After reading this
article you will gather a brief idea about –
1. History of Liberation
war of Bangladesh
2. List of some foreign
countries who helped in Liberation War of Bangladesh
3. List of some foreign friends who helped in Liberation War of Bangladesh.
History
Liberation War was not a
blessing for us. We got our independence through lots of sacrifices from all
classes of people in our country. It is the result of three million lives and
so many uncountable things. Besides our indigenous freedom fighter, there was
direct and indirect participation of many peace-loving citizens from all over
the world in Bangladesh’s bloody liberation war.
The news of the genocide,
torture and unilateral war of the unarmed Bangladeshis was delivered through
their pen, someone by the camera, someone wrote poem, and someone sang songs to
aware the people all over the world. Some foreign friends who raised their hand
of friendship towards Bangladeshis during the War of Liberation are our topic
of discussion here. During the nine months of blood-shedding battle which
started on the 26th March of 1971, the roles of the foreign actors were very
significant and it must be taken into consideration. India, the Soviet Union,
China, USA were one of the major key players who had a direct stake in this war
and their roles were quite different as in the field of International
Relations, every state actor always do want to serve their own interest while
taking any steps that can have a global impact.
Some
Foreign Countries who raised their hand of friendship
India
India gave shelter to
more than 1 million war refugees who lost everything during this war time and
all they wanted to save their lives by crossing the border.
Indira Gandhi went to
visit Moscow to get the support of the Soviet Union in the United Nations
Security Council. India also gave Bangladesh the recognition as an Independent
country on the 6th December of 1971.
India helped the freedom
fighters of Bangladesh by training them up and also by providing them with the
arms and ammunition during the entire time of war.
SOVIET
UNION
Soviet
Union supported Bangladesh wholeheartedly and they used their veto power
consecutively three times in the United Nations Security Council which made the
way easier for Bangladesh to reach her ever desired goal,
“Independence”.
In
some stages of this Liberation War, the Soviet Union even declared the war as
the “NATIONAL WAR”.
The
Liberation War of Bangladesh got international recognition and support because
of the diplomatic initiatives taken by Soviet Union.
CHINA
The role of China was
very much questionable as they were trying to help Pakistan because of their
self-interest to ensure their stronghold in South Asia which Pakistan could
help them to get established.
USA
The United States of
America didn’t play any praise-worthy role during the Liberation War period as
they did not want to make their bilateral relationship with Pakistan bad
because of this issue.
The USA treated this war
as the internal matter of Pakistan and they were secretly helping Pakistan
financially and logistically.
The United States of
America even sent their 7th Naval Fleet in the Indian Ocean to save Pakistan
but that fleet could not get the scope to enter into the Bay of Bengal because
the Soviet Union also sent two task forces for tackling the situation.
Some foreign Friends who
raised their hand of friendship
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini
Gandhi, the prime minister of India during the liberation war of Bangladesh in
1971.
She opened India's
eastern borders allowing streams of refugees to take shelter.
Indira Gandhi travelled
across the world to mobilize support for the troubled people of Bangladesh and
appealed world leaders to intervene and pressurize Pakistan to stop its
brutalities in East Pakistan.
On 6 December 1971, she
announced in Parliament that India had accorded recognition to the Bangladesh
Government.
Anthony Mascarenhas
Mascarenhas was the
assistant editor at The Morning News in Karachi, was sent to East Pakistan by
the government to promote the Pakistani propaganda.
He fled to London on 18
May with the collection of massacre images. On 13 June 1971, he published a 16
column (2-page) report titled "Genocide" in The Sunday Times of
London. The world was stunned by the revelation made by the report.
Later, he published two
books highlighting the brutality of Pakistan military during the 1971
independence movement of Bangladesh, titled: 'The Rape of Bangladesh' and
'Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood' the war.
JFR Jacob
Lieutenant General Jack
Farj Rafael Jacob aka JFR Jacob was the Chief of Staff of the Indian Army's
Eastern Command during 1971.On 6 December 1971, she announced in Parliament
that India had accorded recognition to the Bangladesh Government.
JFR Jacob was the man who
carried the historic "instrument of surrender" on 16 December 1971
and made the counterpart Pakistani Army' Eastern Commander Lieutenant General
AAK Niazi to accept the conditions in 30 minutes.
William AS Ouderland
He was the only foreign
national to be honored with the fourth highest gallantry award, the Bir Protik,
by the Government of Bangladesh.
He worked as a secret
intelligence agent for communicating the plans and actions of the occupation
army.
With the help of his
experience in the Second World War as a guerilla commando, he then became an
active member of a guerilla branch of Sector 2. He provided regular training to
the freedom fighters at different secret camps in Tongi, including the Bata
Shoe Factory premises.
Simon Dring
Dring was 'The Daily
Telegraph' reporter, when he was assigned to cover the tumultuous political
situation in East Pakistan.
On 25th March 1971, when
the Pakistan Army was trying to block world media from doing any news coverage,
Dring hid himself at the Hotel Intercontinental for more than 32 hours, risking
his life only to inform the world about the brutality.
Apart from his active
participation in the direct war, he also gathered information on brutality and
genocide, collected photographs of brutalities of the Pakistani military and
send it to the world news media for creating public opinion in favor of the
Liberation War.
Edward Kennedy
US Senator Edward
Kennedy, known as Ted Kennedy, visited the Bangladeshi refugee camps in India
as he didn’t get the visa to enter East Pakistan in times of liberation war.
Senator Edward Kennedy
suggested the administration to put pressure in Pakistan to allow Red Cross
International Committee representatives to meet Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, saying
that genocide is taking place in East Pakistan.
George Harrison MBE
George Harrison, a
celebrated name in the history of independent Bangladesh, was an English
singer, songwriter, music and film producer who achieved international fame as
the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of the Beatles.
On 1 August 1971, former
Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar
organized a pair of benefit concerts titled "The Concert for
Bangladesh". The shows were held at 2:30 and 8:00 pm at Madison Square
Garden in New York City, to raise international awareness and fund relief for
the refugees of East Pakistan.
The concerts were
attended by a total of forty thousand people approximately, and the initial
gate receipts have risen close to the US $250,000 for Bangladesh relief, which
was administered by UNICEF.
Sydney H Schanberg
Sydney H Schanberg was
the first foreign journalists who break the news of genocide committed by the
Pakistani army in West Pakistan to the world in 1971.
In June 1971, Schanberg
filed several eyewitness accounts from the towns of East Pakistan for The New
York Times. As a result, Pakistan expelled him from the country on 30th June
1971.
Sir William Mark Tully
Sir William Mark Tully
was BBC's India correspondent in 1971.
During the war of 1971,
when the news media controlled by the then Pakistani junta used to carry out
government propaganda, Mark Tully's coverage of the war on BBC radio was the
people's chief source of authentic information.
Andre Malraux
Andre Malraux is one of
the dearest friends of Bangladesh who decided to join the Liberation War
physically with the Mukti Bahini
He was given honorary
citizenship by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, then Prime Minister of
Bangladesh, during his visit from 23 – 24 April, 1973
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg, an
American poet, composed his famous poem 'September on Jessore Road’ in
September of 1971 that represented the heart-wrenching emotional journey of
those nine long months of liberation war.
Ginsberg wrote the poem
after visiting the refugee camps located in the bordering areas of Jessore of
Bangladesh and Kolkata of India in mid-September, 1971. He recited the poetry
at Saint George Church in New York on 20 November 1971 to draw the world's
attention to the sufferings of Bangladeshi refugees.