Monday | 7 October 2024 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Monday | 7 October 2024 | Epaper

A Personal Chronicle

Our struggle, our independence

Published : Saturday, 30 December, 2017 at 12:00 AM  Count : 550
Khurshid Alam
(Continuation from previous week)
The embassy interior was an eye-opener for me; it had wall-to-wall red plush carpets and exotic furniture. I did not expect to see such extravaganza in a "communist" embassy!  I was then taken to a plush room where a formally attired maid brought us crystal glasses of vodka and black coffee. Before then I had never drunk any alcohol though as you may know, Turks are not at all averse to alcoholic drinks, a bottle of "Raki", a very strong drink indeed, is their forte. 
I was confused but when I saw the burly Trade Counsellor pick up the glass of vodka, I gathered my spirits (thinking that this Bengali may be diminutive in size but not someone to flee the battle) and took a glass too and copying the Russian drank the whole glass in one go, feeling the raw vodka burning down my throat but keeping calm and my wits intact.. When the Russian took a glass of black coffee afterwards, I refrained from taking one just to be "one-up" over the Russian.  Later when I got out of the embassy and was walking up the hill to our apartment, I could feel that I was swaying and that everything around me were getting hazy!  I had to share this anecdote to let the readers know what foolhardy bravado and buffoonery I was susceptible to!
Around the middle of May 1971 while martial law was in effect and the university was closed, Habib and I decided that we should try to go to East Pakistan instead of wasting our time in Ankara, and see if we could link up with people there to join the Mukti Bahini.  By that time communication links between the Bengali diplomat and Indian Embassy and with Beirut were already established.
I went to meet with Verma to talk this out. Initially Verma would not give much thought to it saying that we could do a lot here publicizing the cause of Bangladesh.  He also informed that he had sent my name to the Bangladesh Government in Exile through the Indian Foreign Ministry and that I would soon be hearing from them directly.  In the face of my vehement insistence, he ceded.  He told me that it may not be safe for us to go to Dhaka directly and suggested that we could fly to Calcutta directly or go to Rangoon and from there fly to Calcutta and thenceforward to wherever we wanted, and offered us free air tickets and some expenses. I declined the offer, as I did not want to be seen as someone who had taken Indian largesse while purportedly going to fight for his country.  I asked him whether he could issue us Indian visas, but not on our Pakistan passports.  A few days later he issued the multi-entry visas on plain paper.
Around the end of May 1971, Habib and I departed for East Pakistan travelling by road from Ankara to Iran and then to Afghanistan, to West Pakistan. We were cash struck and travelling by road was dirt-cheap. Our trip from Turkey to Afghanistan was quite uneventful. However, as soon as we got on the bus from Kabul for Pakistan we were bombarded by some Pakistani travellers with catcalls and boos, calling us various odd names.  We retorted lightly but mostly kept our cool.
There was a scary moment at the Khyber Pass Pakistan border outpost. When we presented ourselves at the customs and immigration the Pathan officers greeted us warmly calling us Bengali bhai's and offered us tea.  While we were chatting, a person came towards us and while praising my jacket/anorak, started groping it. This sent a chill up my spine as unknown to Habib I had inserted the Indian visas inside the arms of my jacket and sewed them. I instinctively snatched the jacket away - the man was taken aback but did not venture further. Later I realized that he was a plain clothes intelligence officer doing his rounds at the land port.  After boarding our bus for Rawalpindi when I told Habib of the visas he was scared that he started trembling.
From Rawalpindi we took another bus to Islamabad and went to a friend's house. Mustafa Kamal Pasha a former Pakistani student at METU, a former roommate, a sympathizer and a good friend even till today, was then living in Islamabad and working as an Architect at the CDA. He was single and had a big house.
We were impatiently passing our days trying everyday to get plane tickets from Rawalpindi to Dhaka. While in Islamabad Pasha took us to Imran's sister who was then staying at the residence of the Speaker of Pakistan National Assembly We also visited Pasha's neighbor, a Bengali Police Officer (SP/DIG) -- his wife was very nice and friendly lady who invited us all a few times and reminisce.  After ten days, with help of one Mr. Qureshi the PIA Station Manager, Pasha got us two air tickets and off we flew to Dhaka via Karachi. 
Before we departed from Islamabad, I called Tariq Mufti, a former brilliant Pakistani student of METU, a former roommate, a sympathizer and a close friend, then working as the Technical Manager of the English Daily "Sun".  He instructed us not to get out of Karachi airport but to wait for him in the restaurant lounge.
While lazying n the lounge we realized why Tariq told us not to venture outside - hundreds of people were crowded inside the airport lobby. The whole place was in total disarray; all trying to go to Dhaka but only a lucky few had tickets and the others were hoping that some would not turn up and they could take their place.  Most of the seats/tickets were reserved for army personnel being deployed to East Pakistan. 
At around midnight Tariq arrived and we had some food. We talked for a few hours before Tariq wished us good luck and safety while in Dhaka and went back to work at the newspaper.  It may be mentioned here that at that time in Pakistan the newspaper "Sun" carried the most unbiased news of the Bangladesh plight.  Upon reaching Dhaka, we took rickshaws from Tejgaon airport to our homes -- no came to pick us up -- no one knew we were coming!
Reaching home, I found that the whole family had gone to the village. My father was then posted in Chittagong. My younger brother Nurul Alam Bhuiyan had already gone to India and joined the Mukti Bahini under Maya. The people who used to work at our home were staying there with their family. 
