Part 13
By Dr. Humam Khan
The Military’s ‘Jihad’ Against Bengali Muslims During the Year 1971:
On one hand, the Pakistani military displayed such shameful examples of cowardice and ignominy against the polytheistic infidels; yet on the other hand, throughout the entire war, this very bloodthirsty and depraved army descended upon the defenseless Bengali Muslims as though this were their true and ultimate ‘Jihad’.
During the nights of December 25th and 26th, the city of Dhaka was subjected to severe and brutal bombardment by heavy artillery, resulting in the martyrdom of countless helpless civilians. Between September and October, in the region of ‘Dhoom Ghat’, local inhabitants were lined up and systematically executed by firing squads. On March 28, 1971, under the direct orders of Lieutenant General Yaqub Khan, 17 Bengali officers and 915 Bengali soldiers were slaughtered in a single day at the Comilla military cantonment. Similarly, approximately 500 individuals were massacred in the area of ‘Salda Anasi’.
Famous Bengali writers, doctors, engineers, professors, and politicians were targeted and assassinated one after another. Overall, a dark and bloody chapter of oppression and brutality was written against the people of Bengal.
The government of Bangladesh claimed that the military killed three million Bengalis during the course of this war, whereas the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistani military itself acknowledged the killing of 26,000 Bengalis in 1972. Although this claim by the Bangladeshi government appears to be an exaggeration, the fact cannot be denied that the death toll reached into the hundreds of thousands. According to the testimony of Brigadier Iqbal Rahman Sharif before the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, General Gul Hassan, a high-ranking military official, would ask soldiers during his visits to military centers: “How many Bengalis have you shot?”
The atrocities of this military in Bengal were not confined solely to massacres; rather, echoing the events of 1857, they subjected numerous Bengali women and young girls to rape. The government of Bangladesh claimed that approximately two hundred thousand women fell victim to rape. Incidents of sexual assault were so widespread that nearly every officer and soldier was aware of them, and a significant number were directly involved.
Lieutenant Colonel Aziz Ahmed Khan, in his testimony before the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, stated that a particular phrase had become notorious among the troops:
“When the Commander (Lt. Gen. Niazi) was himself a raper, how could we be stopped!”
Furthermore, the properties and wealth of the Bengali Muslims were not spared from the plundering of the military. According to the statement of General Rao Farman Ali, immediately after arriving in East Pakistan and assuming command of the army, General Niazi had said:
“Why am I hearing talks of food shortages? Do the people of this region not have cows and goats? This is enemy territory, take whatever you want! This is exactly what we used to do in Burma (during World War II).”
It was the direct consequence of this encouragement from the generals that officers and soldiers engaged in widespread looting during search operations. According to the report of the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, when military barracks were searched in several instances, they discovered televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, typewriters, gold, watches, and numerous other valuable items.
In another incident, the commander of the 57th Brigade, Brigadier Jahanzeb Arbab, along with four colonels and a major, looted thirteen and a half million rupees from the treasury of the National Bank of Sirajganj. The secret of this heist was exposed when a JCO accidentally searched the vehicle transporting the stolen wealth on the ‘Paksey Bridge’.
Furthermore, high-ranking generals were also deeply mired in plundering and financial corruption. According to the testimony of Colonel Bashir Ahmed Khan, the wife of Major General Muhammad Jamshed transferred a vast amount of looted cash to West Pakistan upon leaving Dhaka. As for General Niazi, throughout the entire duration of the conflict, he remained occupied with the smuggling of betel leaves rather than focusing on the war.
In truth, it was hardly surprising that such base and wretched actions were perpetrated by the descendants of those soldiers who, in 1857, had plundered everything from the homes of Delhi’s Muslims, down to their very beds.