Who declared Bangla freedom? Mujib or Ziaur

Bangladesh was born 40 years ago, but there's a lingering debate that continues to this day with no convincing answer. Who was it exactly that declared the country free? Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or Ziaur Rahman?

The answer still divides Bangladeshis, largely on political lines. The Awami League, and also the official line, holds that Mujibur declared independence first before he was arrested on March 26, 1971. This day is celebrated as Bangladesh's Independence Day. The Opposition, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), insists it was Ziaur, former president and BNP founder, who proclaimed independence first on March 27.

On the night of March 25, the Pakistan army launched an offensive in Dhaka and arrested Mujibur in the wee hours of the next day, but not before he had reportedly signed on an "official freedom declaration" on March 26.

On March 27 and 28, it was Ziaur's voice that people heard on the radio, announcing: "This is Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the direction of Bangobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that the independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken command as the temporary head of the republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani army. We shall fight to the last to free our motherland."

BNP leader Moudud Ahmed, former prime minister and vice-president of Bangladesh, says, "I was at a tea garden in Sylhet when I heard Major Zia's voice. Everybody heard him. Nobody heard Sheikh Mujib."

To that, Awami League leader Abdul Matin Khasru retorts: "The controversy is just their (BNP) creation. This issue has already been settled in the Supreme Court. Sheikh Mujib was a national leader and had made the official declaration on March 26. Ziaur was just a major in the army, not a leader (of a position to make such declarations). He never made such claims either. It is only after his death (in 1981) that the BNP raked up the issue."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is Mujib's daughter, and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, who is Ziaur Rahman's widow, have kept the debate alive.

What is undeniable, though, is that the radio announcement was a clarion call to the shell-shocked nation to stand up against West Pakistan's might, their resistance culminating in the birth of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971. 

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Tipai Project May Trigger Strong Tremor, Tsunami, Fears Expert

“According to the international water-related laws and conventions, no country can carry out such activity on common rivers, as there is always the chance of harming the downstream countries,” he said.

 

The proposed Tipaimukh Dam project taken by the Indian government may trigger a massive earthquake in the region claiming around 30 million people in Bangladesh, fears an expert.

The Tipaimukh Dam site is located in a zone highly vulnerable to tremor. A series of massive earthquakes occurred in the zone in the last 110 years,” Dr SI Khan, former UN water and environmental expert, told a roundtable in the city on Sunday.

He said a 500-foot depth water reservoir will be created due to the construction of Tipaimukh Dam which will pile a pressure of 160 tonnes in per square metre beneath the dam, unleashing a massive earthquake in the region.

“A strong tremor will damage the dam sending its water downstream which will ultimately wash away people in the Meghna basin. There’s also a possibility of more devastating tsunami,” Dr Khan told the roundtable.

International Farakka Committee (IFC), New York, and IFC Bangladesh jointly organised the roundtable titled ‘Tipaimukh Dam: Options for Bangladesh’ at the National Press Club.

Chaired by IFC Bangladesh president and former Vice Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Dr Jasim Uddin Ahmed, the roundtable was addressed, among others, by language movement veteran Abdul Matin, Dr Zafarullah Khan, secretary general of IFC, New York, Syed, Tipu Sultan, Engr Abdul Quader and New Nation editor Mostafa Kamal Majumder.

Dr SI Khan, in his keynote address, said the Indian government seems set to go ahead with its plan to build the controversial Tipaimukh Dam on the Barak River in Manipur. “But, this is a violation of international law.”

“According to the international water-related laws and conventions, no country can carry out such activity on common rivers, as there is always the chance of harming the downstream countries,” he said.

Dr Khan said as per the World Convention on Dams, if a country wants to build a dam with a height over 15 metres and minimum water reservoir capacity of 3 million cubic metres on a common river, the project must be acceptable not only to the government(s) but also the people of its river basin.

Referring to the article 9 of the Ganges Treaty of 1996 signed by India and Bangladesh, he mentioned that the treaty says ‘Guided by the principles of equity, fairness and no harm to either party, both the governments agree to conclude water Treaties/Agreements with regards to other common rivers.”

Dr Khan, also vice president of the International Farakka Committee, said although the height of the proposed Tipaimukh Dam is 163 metres and its water reservoir capacity would be 1.5 billion cubic metres, India has not shown any willingness to negotiate with downstream Bangladesh.

According to the Helsinki Convention, he said, upstream countries cannot carry out any such activities that might adversely affect the environment and biodiversity of the downstream counties. But, India has taken a controversial move (Tipai project) that will spell environmental disaster for Bangladesh.

Dr Khan suggested forming a regional river commission through mutual understanding with neighbouring countries to meet the water problems in South Asia.

He also said another river commission should be formed for the common Barak-Meghna River basin to resolve the ongoing debate over the Tipaimukd Dam project.

Before implementation the Tipai project, Dr Jasim Uddin Ahmed suggested conducting a joint survey guided by the United Nations to assess the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the dam.

He also urged the government to build a strong unity involving all sections of people to resist the Indian move, keeping in mind the national interest.
 

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