It is about
the liberation war of Bangladesh. The liberation war was began on 26
March 1971 and ended with the liberation of Bangladesh on 16 December
1971. The armed struggle was the culmination of a series of events,
situations and issues contributing to the progressively deteriorating
relations between East and West Pakistan.
The general elections of 1970 had made Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the Awami League which bagged 167 seats out of 169 allotted for East Pakistan, the sole spokesman of the people of East Pakistan and majority leader in the Pakistan National Assembly. But the Pakistan civil and military ruling clique had refused to transfer power to the majority leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his party. Sheikh Mujib also refused to yield to the pressure put on him for undue accommodation. Sheikh's historic address on 7 March 1971 made this point quite clear to the Pakistani military junta. Then began the civil disobedience movement. Meanwhile talks started between Mujib and Yahya to resolve the outstanding issues.
On 26 March Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was taken prisoner by the Pakistan army. At about the same time, Major Ziaur Rahman announced Bangladesh's independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujib from Kalurghat radio station at Chittagong.
On 27 March, Prime Minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi expressed full support of her government to the freedom struggle of the Bengalis. Indian Border Security Force (BSF) opened Bangladesh-India border to allow the tortured and panick stricken Bengalis to have safe shelter in India. The governments of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura established refugee camps along the border. These camps became ready ground for recruitment of the freedom fighters. The students, peasants, workers and political activists joined the Mukti Bahini with high spirit to liberate Bangladesh from the Pakistan army. They were given training on tactics and the use of arms and explosives.
On completion of training, they were
posted to different sectors to fight the enemy. The headquarters of the
Bangladesh Forces was established at 8 Theatre Road, Calcutta which
started functioning from 12 April 1971. Lieutenant Colonel M A Rab and
Group Captain A K Khandaker were appointed as Chief of Staff and Deputy
Chief of Staff respectively.
Besides Mukti Bahini, many other
bahinis were organised inside Bangladesh at different places to fight
Pakistan Army. These Bahinis included Kader Bahini of Tangail, Latif
Mirza Bahini of Sirajganj, Akbar Hossain Bahini of Jhinaidah, Hemayet
Bahini of Faridpur, Quddus Molla and Gafur Bahini of Barisal, Afsar
Bahini of Mymensingh and Aftab Bahini of Mymensingh. A crack platoon
consisting of daring youths operated most valiantly in Dhaka city as
well. These bahinis were established as a local force based on their own
strength taking part in a number of battles with the occupation army.
Siraj Sikdar, leader of Sorbohara Party, also organised his force in
Barisal.
Another Bahini named as Mujib Bahini was
organised in India with the active assistance of Major General Oban of
the Indian army an expert on guerilla warfare. Mujib Bahini was trained
at Dehradun. Student League leaders Sheikh Fazlul Haq Mani, Tofael
Ahmed, Abdur Razzak and Sirajul Alam Khan were organisers of this
Bahini.
Mukti Bahini consisted of the regular
and the irregular forces. The regulars were later called 'Niomita
Bahini' (regular force) and the irregulars were called 'Gono Bahini'
(people's Force). The regulars included East Bengal Regiment and EPR
troops. The irregular forces, which after initial training joined
different sectors, consisted of the students, peasants, workers and
political activists.
Irregular forces were inducted inside
Bangladesh territory to adopt guerilla warfare against the enemy. The
regular forces were engaged in fighting in conventional way. The first
conventional brigade named as 'Z' Force was created in July. Major Ziaur
Rahman was appointed commander of this brigade and the brigade was
named as 'Z' Force after the first letter of his name. This brigade
consisted of 1, 3 and 8 East Bengal. Second regular brigade 'S' Force
was created in October and consisted of 2 and 11 East Bengal. 'S' Force
was named after the initial letter of the name of its commander
Shafiullah. Similarly the 'K' Force created with 4, 9 and 10 East Bengal
which was commanded by Khaled Mosharraf.
