BANGLADESH LIBERATION
PART--2
SARASIJ MAJUMDER
Col Quazi Sajjad Zahir (Retd), a hero of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, a former soldier with the Pakistan Army has been awarded Padma Shri for his contribution in the field of Public Affairs on 2021 by the president of India Shri Ramnath Kovind.
In my opinion—the honour is awarded too late, and he should
have been honoured by Late Mrs. Gandhi. NDA rectified another lapsee.
His story is fit for the script of an epic war movie.
After joining the Pakistani Army, sometime towards the end
of 1969, he was commissioned into its Artillery Corps. By March 1971, he was a
soldier posted in the Pakistan Army’s elite 14th Para Brigade posted at
Sialkot.
The turning point for Col Zahir, was the 7 March speech by
Bangabandhu Mujibur, followed by the news of the atrocities committed during
the genocide against his Bengali people. Speaking to The Print, Col Zahir said,
“I decided to desert and crossed into Jammu and Kashmir from the Samba border.
I had Rs 20/- with me, along with the pants and shirt I was wearing. But I
gathered whatever I could on Pakistan’s war plans and got in touch with the
Indian Army…My family suffered a lot because of Pakistan. My father’s small
house in Dhaka was burnt down. My mother and sister were chased by the
Pakistani soldiers from their house till they were able to get a refuge.”
LIBERATION FIGHT:
After escaping into India, the Indian military vetted him
and soon brought him to a secret camp in Sylhet district of Bangladesh, where
he began training the Mukti Bahini.
As The Daily Star, a leading English daily in Bangladesh
reported, “He organised the 2nd Artillery Force under Sector-4 in the Sylhet
region. With the six 105 mm artillery Indian government gave to the Mukti
Bahini, a field artillery battery was formed, of which Col Zahir was the
co-captain. Since October [1971], the battery had assisted the Mukti Bahini Z
Force in the greater Sylhet region with artillery fire support in various
battles.”
During his stint with Mukti Bahini, Col Zahir recalled the
pivotal role of India’s then defence minister Babu Jagjivan Ram played in the
Bangladeshi liberation. “Babu Jagjivan Ram’s role was fascinating. He used to
visit training camps set up for Mukti Bahini fighters in Northeast India. He
was solely responsible for coordinating between the then Prime Minister’s Office,
Home Minister and Defence Forces,” he said as per this report.
“Reception centres were set up all across East Pakistan;
people who possessed the will to take on the challenge of fighting for the
Liberation of Bangladesh were screened by the Indian Armed forces and the
civilian administration. This task too was overseen by the indomitable Babu
Jagjivan Ram,” Col Zahir added.
Post War and Maintaining Legacy
Following the end of the war on 16 December 1971 and
Bangladesh’s independence, Col. Zahir served for some years until his eventual
retirement. Following retirement, he has
dedicated his life to documenting the immense contributions of both
Bangladeshis and Indians, irrespective of whether they were civilians or soldiers,
to the cause of freedom. “The war witnessed violence on civilians at a scale
that had not been seen in South Asian battlefields before,” he told The Hindu
in 2016. “No other country has done what we are now trying to do, by honouring
both Indians and Bangladeshis who died for the same cause.”
So far, he has reportedly written 54 books on the subject,
and in 2013, was awarded the Swadhinta Padak (Independence Award), the highest
civilian award in Bangladesh.
Source :
How
A Pak Army Colonel Fled To India & Won Freedom For Bangladesh in '71.
Other publications on Bangladesh war.
Comments
Post a Comment