Welcome to Colonel Taher's website

Freedom fighters will be victorious again

I cannot but feel happy as well as hopeful learning that GRENADE, an organ of the freedom fighters, is awaiting publication. The fact that people will know the freedom fighters through GRENADE not only made me happy but it brought happiness and hope in the hearts of the seven and a half crore people of Bangladesh, the people who sacrificed their life, wealth and dignity to assure victory for the freedom fighters.

Though GRENADE will acquaint freedom fighters to the masses, still it is very meager effort in the context of today's need. The people, who one day gave shelter to the freedom fighters, helped them and felt hope in their association would not be able to know GRENADE. The appeal of GRENADE will not be able to touch the simple, illiterate masses of Bangladesh .Still it is an endeavor, an endeavor to enable us to find the road map for the coming days.

When I took the responsibility of the 11th sector after fleeing from Pakistan I was again and again astonished to find that the valiant youths of Bangladesh who weren't selected to participate in the liberation struggle went back with pangs of unfulfillment.Then they waited for days in the youth camps, awaiting the call to sacrifice their lives. They encircled me in the border areas like Mohendraganj, Minekarchar, Dalu with the same and single question-"how long to wait?". As a soldier I can understand when people can take a terrible war with ease. Seeing the lines at the recruiting centers I felt sure that these soldiers will come out victorious because such voluntary participation in wars is unparalleled.

From the liberation movement of People's China to the freedom movement of Indo-China, none could create a mark as deep as created by the freedom-fighters of Bangladesh. The liberation movements of Vietnam and Cuba were organized with extensive political and military planning. But how the youths of Bangladesh had plunged into the liberation struggle without political- military planning and left marks of bravery and sacrifice is unseen in the history of the liberation movements of the world. They, and none else, created this history. If any party or association claims this victory of the people as their own then it will be a total lie.

The colonial oppression of Pakistan was so strong that the nationalist feeling of the Bengalis had become the most potent factor of the liberation struggle. The intense desire to be freed from the national oppression provided the masses of Bangladesh with the strength to start the struggle. This exploit is totally for the people and the people's warrior, the freedom fighters. Though the conditions congenial to the liberation struggle prevailed before 25th of March .due to lack of correct political party it could not be started. Even in the first week of March the people were not ready, though a few revolutionary youths from the urban areas had prepared themselves for the war.

The armed protest with broke out from 26th march was voluntary. I feel that if the Pakistani army had not meted out those atrocities upon the people on the 25th, it would, perhaps, have more time for the struggle to break out. Though the protestations were armed struggle, it did not assume the form of the liberation movement instantly .for the absence of a history of armed struggle, in spite of having the urge to take up arms, the people could not do it so easily. But the people of Bangladesh could easily overthrow this weakness of non-existence of military tradition with their valor. The armed resistance of a few East Bengal regiments, E.P.R. (now B.D.R.) and police forces in the months of March, April and May helped these regular forces to embrace some of the strategy and tactics of guerilla warfare doing away with the tactics of conventional warfare. And around that time i.e. around the month of June guerilla war started in this country. Liberation army started to grow in different regions. In July liberation war took some sort of shape. Liberation warriors started to spread out in different villages. In August liberation war developed into its full shape and in September it became powerful enough.

After the attainment of this glory, I thought, probably we would create an example in the world in the case of liberation war which would inspire national liberation struggles of the peoples of Asia. In fact, the liberation warriors became the future of Bangladesh. Victory was beaconing at them. The liberation fighters proved that patriotic fighters without having any history of fighting can overpower one of the strongest military forces. The confidence of the people which is the greatest ingredient of guerilla warfare was enjoyed by the liberation fighters. Keeping that intact, establishment of leadership in political, military and social spheres of life was then their historical duty.

But the liberation fighters failed to take that leadership. Not withstanding the fact that there was severe crisis of political leadership, the situation militarily turned in favor of the liberation fighters within November. On the whole Pakistan armies were then encircled in all their positions. The patrolling enemies were then the prime targets of liberation fighters. But as a result of the absence of correct leadership that connects them with the people, enhances the most important ingredient of guerilla warfare, from qualitative side negative development of the freedom fighters started. I realized the importance of this problem. It became clear to me that this problem of strategy was basically a problem between the people and the soldiers. So to solve this problem the relation between the people and the soldiers has to be determined. Unfortunately the regular and most of the guerilla fighters then thought that as they were fighting, the people would help them. This mentality was responsible for the negative development of the freedom fighters. The regular soldiers who were fighting never realized this truth, and it was not possible for them to realize it. They and the freedom fighters trained under the Indian Army could not comprehend this problem at the initial stage. But a growing trend to accept this difficulty was seen among the guerrilla fighters from October which gradually turned into a possibility by November. But it was an alternative. The problem which was to be solved by the political department had to be undertaken by the military department. As the regular soldiers had no ideological base they could never give form to a people's war. They were the victims of the circumstances. Hence, in the first phase the occurrence of this problem among the freedom fighters were natural. At that time I urged them to give a clear shape to their relation with the people. This war was a war between the colonial Pakistan and the people of Bangladesh and that is why the people supported the freedom-fighters. One cannot become associated with the people only through war. This war was a people's war. As war becomes a part of one's life, economy, culture, society, administration etc are also a part of the life. So I used to tell the fighters of the NO11 SECTOR not to fight a battle by staying at a farmer's house and having chicken and mutton at his expense. I also used to tell them that if you spent the night at the cattle of a farmer, then next morning, do clean the cowdung.If you have no operations on that day, then make a deep trench latrine for your host. Harvest the fields with them, help them in their farming. These are the ways to associate oneself with the people. To acquire this practice, to teach it and to apply it was the responsibility of the political leaders, who would teach it to every unit of the fighters. There was a necessity for political teachers who ,in the dictionary of guerilla warfare, are known as political advisors. But our political leadership had neglected it and treated the freedom-fighters as hired soldiers. During that time,I,in my sector, employed some conscious professors as "operation officers" to carry out the duty of political advisors. It gave good results.