At the international level, the United
States and the People's Republic of China considered the crisis as an
internal affair of Pakistan. On the other hand, India, Soviet Union and
her allies and general masses in Japan, and Western countries stood
solidly behind Bangladesh. In order to gain strategic advantage
vis-a-vis Sino-US-Pakistan axis, Indo-Soviet Friendship Treaty was
signed on 9 August 1971. It provided a new dimension to the War of
Liberation.
The joint command of the Mukti Bahini and
the Indian army was underway from November 1971. Lieutenant General
Jagjit Singh Aurora, Commander, Eastern Command of Indian Army, became
the commander of the joint forces. The joint command of the Mukti Bahini
and the Indian Army, however, started operation from the evening of 3
December, when the Pakistan Air Force bombed Amritsar, Sree Nagar and
the Kashmir valley. Immediately, the Indian armed forces were ordered to
hit back the Pakistan army and thus the Indo-Pak war broke out. The
Mukti Bahini and the Indian army continued advancing inside Bangladesh
and the defeat and surrender of the Pakistan army became a matter of
time. International efforts for a cease-fire before Bangladesh is fully
liberated failed due to Soviet veto in the United Nations Security
Council.
The Indian troops and the freedom
fighters of No 11 Sector reached Tongi on 14 December and Savar in the
morning of 16 December. Major General Jamshed, commander 36 Division of
the Pakistan Army received Major General Nagra at Mirpur Bridge near
Dhaka City. The Mukti Bahini and the Indian forces entered Dhaka city at
10.10 a. m. Major General Jacob, the Chief of Staff of the Indian
Eastern command landed at Dhaka airport at 1 p.m. with the draft
instrument of surrender. A fleet of helicopters landed on the tarmac of
Dhaka airport at about 4 p.m. with Lieutenant General Aurora and his
staff. Group Captain AK Khandaker, Deputy Chief of Staff, Bangladesh
Forces represented the Mukti Bahini. Lieutenant General AAK Niazi
received Lieutenant General Aurora. The instrument of surrender was
signed by Lieutenant Jagit Sing Aurora and Lieutenant General Niazi at
the Ramna Racecourse (now Suhrawardy Uddyan) at one minute past 5 p.m.
on 16 December 1971.
The general elections of 1970 had made Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the Awami League which bagged 167 seats out of 169 allotted for East Pakistan, the sole spokesman of the people of East Pakistan and majority leader in the Pakistan National Assembly. But the Pakistan civil and military ruling clique had refused to transfer power to the majority leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his party. Sheikh Mujib also refused to yield to the pressure put on him for undue accommodation. Sheikh's historic address on 7 March 1971 made this point quite clear to the Pakistani military junta. Then began the civil disobedience movement. Meanwhile talks started between Mujib and Yahya to resolve the outstanding issues.
On 26 March Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was taken prisoner by the Pakistan army. At about the same time, Major Ziaur Rahman announced Bangladesh's independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujib from Kalurghat radio station at Chittagong.
On 27 March, Prime Minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi expressed full support of her government to the freedom struggle of the Bengalis. Indian Border Security Force (BSF) opened Bangladesh-India border to allow the tortured and panick stricken Bengalis to have safe shelter in India. The governments of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura established refugee camps along the border. These camps became ready ground for recruitment of the freedom fighters. The students, peasants, workers and political activists joined the Mukti Bahini with high spirit to liberate Bangladesh from the Pakistan army. They were given training on tactics and the use of arms and explosives.
- Sectors of the War of Liberation: In the War of Liberation in 1971 the whole geographical area of the then East Pakistan was strategically divided into eleven sectors with a sector commander for each of them. For better efficiency in military operations each of the sectors were divided into a number of sub-sectors under a commander.
- Sector 1 comprised
the districts of Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts, and the entire
eastern area of the Noakhali district on the banks of the river Muhuri.
