कदाचित मराठी बोलणारा प्रदेश स्वतंत्र मराठी राष्ट्र झाला तरच मराठी माणूस आणि त्याची संस्कृती टिकू शकेल. किती लोक संमत आहेत? अभिप्राय कळवा ईमेल द्वारे.
marathi.rashtra@gmail.com
मराठीचा विजय असो!
मराठी राष्ट्राचा विजय असो!
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
स्वतंत्र मराठी राष्ट्र हवा कि नको? Independent Maharashtra
कदाचित मराठी बोलणारा प्रदेश स्वतंत्र मराठी राष्ट्र झाला तरच मराठी माणूस आणि त्याची संस्कृती टिकू शकेल. किती लोक संमत आहेत? अभिप्राय कळवा ईमेल द्वारे.
marathi.rashtra@gmail.com
मराठीचा विजय असो!
मराठी राष्ट्राचा विजय असो!
Friday, February 22, 2013
आपले साहेब गेले
शिवसेनाप्रमुख बाबासाहेब ठाकरे यांच्या निधनाने अवघा महाराष्ट्र शोकाकुल झाला. अनेकांना पोरके झाल्यासारखेही वाटले. माझे अनेक मित्र मला म्हणाले कि आता मराठी आणि महाराष्ट्राचे काय? मला समजेच ना कि त्यांना काय बोलू. मी म्हणालो, मराठी माणसाचे भविष्य त्यांच्याच हातात आहे. खरंतर चिंता आहे मला. महाराष्ट्राचा ढाण्या वाघ हरपला. आता मराठीचा कैवारी कोण?
प्रत्येक वेळी मराठी माणसाला समोर कुणी का हवे असते? मी मराठीच्या उद्धारासाठी बोलणार्यांच्या विरोधात नाही. मला फक्त एवढेच बोलायचे आहे कि आपण स्वतः कधी लढायला शिकणार? माझ्यामते प्रत्येक मराठी माणूस एक शक्ती आहे. आणि जेव्हा हि शक्ती एकवटेल तेव्हा उद्याचा महाराष्ट्र त्यांच्या सहभागाने घडेल. होय, महाराष्ट्राला तुमची गरज आहे. ह्या मराठीला तुमची गरज आहे. प्रत्येक वेळी पक्ष मदतीसाठी येईल, असे म्हणून स्वस्त बसू नका. पक्ष हा तुमच्यामुळे घडतो आणि मोठा होतो. तुम्ही जर मराठी प्रेमी असाल, तुम्हाला जर तुमच्या मराठी भाषेसाठी आणि महाराष्ट्रासाठी काही करावयाचे असेल, तर सुरुवात करा. अजूनही वेळ गेली नाही. मराठीवर प्रेम करणाऱ्या प्रत्येक मराठी माणसाने एकत्र येण्याची गरज आहे. या, आणि आपल्या स्वप्नातला महाराष्ट्र घडवा.
मराठीचा विजय असो!
मराठी राष्ट्राचा विजय असो!
प्रत्येक वेळी मराठी माणसाला समोर कुणी का हवे असते? मी मराठीच्या उद्धारासाठी बोलणार्यांच्या विरोधात नाही. मला फक्त एवढेच बोलायचे आहे कि आपण स्वतः कधी लढायला शिकणार? माझ्यामते प्रत्येक मराठी माणूस एक शक्ती आहे. आणि जेव्हा हि शक्ती एकवटेल तेव्हा उद्याचा महाराष्ट्र त्यांच्या सहभागाने घडेल. होय, महाराष्ट्राला तुमची गरज आहे. ह्या मराठीला तुमची गरज आहे. प्रत्येक वेळी पक्ष मदतीसाठी येईल, असे म्हणून स्वस्त बसू नका. पक्ष हा तुमच्यामुळे घडतो आणि मोठा होतो. तुम्ही जर मराठी प्रेमी असाल, तुम्हाला जर तुमच्या मराठी भाषेसाठी आणि महाराष्ट्रासाठी काही करावयाचे असेल, तर सुरुवात करा. अजूनही वेळ गेली नाही. मराठीवर प्रेम करणाऱ्या प्रत्येक मराठी माणसाने एकत्र येण्याची गरज आहे. या, आणि आपल्या स्वप्नातला महाराष्ट्र घडवा.
मराठीचा विजय असो!
मराठी राष्ट्राचा विजय असो!
