Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora and Bangladesh

Gen. Aurora was the chief of the joint command of the Indian Armed Forces and Bangladesh Mukti Bahini during the nine-month campaign to oust the Pakistan military from the soil of Bangladesh. From its inception shortly after the attack by the Pakistan army on Bangalee civilians in March 1971, Gen. Aurora took command and the Mukti Bahini started getting trained in right earnest. It emerged as a valuable auxiliary force and Gen. Aurora has warmly praised the role of the Mukti Bahini.

It must be noted that the Joint Command carried on a brilliant campaign and within two weeks of the start of the hostilities succeeded in obtaining the surrender of 93,000 well trained Pakistani troops. Interestingly the fiercest resistance it met was in the Jessore area. The entire Bangalee population responding to the directive of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Suhrawardy Uddayan on 7 March 1971 (turn every home into a fortress …) had joined heart and soul to the Liberation War. Thus Gen. Aurora was fighting in friendly territory.

As Gen. Aurora's brilliant fighting machine rolled on, a brilliant campaign was launched to demoralise the Pakistan forces The airport was heavily bombed and terror was sowed in the hearts of Pakistan bigwigs that they were trapped. The Governor's House (the present Bangabhaban), where a Cabinet meeting was in progress was the target of selective bombing forcing the hand picked Governor Malek and his Cabinet to seek the safety of Hotel Intercontinental (now Sheraton), temporary home of the Red Cross.

In desperation Pakistan sought the help of the Security Council. Pakistan master actor Z.A. Bhutto played his role with a great deal of theatrics but was became helpless before the rock of Soviet Veto, a Permanent Member of the Security Council. Despirited and demoralised Pakistan General A.A.K. Niazi signed on the dotted line at the Suhrawardy Uddyan, from where the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had given his clarion call on 7 March, 'the fight this time is the fight for emancipation, the fight this time is the fight for independence'.

In the thousand plus years of our history true independence for the Bangalees has come only once. That was on 16 December 1971. And the photograph that stands out is Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora watching the signing of the surrender document by Gen. A.A.K. Niazi as Gen. Khondoker representing the Bangladesh forces looks on. In terms of emotions attached to a single event, no other event has its parallel.

It is a sad that the elected Government of Bangladesh seemed to have chosen to close its eyes to the death of Gen. Aurora, with whom through the greatest event of our history we have been associated. His comrades in arms from Bangladesh Liberation Army have been effusive in their praise of him. It is a great pity that neither the President of the Republic nor the Prime Minister thought it fit to send message of condolences. There has not been a single explanation from the Bangladesh authorities.

We as citizens of Bangladesh have often to face the criticism of being 'ungrateful' as a nation. Don't we often prove the point?

Arshad-uz Zaman is a former Ambassador and Acting Secretary General, OIC