The headquarters of the sector was at Harina. The sector commander was
Major Ziaur Rahman, later replaced by Major Rafiqul Islam. The five
sub-sectors of this sector (and their commanders) were: Rishimukh
(Captain Shamsul Islam); Sreenagar (Captain Matiur Rahman, later
replaced by Captain Mahfuzur Rahman); Manughat (Captain Mahfuzur
Rahman); Tabalchhari (Subedar Ali Hossain); and Dimagiri (a Subedar,
whose name is not known).
A contingent of nearly ten thousand freedom fighters fought in this sector. They included about two thousand members of the EPR, police, army, nave and air forces and about eight thousand paramilitary troops. The guerilla fighters of this sector were deputed to operate inside the country in 137 groups. - Sector 2 comprised the districts of Dhaka, Comilla, and Faridpur, and part of Noakhali district. The sector commander was Major Khaled Mosharraf, later replaced by Major ATM Haider. About thirty five thousand guerilla fighters fought in this sector. Nearly six thousand of them were members of regular armed forces. The six sub-sectors of this sector (and their commanders) were: Gaugasagar, Akhaura and Kasba (Mahbub, later replaced by Lieutenant Farooq, and Lieutenant Humayun Kabir); Mandabhav (Captain Gaffar); Shalda-nadi (Abdus Saleq Chowdhury); Matinagar (Lieutenant Didarul Alam); Nirbhoypur (Captain Akbar, later replaced by Lieutant Mahbub); and Rajnagar (Captain Jafar Imam, later replaced by Captain Shahid, and Lieutenant Imamuzzaman).
- Sector 3 comprised the area between Churaman Kathi (near Sreemangal) and Sylhet in the north and Singerbil of Brahmanbaria in the south. The sector commander was Major KM Shafiullah, later replaced by Major ANM Nuruzzaman. Nineteen guerilla bases operated in this sector. By November 1971, the number of the guerilla fighters in the sector stood at nearly thirty thousand. The ten sub-sectors of this sector (and their commanders) were: Asrambari (Captain Aziz, later replaced by Captain Ejaz); Baghaibari (Captain Aziz, later replaced by Captain Ejaz); Hatkata (Captain Matiur Rahman); Simla (Captain Matin); Panchabati (Captain Nasim); Mantala (Captain MSA Bhuyan); Vijoynagar (Captain MSA Bhuyan); Kalachhora (Lieutenant Majumdar); Kalkalia (Lieutenant Golam Helal Morshed); and Bamutia (Lieutenant Sayeed).
- Sector 4 comprised the area from Habiganj sub-division of Sylhet district on the north to Kanaighat Police Station on the south along the 100 mile long border with India. The sector commander was Major Chittarajan Datta, later replaced by Captain A Rab. The headquarters of the sector was initially at Karimganj and later at Masimpur. The freedom fighters in this sector included about nine thousand guerilla fighters and about four thousand regular members of the armed forces. The six sub-sectors of this sector (and their commanders) were: Jalalpur (Masudur Rab Sadi); Barapunji (Captain A Rab); Amlasid (Lieutenant Zahir); Kukital (Flight Lieutenant Kader, later replaced by Captain Shariful Haq); Kailas Shahar (Lieutenant Wakiuzzaman); and Kamalpur (Captain Enam).
- Sector 5 comprised the area from Durgapur to Danki (Tamabil) of Sylhet district and the entire area upto the eastern borders of the district. Sector commander was Major Mir Shawkat Ali. The headquarters of the sector was at Banshtala. The six sub-sectors of this sector (and their commanders) were: Muktapur (Subedar Nazir Hossain, freedom fighter Faruq was second in command); Dauki (Subedar Major BR Chowdhury); Shela (Captain Helal, who had two assistant commanders, Lieutenant Mahbubar Rahman and Lieutenant Abdur Rauf); Bholajanj (Lieutenant Taheruddin Akhunji who had Lieutenant SM Khaled as assistant commander); Balat (Subedar Ghani, later replaced by Captain Salahuddin and freedom fighter Enanmul Haq Chowdhury); and Barachhara (Captain Muslim Uddin).
