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Pakistan-Bangladesh Relations
Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report: The Beginning Of The Rut by Saad Anis "What have I been hearing about the shortage of rations? Are there not any cows and goats in this country? This is enemy territory. Get what you want." Lt Gen AAK Niazi, Commander Eastern Command East Pakistan, 1971. Whenever an institution is founded, there are certain principles which form the guidelines for the existence and dynamics of that institution. The competence in the functioning of the organisation is dependent upon the adherence to the rules formulated upon its establishment. The principles are sacred, and must remain inviolable. The sustenance in strength of the institution for the long run relies on the presence and efficacy of a continuous process of accountability of the body. This system of accountability is of import, in that it ensures an emulation of the founding principles of the institution and renders it effective. Institutions tend to deteriorate as soon as the principles on which they are created, are undermined. Such decay transpires when the organisation itself, and the powerbrokers involved therein, are made sacrosanct in the stead of the code which defines the purpose of creation of the institution. The principles are deigned mundane in order to protect the supposed sanctity of the institution. Individual interest overwhelms belief, and thus supplants it. The fall of Dhaka marks a black period in the brief history of Pakistan. Until recently, the details of what actually transpired in the erstwhile East Pakistan during military action commencing from March, 1971, were sketchy at best. Bitter allegations have been exchanged between the Pakistan and Bangladesh governments, with each side accusing the other of gross misdemeanours during the conflict. However, a lot of haze surrounding the Dhaka Debacle has cleared up following the publication of the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report last year, finally brought into the open after three decades of secrecy. The Report reveals a lot about the alleged negligence of the Pakistan armed forces. The alleged excesses perpetrated by the army include senseless and wanton arson, and killing during "sweep operations". The above-mentioned quote of Commander Eastern Command, reported by Maj. Gen Farman Ali in the Governor's Secretariat, exhibits the assent of the hierarchy to the subsequent plunder of the local land committed by the army. Apparently, there was an initial shortage of logistical support, and the forces were thus told to feed off the land. Needless to say, this practice continued with impunity even after the provision of supplies to the military. Moreover, Brig Iqbal Ur Rehman Sharif testified that during his visit to formations in East Pakistan, Gen Gul Hasan, then Commander In-Chief, used to ask soldiers: "How many Bengalis have you shot?" Another serious allegation is the killing of Bengali army officers and men of East Bengal Regiment, East Pakistan Rifles and the Police Force under the pretext of disarming them. This can be verified by the Comilla Cantt. massacre, in which 17 Bengali officers and 915 men were slain. Furthermore, an estimated 500 people were killed in the Salda Nadi area. The army is also accused of killing intellectuals, professors, doctors and consigning their bodies to mass graves. M Ashraf, then Additional Deputy Commissioner Dacca, testified that "people were picked up from homes on suspicion and subjected to summary executions. There was no rule of law in East Pakistan... The victims included army and police officers, businessmen, civilian officers etc." There are also widespread reports of people being picked up by the military and sent to Bangladesh, codename for execution without trial. The alleged large-scale rape of Bengali women carried out by the army has remained a bitter issue. Sheikh Mujeeb ur Rehman claimed that there were over 200,000 rape victims. The falsity of his claim was manifest when the abortion team commissioned by him from England in 1972, found that its total workload involved the termination of only 100 pregnancies. It is also claimed that the army carried out large scale killings of Hindus in East Pakistan. Lt Col. Aziz Ahmed Khan, then CO 86 MJB, told the commission that upon his visit to the unit at Thakargaon, Gen Niazi asked them how many Hindus they had killed. Furthermore, he stated that in May 1971, there was an order in writing to kill Hindus. It was issued by Brig. Abdullah Malik of 23 Bde. There was also an incident where five officers of the army planned and perpetrated a bank robbery of Rs. 13500,000 at Siraj Gunj. An inquiry into the incident was initiated, but never reached culmination. The actual number of people killed in East Pakistan will never be known. Mujeeb Ur Rehman claimed an exorbitant 3 million deaths, while the GHQ posited a conservative 26,000 killed by the army during military action. The Commission recommends immediate inquiries into all incidences, and strict punishments for the convicted. The report was kept secret for 30 years, largely under the pretext of prevention of disrepute to the army. Consequently, the recommendations of the report were never acted upon. The excesses of the armed forces went unpunished, amazingly for the purported purpose of preservation of the dignity of the institution. What the decision-makers then did not realise is that by choosing to keep the report secret, they had effectively contravened the cardinal principles which fashioned the foundations of the armed forces. The process of accountability had been stagnated. They had made the fatal mistake of sanctifying the institution, and sacrificing the rules on the altar of the organisation itself. Little did they know that they had damaged the institution irreparably by deifying it. |
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