The deposed Hasina government’s toxic politics, which stigmatised their opponents as ‘Islamists’ (meaning terrorists and anti-liberation forces) and projected their loyalists as ‘Chetonabadis’ (pro-liberation forces), ended up dividing the people of Bangladesh into two distinct groups – the ‘Islamists’ and the ‘Chetonabadis’, also known, wrongly, as ‘Secularists’.

Bimal Biswas—veteran politician and noted writer—played an active role in several battles against the Pakistani junta during the 1971 Liberation War, particularly in the Jessore, Narail, and Khulna regions. In this exclusive interview with The Daily Star, he recounts his wartime experiences and sheds light on the inner workings of his party, the EPCP (M-L).

The Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 was not just a struggle fought on the battlefields, but a humanitarian crisis that captured the world’s attention.

I stood beneath the January sun, locking eyes with a Birangona woman on a balcony above me. Her warm smile steadied my trembling heart. Inside, 21 Birangona women awaited us at Sirajganj Uttaran Mohila Sangstha. I was finally here. The year was 2010.

As per the blueprint of Operation Searchlight, the Pakistani army had four key targets in Dhaka city on the fateful night of 25 March 1971.

Writing literature is, by nature, a creative pursuit—one that demands both technical skill and an innate artistic sensibility.

With the much vaunted and long awaited talks between the President and Mujib still in progress, it is no time to speculate about their likely outcome.

I was in a deep sleep in my room when a loud, relentless pounding on the door jolted me awake.

The July Uprising has brought to the forefront the need for a more inclusive understanding of 1971, one that incorporates the perspectives of ordinary people and addresses unresolved issues of justice, accountability, and historical truth, independent of political manoeuvring.

At a talk by Pakistani-American Professor Sara Suleri, author of Meatless Days,