- Sector 6 comprised Rangpur district and part of Dinajpur district. Wing Commander M Khdemul Bashar was the sector commander. The headquarters of the sector was at Burimari near Patgram. The number of soldiers in this sector was 700, which rose to about eleven thousand in December. The five sub-sectors of the sector (and their commanders were: Bhajanpur (Captain Nazrul, later replaced by Squadron leader Sadruddin and Captain Shahriyar); Patgram (initially, some junior commissioned officers of the EPR and later, Captain Matiur Rahman); Sahebganj (Captain Nawazesh Uddin); Mogalhat (Captain Delwar); and Chilahati (Flight Lieutenant Iqbal).
- Sector 7 comprised the districts of Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra and part of Dinajpur district. The sector commander was Major Nazrul Haq, later replaced by Subedar Major A Rab and Kazi Nuruzzaman. The headquarters of the sector was at Taranngapur. About fifteen thousand freedom fighters fought in this sector. The eight sub-sectors of the sector (and their commanders were): Malan (initially some junior commanding officers and later, Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir); Tapan (Major Nazmul Haq, later replaced by some junior commanding officers of the EPR); Mehdipur (Subedar Iliyas, later replaced by Captain Mahiuddin Jahangir); Hamzapur (Captain Idris); Anginabad (a freedom fighter); Sheikhpara (Captain Rashid); Thokrabari (Subedar Muazzam); and Lalgola (Captain Gheyasuddin Chowdhury).
- Sector 8 In April 1971, the operational area of the sector comprised the districts of Kushtia, Jessore, Khulna, Barisal, Faridpur and Patuakhali. At the end of May the sector was reconstituted and comprised the districts of Kusthia, Jessore and Khulna districts, Satkhira sub-division, and the northern part of Faridpur district. The sector commander was Major Abu Osman Chowdhury, later replaced by Major MA Manzur. The headquarters of the sector was at Benapole. About ten thousand freedom fighters fought in this sector. The seven sub-sectors of the sector (and their commanders) were: Boyra (Captain Khondakar Nazmul Huda); Hakimpur (Captain Shafiq Ullah); Bhomra (Captain Salahuddin later replaced by Captain Shahabuddin); Lalbazar (Captain AR Azam Chowdhury); Banpur (Captain Mostafizur Rahman); Benapole (Captain Abdul Halim, later replaced by Captain Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury); and Shikarpur (Captain Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, later replaced by Lieutenant Jahangir).
- Sector 9 comprised the districts of Barisal and Patuakhali, and parts of the district of Khulna and Faridpur. The sector commander was Major MA Jalil, later replaced by Major MA Manzur and Major Joynal Abedin. The three sub-sectors of the sector were: Taki, Hingalganj, and Shamshernagar.
- Sector 10 This sector was constituted with the naval commandos. Eight Bengali officers of Pakistan Navy trained in France were the pioneers in forming this force. These officers were Ghazi Mohammad Rahmatullah (Chief Petty Officer), Syed Mosharraf Hossain (Petty Officer), Amin Ullah Sheikh (Petty Officer); Ahsan Ullah (M E-1), AW Chowdhury (RO-1), Badiul Alam (ME-1), AR Miah (EN-1), Abedur Rahman (Steward-1). These eight officers were given special training on the river Jamuna near Delhi under the auspices of the Indian Navy. The force was later commanded by Indian commander MN Sumanta.
- Sector 11 comprised the districts of Mymensingh and Tangail, Major M Abu Taher was the sector commander. After Major Taher was seriously wounded in a battle, he was replaced by Squadron Leader Hamidullah. The headquarters of the sector was at Mahendraganj. About twenty five thousand freedom fighters fought in this sector. The eight sub-sectors of the sector (and their commanders) were: Mankarchar (Squadron Leader Hamidullah); Mahendraganj (Lieutenant Mannan); Purakhasia (Lieutenant Hashem); Dhalu (Lieutenant Taher, later replaced by Lieutenant Kamal); Rangra (Matiur Rahman); Shivabari (some junior commanding officers of the EPR); Bagmara (some junior commanding officers of the EPR); and Maheshkhola (a member of the EPR).