Bangladesh liberation fighters say a loud thank you to India
For the second time in the almost 40 years since its creation, Bangladesh invited a delegation of Indian war veterans who had fought alongside the Mukti Bahini freedom fighters in the 1971 War of Liberation that comprehensively defeated the Pakistan army.The first invitation was extended by the caretaker government in 2007, while the second, by the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in 2009, could not materialise due to the mutiny of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel.
That aborted invitation was made good last month. "Without you, we would not be a country" acknowledged the freedom fighters, some on wheelchairs and some on crutches among the many able-bodied. The outburst of sentiment, generosity and plain thank you was moving. Indian war veterans were feted by the freedom fighters, Awami League politicians, and the three armed services. Equally striking was the absence of the leader of the opposition, Bangladesh National Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia.
She was absent from the official wreath laying ceremony at the national Martyrs' Memorial, though she did attend after her bête noire, prime minister Sheikh Hasina had left the victory parade. The arrest by the government of BNP's standing committee member from Chittagong, the self-confessed Pakistan sympathiser, Salauddin Qadir Chowdhury, on the same day for war crimes merely added fuel to the fire. This was part of the government's drive to bring to book those who collaborated with the Pakistani military crackdown in 1971.
After Zia's eviction, following court orders from Army House and her grievous electoral decline in 2008, she was in need of comfort and found no better place for solace than Beijing where the Chinese accorded her honours reserved for state visitors. Khaleda Zia, along with her husband, the late President Gen Zia-ur Rehman, have ruled Bangladesh for almost half of its existence and systematically distanced the country from India. Bitter rivals, the two begums have divided the country's politics between themselves.
The army-backed caretaker government of 2007-08 had unsuccessfully sought to keep them out of politics in what was called 'minus two'. What one is observing today is transition from 'minus two' to 'plus two' — the nurturing of the sons, Sheikh Hasina's Sajib Wajid and Khaleda Zia's Tariq Zia. Bangladesh has seen army rule twice: first under Zia-ur Rehman and later under Mohammad Ershad. The army has a Chinese bias with the US and UK involved in training and consultancy. Conspicuously, India, along with its military, is peripheral to the Bangladesh military's overall disposition.
Its linkages with the Pakistan army and the ISI, despite the genocide of 1971, have not gone away. All three service chiefs in Dhaka are now from the post-1971 Liberation War vintage. Unlike the Pakistan army that seeks revenge against India for 1971, the Bangladesh military does not seem to want to avenge the genocide of Bangladeshis. In some quarters, India is portrayed as the enemy to help build the primacy of the military as the ultimate protector of the nation. The military is under civilian control for the present.
Last year, the BDR had revolted and targeted their commanding army officers with immense brutality. The hangover of that mutiny is still in the air as the BDR is being overhauled. An army takeover was averted during the caretaker regime, with the international community threatening to keep the Bangladesh army out of UN peacekeeping operations. At an average, every soldier earns one if not two lucrative tenures abroad, which make UN missions the biggest driver of recruitment.
The military, which shares some traits with its Pakistani counterpart, is a potent factor in keeping the country united and the civilian government mindful of good governance. As a professional force, it knows its red lines. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is also her own defence minister and has inherited an effective military apparatus carved out by Gen Ershad, notably the Armed Forces Division. The head of the AFD reports directly to the prime minister, bypassing the ministry of defence, making it a dream outfit for any military.
From India's point of view, prime minister Sheikh Hasina has ensured that Indian insurgent groups and leaders thriving inside Bangladesh in the past have no safe havens now. This has been her biggest gift to India and after Bhutan's Operation All Clear, it has secured India's eastern flank internally. With Sheikh Hasina in office, the exchange of war veterans must be institutionalised to initiate defence cooperation, which is virtually non-existent. This will help erase the India bogey and bolster confidence-building measures.
New Delhi must cautiously draw maximum mileage while Sheikh Hasina is in power and help replicate the win-win situation of 1971.
5 comments:
No Rajpath ride for these bravehearts
Steeled By Their Hard Life, They Rescue Children From Mean Streets, Give Them New Life
New Delhi: Mohammed Nizam (15) is a ragpicker at Nizamuddin Railway station where he ekes out a living, day after day. While he goes about picking waste that can be sold for a living, his eyes look out for abandoned or runaway children on the platform. His observations and sensitivity have helped social workers here rescue quite a few vulnerable children.
