IT is time we stopped talking about the ‘what’, the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of the emergence of Bangladesh, and focussed on our existing and future relationship with that country. Although the tragic event of Dec 16, 1971, was painful, much has been said and written on the episode from both sides. Let us move on, and look beyond.

The fact that Indira Gandhi lost her Indian premiership after Bangladesh came into being was because things did not quite turn out to be what they expected. The Indians had thought that Bangladesh would fall into their lap and they would be able to run it like a colony and exploit its resources. But Bangladesh kept its identity as a sovereign nation, so much so that when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman started giving many undue concessions to India and was even prepared to sign a 25-year friendship treaty with it, he was removed from the scene with utmost brutality.

Yet, the nostalgia for Pakistan could not be removed from the hearts of the people of Bangladesh. There is a great desire of the people of Bangladesh to come closer to Pakistan in the best interest of the people of both countries. The people of Bangladesh are always at the forefront to raise the voice for the Muslims, may it be for Kashmir, Palestine or elsewhere in the world, which speaks about their love for Pakistan and Kashmir.

Notwithstanding the above, Chaudhry Rehmat Ali is said to have visualised that there should be three Muslim states in the subcontinent – Pakistan, Bangistan (now Bangladesh) and Osmanistan (Hyderabad Deccan). The emergence of Bangladesh, which is a Muslim state and a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) with Islam as its official religion, can be termed a partial realisation of that concept.

India has shown its ugly face by adopting draconian laws which has made millions of Bangladeshi-origin people settled in Assam for more than 100 years stateless. Resultantly, India intends to push them into Bangladesh due to which even the pro-India Hasina Wajid is feeling uneasy and distancing herself from India and trying to develop relations with Pakistan.

The people of Bangladesh are well aware that if there was no Pakistan, there could have been no Bangladesh. Their Muslim identity is well known and, as time passes by, the element of nostalgia about the good old days is creeping in.

Once the current government in Dhaka is out of power, Pakistan and Bangladesh are likely to come closer which will serve the interest of both the countries and will be detrimental to the hegemonistic designs of India.

It is time for one and all to stop the blame-game among ourselves. If we can forget the communal carnage of East Punjab during 1947 and begin a new chapter of peace and understanding with the Sikh community, why cannot we do it with the Muslim Bangladesh?

Lt-Col (retd) Syed Iftikhar Ahmed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2021