The Bengalis' dormant desire for an independent and sovereign state dates back to many ages. It is not heard that this oppressed nation has ever been able to build such an absolute unity for liberation as in 1971. The final defeat of the Pakistani invaders occurred on December 16, 1971 in a nine-month-long defensive war. The day was Thursday.
After 53 years, many are interested in knowing what that day of eclipse free was like for the Bengalis. The newspapers of that time presented the details of the victory in various ways in the newspapers of December 17, 1971. Without reading that touching account, the true lesson of history remains incomplete. We will try to find out how the day of the final victory of the Bengalis was depicted.
In a special article titled 'Mukhar Mahakal', the daily writes, 'Having destroyed the darkness of many black nights, the victory flag of humanity flew high in the metropolis of Dhaka this afternoon. Delhi has shown its unfading influence by cutting all the hateful webs of conspiracy. The sun that had set in the mango grove of Bengal one afternoon due to Mir Jafar's conspiracy, today, in one afternoon, the same sun rose in the sky illuminating all directions.'
'Those who have taken away the honor of many mothers and many sisters, those who bathed in the warm blood of many young people for a day, those who have planted the poisonous tree of exploitation in the courtyards of many houses for so long, those who have tarnished the accumulated civilization of the entire human race - they kneel in the deserts of Dhaka...Today the call of the heart - O world, listen, I was dormant in millions of lives, today I am developed. Today the curse of a century has been erased, today after victory, I am committed to embrace my friends and strike my enemies.' - This is how the story of that day was depicted in the special editorial of Tripura Sangbad.
It is a history
The daily Ittefaq published a report on Victory Day in its issue published on December 17, titled ‘Surrender’ – It is a history. After suffering successive defeats at the hands of the Allied forces and the Liberation Army in various battlefields in Bangladesh over the past few days, Lt. General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, the commander of the eastern region of the occupying forces, sent a ceasefire proposal to the Indian commander-in-chief, General Shyam Manekshaw, through the American embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon. Accordingly, General Manekshaw ordered a halt to air strikes on Dhaka from 5 pm on Wednesday to 9 am yesterday (Thursday) and provided two radio frequencies so that General Niazi could contact Kolkata. Accordingly, Lt. General Niazi contacted Kolkata through radio frequencies at 8 am on Thursday. After this contact, Lt. General Jagjit Singh Aurora arrived in Dhaka by helicopter at 3:30 pm on Thursday to discuss the terms of surrender. He was accompanied by Group Captain A.K. Khondaker of the Mukti Bahini. General Niazi signed the unconditional surrender document at 5:01 pm Bangladesh time at the historic Race Course Maidan in Ramna, amidst the cheers of the huge crowd present.
What Syed Nazrul-Tajuddin said
In response to the victory, Tajuddin Ahmed, the Prime Minister of the exile government, said, ‘Today (Friday) in a speech given on Bangladesh Betar, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tajuddin Ahmed said, ‘Our struggle has reached its final stage as a result of the surrender of the invading Pakistani army in Bangladesh.’
‘Mr. Tajuddin also said, ‘Although we have achieved political independence, our struggle is not over. Now we have to be ready for more unity and sacrifice to rebuild this country.’
On the other hand, Acting President Syed Nazrul Islam said, ‘The armed struggle is over. Another struggle is to build Bangladesh.’
A notice from the independent Bangladesh government said that all freedom fighters and members of the Mukti Bahini are being ordered to immediately appear at the EPR headquarters in Dhaka. They are requested not to open fire anywhere in independent Bangladesh. We have gained independence; a peaceful environment must be maintained. -These are excerpts from some of the accounts published by Ittefaq.
The Observer published an account of the eventful situation on December 16. The daily headlined, Dream of Seventy-Five Million Heroic People/Bangladesh Comes True. The daily published an editorial titled ‘Birth of a New Nation’ on that day.
‘We must be prepared for self-sacrifice’
The remarks made by the country’s first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, warning the people, can be considered very relevant on the Victory Day of the outgoing year 2024. Is Victory Day just about paying homage to the martyrs with flowers? Didn’t the victory of 1971 bring a Himalayan-sized burden on our shoulders? Independent Bangladesh did not walk on the path that Tajuddin Ahmed urged for unity and sacrifice in the reconstruction of the country. It can be said that it was not allowed to walk.
In the great liberation war, the freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for a state free from exploitation. But in the last 53 years, instead of uprooting exploitation from Bangladesh, we have been continuously increasing inequality. We have to move forward from our own position in self-sacrifice for the country, in the call of the new era that we hear echoing from all sides. The day all kinds of deprivation and inequality are removed from the land bathed in the holy blood of the freedom fighters, this Victory Day celebration will be complete.