On the eve of Republic Day, a group of children like him gathered at a centre run by NGO Childhood Enhancement Through Education and Training (Chetna) in the bustling market of Lajpat Nagar to celebrate the many acts of bravery displayed by children on the streets that go unrecognized. The ride down Rajpath is not for them.
As these unsung heroes from the streets of Delhi came forward to share their stories and the opportunities they have created for other children, when an indifferent system failed to react, the reality of street life came alive. So, one saw Nizam come forward to tell how he was lured into leaving home by another friend and has since been at the railway station.
His mother lives with his siblings in Sarai Kale Khan but now he does not wish to return to his house. “I go there once a month,” he says. However, his heart goes out to every child who lands up at the station. His desire to help comes from the fact that he does not want them to face the threats, uncertainty and poverty that he has faced. On December 23, he led the social workers to a child on the platform who had come alone from Madhya Pradesh. The boy was rescued and placed in the care of a children’s home.
As the children clapped in excitement when Nizam finished his story, 14-year-old Chandni, another ragpicker, came up to talk about her experiences. This braveheart appears to be a firebrand activist in the making. Less than a fortnight ago, Chandni took on the police in Noida for catching some children who were picking stuff from a garbage dump.
When the news reached Chandni that the children had been taken away by the police, the girl asked the parents of the children to accompany her to the police station. Not only did she argue with confidence before the police but also called the volunteers of Chetna to the spot. Finally, the police released the children. “Mein bahut khush hoon ke mein kuch kar saki (I am very happy that I could do something),” she told this correspondent. The experience has left her much stronger and determined to fight for not only her rights but also that of other children.
A tale that reflects intense sensitivity and presence of mind comes from Okhla Mandi. Fourteen-yearold Pooja makes a living out of rags there. One night when a child was caught and badly beaten up by the vendors who alleged that he was a thief, this young girl gathered all the other children at the mandi and held a meeting. They all pitched in with some money to collect a fund for taking the injured boy to a doctor. The children came to the rescue of the victim who would have otherwise suffered in pain that night.
In a room that resounded with clapping, many more children came forward to share their acts of bravery over hot samosas and gulab jamuns. There were Azad, Pinki and Badshah, among others, who unravelled experiences that reflected expemplary courage.
None of these children have seen the Republic Day Parade and know little about the importance of the day. But they all knew that this was a time to get up to sing the National Anthem. As they sang with zeal the song that makes every Indian proud, their eyes reflected a hope that someday the system will carve out a space for them which would give them the care they deserve. With this hope, the children disappeared into the lanes of the crowded market in search of rags to make it to the next day.
Police medals for 755 from across country
New Delhi: The government has selected 755 cops from across the country for police medals this Republic Day. Eleven of them have been selected for President’s Police Medals for gallantry, 129 for Police Medals for gallantry, 82 for President’s Police Medals for distinguished services and the remaining 533 for Police Medals for meritorious service.
CISF has bagged 24 of these medals while 12 have gone to ITBP. Sixty-eight CRPF men have been awarded gallantry medals. IG Dushyant Singh, chief security officer, MHA, has been awarded the Police Medal for meritorious service.
Five Army men get Kirti Chakra
Four Army officers and a soldier have been awarded the Kirti Chakra this year.
While there is no recipient of Ashok Chakra — the highest peacetime gallantry award — the President will confer it posthumously on Maj Laishram Jyotin Singh, the doctor who was among those killed in the February 2010 Kabul terrorist attack. Among the 21 awardees of Shaurya Chakra — the third highest gallantry award — are five who have got it posthumously. The pilot of a Sea King naval helicopter and its aircrewman have been awarded the Nao Sena Medal for rescuing three people
dear sir i want a chart showing following details regarding pay scale of cpmf
designation
pay scale
wheather functional or non functional
insignia worn
what wwere these scales in fifth pc and sixth pc
i have one quarry when there is promotion or change of scale in NFSG scale is there a change in insignia and ranks worn
pl reply at ahinsajain@yahoo.com
CPI Number released 6% for Central Employees
The much awaited figure is released by the Govt today. In a press release it is published that All India Consumer Price Index Number for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) on base 2001=100 for the month of December, 2010 increased by 3 points and stood at 185 (one hundred and eighty five).
Dearness Allowance for
Central Government employees will get 6% D.A. with effect from 01.01.2011 and it will be 51% of the Total Pay, as per my calculation.
It may kindly be noted that Govt. of India are yet to declare the enhancement of Dearness Allowance.
Post a Comment