File Photo

By Golam Ahad

DHAKA, Dec 15, 2014 (BSS) - It is mysterious that General Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmani, who led the freedom fighters in the nine-month-long Liberation War of Bangladesh, was not present at the ceremony where the defeated Pakistani forces commander Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi had surrendered in 1971.

Niazi formally surrendered his weapon to the allied forces' commander Jagjit Singh Aurora and signed the 'surrender instrument' at a ceremony at the then Racecourse, now the Suhrawardy Udyan, in the late afternoon on December 16.

But the absence of Osmani, the war-time chief of Bangladesh armed forces, raises some questions and it still remains a matter of mystery - whether the surrender ceremony was deliberately designed by the Indian commanders sidelining the freedom fighters of Bangladesh.

 Deputy Chief of Staff of Bangladesh Armed Forces during the Liberation War AK Khandaker was present at the surrender ceremony, but his presence was very insignificant and he was not seen in any major role there.

In fact, the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh meant many things to many parties involved. The people of Bangladesh took it as a triumph in the liberation struggle to free their motherland from Pakistani oppression but to India, it was to bring another region of the subcontinent under its influence.

There is no clear evidence why Osmani was not at the surrender ceremony. His Wikipedia says, "Osmani was not in Dhaka for the surrender ceremony on 16 December 1971.

 His helicopter, flying from Sylhet, was hit in midair by gunfire and crash-landed in a field." It is not clear who fired Osmani's helicopter in Sylhet region which came under the control of allied forces two days earlier.

The historic surrender document was signed by Pakistani and Indian commanders. But it was not countersigned any representative of the Mukti Bahini. If Osmani was present there representing the freedom fighters, it could be a show about Bangladesh as an independent party representing an independent country that fought for its independence.

A close analysis of the three-paragraph 'instrument of surrender' gives the impression that the Pakistani forces surrendered to the Indian military as if the Indian forces had taken the control of Bangladesh territory.

But in reality, the whole country had gone under the grip of the jubilant freedom fighters by that time.

The second paragraph of the surrender instrument says: "The Pakistan Eastern Command shall come under the orders of Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora as soon as this instrument has been signed.

 Disobedience of orders will be regarded as a breach of the surrender terms and will be dealt with in accordance with the accepted laws and usages of war. The decision of Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora will be final, should any doubt arise as to the meaning or interpretation of the surrender terms."

The third and last paragraph of the document reveals that none of independent Bangladesh but the Indian forces assured security and dignity of the Pakistani soldiers.

"Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora gives a solemn assurance that personnel who surrender shall be treated with dignity and respect that soldiers are entitled to in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention and guarantees the safety and well-being of all Pakistan military and para-military forces who surrender.

Protection will be provided to foreign nationals, ethnic minorities and personnel of West Pakistan origin by the forces under the command of Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora," says the concluding part of the surrender document.

Osmani's presence at the surrender ceremony and countersigning of the surrender document by him could give the historic event a comprehensive look. Moreover, his absence creates questions over the goodwill of the Indian authorities.