he left behind his family and joined it. We had no contact with him, whatsoever. We suffered similarly in 1975.
So, I think if the people are not aware of the background, they would never understand him.
In fact, there was a plot to kill us too. My mother is almost 80 now. Like others, she did not see the killers punished. I no longer believe that she ever will.
I know that Major Jalil and Major Asad gunned down my father, Col Huda, and Lt Col Haider at point-blank range in the 10th East Bengal regiment. But the killers enjoyed all facilities of the state as they were in the military. Shockingly, they also managed to avail construction projects.
Adding to our woes, BNP and Jasad celebrate November 7. Our government took no steps to stop that and to form a probe commission over the killings.
We have nothing to say about it. I have even lost interest in giving interviews. I tried for years to file a case in this regard, but every time the lawyers advised me to take permission from the “highest authority.”
Hence, I urge the “highest authority” to look into the matter. If assisted, we can still sue the killers, who are still alive.
Also, we need to eradicate the fabricated history written by BNP and Jasad.
What do you remember about your father?
In my opinion, I never understood him nor knew him. I was way too young. In 1971, I was only five. But I recall him being always busy, even at home.
Other than his colleagues, many people from our village home of Jamalpur used to visit him often on multiple grounds, mostly personal. People of Islampur upazila in the district told me my father did a lot for them.
He was very fond of driving and new cars. I remember him going on long drives on weekends.
Some people claim Khaled Mosharraf and some others kept silent about the November 3 killings. What do you think about this?
Well, our history has been distorted over a long time. Some quarters started distorting history right from 1971. We are yet to prepare a complete list of freedom fighters, and we still don't know who the real freedom fighters and razakars are. Many “new” freedom fighters are still emerging.
On the jail killing front, I'd suggest forming a truth commission to help unearth the facts. I urged the government to interview whoever accompanied my father from November 1-7 in 1975.
As far as I know, they were not informed about anything. Some people, out of their political interest, said fabricated things about my father. I even heard such things during the Jail Killing Day. That's why I insist that a truth commission be formed. If so, BNP, Jasad and a section of Awami League leaders will not be able to spread cooked-up information.
That very section of Awami League leaders kept mum at that time. They did the same even during the August 15 killing of Bangabandhu. They should be asked about their silence. All of them had a political motive behind it.
Despite my grandmother leading a procession after the August 15 carnage in Dhanmondi-32, they question the role of our family in the incident. My uncle also marched at that time.
Sadly, I was forced to listen to such criticism in the parliament and they did so despite representing Awami League.
Considering the circumstances, I strongly recommend forming the truth commission as it is high time to do so. Many of those linked to my father are ageing.