The guerillas in the whole of Bangladesh were not under any unified command. In the main, there was lack of centralization in the military leadership and lack of military expertise in political leadership. On the one hand the military and political leadership was weak; on the other it was uncoordinated. There was no politicalisation of the military leadership at all.

16th December dawned upon this revolutionary time.

16th December was not the fruit of the natural victory of the freedom fighters. 16th December was the result of the impatience of the bankrupt politics. Even at that time also, the freedom fighters were holding the armed ultimate power. But in the absence of leadership, the freedom fighters could not realize when this power and control changed hands. Why only the freedom fighters, the native people of Bengal could not realize that the freedom fighters were to put out of action; the freedom fighters lost even after being victorious.

Freedom fighters were disarmed. Still they thought, and it was natural, that the leadership was in their hands. They thought that the people shall always put them in the highest alter of deference because of their glory. By that time people were suffering greatly. The lives of the people became unbearable for the economic, social as well as total detoriation. For this detoriation, the freedom fighters themselves were made responsible. Acute pessimism crippled the freedom fighters. Guilt-feeling emerged; the youths became demoralized. An evil force started to erase the demarcation line between the freedom fighters and Razakars. Freedom fighters became the victim of a despicable conspiracy.

In the people of a country which wrested independence through a liberation war, there comes a resurgence of impetus and enthusiasm. I, as a freedom fighter, have noticed the same resurgence of impetus and enthusiasm amongst the people of Bengal. But the conspiracy which crippled the freedom fighters, the same conspiracy shattered the fervor for building the country. On the other hand, people falsely thought it as the consequence of the past deeds of the freedom fighters for it were the freedom fighters who wrested the military victory. And people have recognized their leadership. Despite loosing the leadership, the freedom fighters were in the leadership in the minds of the people. That was why the people made the freedom fighters responsible for all their sufferings for Freedom fighters were the own entity of the people, the legal and tested successors of the leadership.

It is unfortunate for Bengal that in the stead of legal successor the leadership passed to those hands who were the fountain of power before the revolution. The administrative machinery is run by those old persons. They are also in the field of commerce, education and culture. The military officer who tried to destroy the freedom fighters standing shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan military is promoted to higher post. The police officer who apprehended the patriotic freedom fighters and handed them over to Pakistanis is busy once again to produce warrant against the freedom fighters. The bureaucrats, who toiled day and night to organize the Razakars, are powerful once again to pity the freedom fighters by giving them jobs. The teacher who could not respond to the call of the country has now been assigned the responsibility to teach the youths. The employee of the planning department who was trained years after years to make plans for exploitation, the same person is now preparing plans for Socialism. During the liberation war, the persons who were busy in propaganda on behalf of Pakistan authorities, the same persons changed their color after 16th December and became the centre of attractions of culture. But after liberation war concentration camps were set up in each liberated country. Those who did not help the liberation war found their place in concentration camps. There they were given chance to reform themselves through manual labor so that they can be a part of the revolutionary populace. It is matters of great misfortune that the persons who were supposed to be in the concentration camps usurped surreptitiously the leadership in all spheres.

To day the opportunists of the upper middle class and capitalist class has become the microphone in the hands of the propaganda branch of the conspiracy. They are characteristically opportunist and vacillating. They were staunch supporters of independence before 25th march. They envisaged that if the non Bengalis and Pakistanis are driven away they would get opportunity to develop the capital and preference in all spheres including jobs. After the 25th march, when the Liberation war started they changed their color quickly and became Pakistan supporters. Their single most duty was to guide and encourage the Pakistan army. They once again have become patriots after the independence. To day, at the moment of intense suffering of the people, their sacred duty has become to create an atmosphere of jealousy and hatred. They are traitors, quislings for all times and spaces and unpardonable. They are burdens for the ordinary people of Bengal. This burden must be done away with. These persons must be uprooted so that treachery is not repeated again in Bengal.

In tune with their effort to publish GRENADE the freedom fighters must strive for bigger endeavor. That endeavor is to foil all conspiracy and reassert themselves amongst the people.

Translated by:

Debasish Chakrabarty
Itkhola, Sukhada Palli
P.O. Silchar-788001
Assam, India