After staying a few days in Dhaka and unsuccessfully trying to get in touch with some friends and acquaintances to help us to join the Mukti Bahini, I departed for my village home in Brahmanbaria district. 
My mother and siblings were very surprised to see me, and wondered why I came in those troubling insecure times. A few other families had also come to the village from Dhaka. While in the village, I heard that quite a few people had gone over to India to join the liberation army. Again I tried in vain to engage someone to help me join, so after about a month, somewhere in July, I brought my whole family to Dhaka with me -- that was something that I came to regret later.
My brother Nurul came once while I was in Dhaka, apparently as part of a mission to blast some bombs in Dhaka. I requested him earnestly to take me with him to India but he flatly refused saying that I should be there to take care of the family and begged of me to go back to Turkey and complete my studies -- he himself was not so keen about studies! Habib also failed to make any fruitful contacts and we returned to Ankara in early August.
After returning to Ankara I found that martial law had been lifted and the university classes had resumed. The Head of Chemical Engineering Department called me in and entreated me as to why I missed classes. When I explained that I was gone to East Pakistan and no one informed me of the resumption of classes (not that anyone in Ankara knew my exact whereabouts in Dhaka) he became very angry and started to lecture me on the situation in Pakistan. He had recently been to Pakistan and was virulently fed anti-Bengali / anti-India propaganda by the Pakistan authorities.
This led to a serious argument and in disgust walked out on him.  That got into his nerves and he remembered the episode well.  After the semester final exams he took his vengeance. Quite a few suspected leftist and "troublesome" students numbering 100++, mostly from the different Devrimci groups, were dismissed from the university in September/October 1971. Because of my late arrival and missing many classes, I didn't do that well in one subject, his subject Unit Operations, and also knowing of my inclinations towards the Devrimciler and ties with some, the Department Head took this opportunity to include me in the list.  Before the commencement of the Fall Semester of 1972 the university called us back but I was by then studying at the University of Leeds, UK.
Meanwhile I had started receiving memos, info sheets and propaganda materials from the Bangladesh Government in Exile (BGE), all the memos signed by a Mr. Syed Ahmed, Deputy Secretary of the Foreign Ministry of BGE. I used to make copies of those and distribute and/or mail them to the various newspaper offices. We should remember that at the time there was tight security and oversight control and also that Pakistan and Turkey being RCD partners (the other being Iran), the Turkish newspapers had to be very careful and wary about what they could or would publish. Nevertheless, slowly and hesitantly the Turkish newspapers started publishing them after translating them into Turkish. The leftist tabloids were the most receptive of those materials. Around September/October of 1971 the newspapers started to include news of the fight in Bangladesh.
Around end-August, Syed Ahmed of BGE informed me through a memo that henceforth I was to be the official representative of BGE in Turkey - that of course was a feather on my cap and felt that my efforts in support of Bangladesh were fruitful. I informed Verma and Mustafa Jamal of this news. Verma seemed to know already, and I continued to keep in touch with him.  I also made occasional contacts with the Russian Trade Counsellor.
The surrender of Pakistan army en masse on December 16, 1971 was one of the happiest days for us living far away in Turkey -- euphoria burst out amongst the students. The reaction amongst the diplomatic community was more subdued, as they were thrown into a quandary as to what to do - Pakistan Embassy also started keeping close watch on them.
What was most disappointing and sad was that the diplomats hardly shared any news or discussed any plans with the non-diplomatic Bengali staff of the embassy.  We celebrated by making a flag of Bangladesh and with a party at our apartment --- Dr. Ahsan (a visiting professor at METU, on lien from Atomic Energy Commission) also hosted a party later on at his place. It brought us new hope and aspirations of the new country, which in my opinion have withered away as time passed by!
Near the end of December 1971 or early 1972 some of us received sad news from the newly independent and victorious Bangladesh. I received a letter from my father informing me of the brutal torture and murder of my younger brother (3rd in line, I being the 1st), Shahid Alam Bhuiyan who was a 2nd year HSc student. Two more uncles who had taken shelter in our home had also been taken away along with my brother from our home in North Kamalapur on 6th December 1971. A total of 35 people were taken away by the Pak army and Razakars from our locality on that fateful day.
Tahseen also received news ofthe death of his younger brother, Naseem who was killed at Comilla border as he was trying to cross over to Tripura to join the Mukti Bahini.
Habib's family informed him that his father, Mr. Abul Kashem then Union Council Chairman, was killed on 9th November in Panga, Rangpur (now Lalmonirhat). His younger brother was also accosted but was released later.
All three of were heartbroken and although all three of us lived in the same apartment we could not really share our losses -- who would console whom and how, when we all had our own separate individual memories to reckon with?

 The writer completed BSc in Chemical Engineering and Post-Graduate Diploma in Fuel & Energy Engineering from the University of Leeds, and worked for Petrobangla. He later obtained a Master of Engineering degree in Natural Gas Engineering from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, USA, where he was also elected the Vice President of the University Students' Association. Now he lives in Atlanta.






LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
Story of the magnificent Bangladesh
My metaphysics
Our struggle, our independence
Question put forward to an excuse
Coming
Story of the magnificent Bangladesh
Our struggle, our independence
Grains of sand
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: info©dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