In a rare and
unprecedented noble gesture Bangladesh officially honored the Indian war
heroes of the 1971 War in Dhaka recently. The Indian war heroes were
invited by the Bangladesh Army Chief as part of their National Day
celebrations and to commemorate their War of Liberation to free
themselves from the tyranny of the Pakistan Army and establishment of
Bangladesh as an independent nation.
The Indian war heroes
delegation was led by Lieutenant General J F R Jacob and comprised many
of the Indian Army Divisional Commanders and Brigade Commanders besides
other Indian officers who spearheaded the military operations by the
Indian Army in conjunction with the Bangladesh Mukti Bahini Jodhas i.e.
Liberation Army warriors.
The noteworthy point is that this rare honor was extended to the Indian
Army war veterans by the Bangladesh Army in a year in which the run-up
to Bangladesh General Elections is taking place. Also in focus this year
is that Bangladesh is wrestling with the issue of commencing war crimes
tribunals to try those Bangladeshis who collaborated with the Pakistan
Army in its genocide against the Bengali Muslims of what was then East
Pakistan.
The Indian Army Bangladesh War veterans laid wreaths at the War Memorial
in Dhaka and thereafter feted in a number of ceremonial functions. Media
reports indicate that there were tearful though joyous reunions between
the war veterans of both the countries who had fought shoulder to
shoulder for the liberation of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Army Chief and the Bangladesh Army deserve a mighty
appreciation from India as a whole as this noble gesture carries and
conveys a rich political symbolism. It is a reach-out by Bangladesh to
improve relations between the two countries and break the existing mould
in which Bangladesh- India relations had descended in which mutual
distrust and suspicions pervaded more generated by Pakistan and China as
part of their effort to drive a wedge between Bangladesh and India and
they had succeeded to a fair extent.
India and the Indian Army too deserve credit that never ever after the
1971 War have they played drumbeats to highlight their role in the
liberation of Bangladesh. Time itself has brought about a realization at
the highest levels in Bangladesh that the Indian Army was a part of the
Liberation War of Bangladesh and appreciation of their effort was due.
For India it should be a gratifying gesture
Readers would recall that some months back I had reflected in my Column
that the new Caretaker Government in Bangladesh with the full backing of
Bangladesh Army Chief had made a number of encouraging gestures towards
India signifying a possible intent to turn over a new leaf in
Bangladesh-India relations. The present gesture of honoring Indian Army
war veterans who fought for the liberation of Bangladesh further
reinforces the trend set by the people at the helm in Bangladesh
presently.
It was in this spirit and reciprocating it fully that India honored the
Bangladesh Army Chief during his five day visit to India last month and
if I am not wrong it was the first ever visit by a Bangladesh Army Chief
to India and therefore it was unprecedented.
All this augurs well for the future of Bangladesh- India relations and a
trend which both sides must reinforce with the fullest vigor and
determination. Political statesmanship of a high order coupled with a
visionary outlook would be required to bind both these nations who stand
to gain from each other as neighbors sharing long land borders.
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