Monday, April 30, 2012
उद्याचा महाराष्ट्र
ह्या महाराष्ट्राच्या स्थापणेला आज ५२ वर्ष पूर्ण होत आहेत. अशा महत्वाच्या दिवशी महाष्ट्राच्या भविष्याबद्दल विचार करणे सहाजिकच आहे. महाराष्ट्राचा विचार करतांना मराठीचा विचार हि करवला लागेल, कारण शेवटी ह्या मराठी भाषेच्या आधारावरच महारष्ट्राची स्थापना झाली आहे. मराठी भाषा आणि मराठी संकृती हे महाराष्ट्राच्या दैनंदिन जीवनाचा एक अभेद्य भाग आहे. ज्या मराठी भाषेच्या आधारावर ह्या महाराष्ट्राची स्थापना झाली त्या मराठी भाषेची वर्तमान स्तिथी अतिशय हलाकीची आहे. मराठीच्या राज्यात मराठीला स्थान नाही. ज्या मुंबईसाठी १०६ हुतात्म्यांनी आपले प्राण गमावले, त्या मुंबई शहरामध्ये मराठी प्रभावशून्य झाली आहे. मराठी फक्त नामशेष उरली आहे. पारराज्यातून आलेली लोक स्थानिक मराठी जनांना विचारतात कि मुंबई मराठी माणसाची कधी पासून झाली? मराठीच्या मुंबईत मराठी माणूसच नाही. मग त्यावर मुंबईला बॉम्बे बोलण्याचा हट्ट. ती लोक हे समजत का नाही कि जर ते महारष्ट्रात येतात तर महाराष्ट्राचे बनून राहणे गर्जेचे आहे. उलट मराठी माणसालाच प्रश्न केला जातो कि त्याचा मुंबईवर हक्क कसा?
अमराठी लोकांचे वर्चस्व महारष्ट्रात वाढण्याचा एकमेव कारण मराठी माणूस स्वतः आहे. मराठी माणूस नेहमी बेसावाद राहिला. आजही आपण हे समजत नाही कि मराठीसाठी लढा देणे काळाची गरज आहे. प्रत्येक वेळी मराठीच्या हक्कांसाठी लढा देणाऱ्या पक्षांना आपण जातीवादी आणि धर्मांध पक्ष म्हणून पाहिले तर कसे चालेल. मग ह्या पक्षांना मत देणारी मराठी जनता काय जातीवादी आणि धर्मांध आहे? हि पक्ष सहजच ४०% मत मिळवतात. मग आपण असे म्हणू का कि ४०% मराठी जनता धर्मांध आणि जातीवादी आहे? नाही. स्वतःच्या हक्कांसाठी लढणे जातीवाद नाही. मराठी माणसाच्या मनात मराठी बद्दल जरा हि प्रेम शिल्लक नाही का? का आपण पदोपदी मराठीचा त्याग आणि परभाषेचा स्वीकार करत आहोत? का आपण मराठीत बोलत नाही? अनेकांना वाटते कि माझ्या एकट्याने मराठीत बोलून काय होणार आहे. पण प्रत्येक मराठी माणूस लाखमोलाचा आहे. तुम्ही एक नाही तर ७ कोटी आहात. जर सगळ्यांनी असाच विचार केला तर मराठीचा नाश होईल.
म्हणून मी तुम्हाला आवाहन करतो कि तुम्ही मराठीचा मान वाचवा. मराठीच्या हक्कांसाठी लढा. आपण सारे मराठी आहोत आणि हि मराठी मायबोली आपली माउली आहे. तिचे रक्षण करणे हे आपले कर्तव्य आहे. मराठी भाषा आणि संस्कृती हे आपल्या जीवनाचे अभेद्य स्थंभ आहेत. त्याचे संरक्षण करा!
मराठीचा विजय असो
मराठीराष्ट्राचा विजय असो
अमराठी लोकांचे वर्चस्व महारष्ट्रात वाढण्याचा एकमेव कारण मराठी माणूस स्वतः आहे. मराठी माणूस नेहमी बेसावाद राहिला. आजही आपण हे समजत नाही कि मराठीसाठी लढा देणे काळाची गरज आहे. प्रत्येक वेळी मराठीच्या हक्कांसाठी लढा देणाऱ्या पक्षांना आपण जातीवादी आणि धर्मांध पक्ष म्हणून पाहिले तर कसे चालेल. मग ह्या पक्षांना मत देणारी मराठी जनता काय जातीवादी आणि धर्मांध आहे? हि पक्ष सहजच ४०% मत मिळवतात. मग आपण असे म्हणू का कि ४०% मराठी जनता धर्मांध आणि जातीवादी आहे? नाही. स्वतःच्या हक्कांसाठी लढणे जातीवाद नाही. मराठी माणसाच्या मनात मराठी बद्दल जरा हि प्रेम शिल्लक नाही का? का आपण पदोपदी मराठीचा त्याग आणि परभाषेचा स्वीकार करत आहोत? का आपण मराठीत बोलत नाही? अनेकांना वाटते कि माझ्या एकट्याने मराठीत बोलून काय होणार आहे. पण प्रत्येक मराठी माणूस लाखमोलाचा आहे. तुम्ही एक नाही तर ७ कोटी आहात. जर सगळ्यांनी असाच विचार केला तर मराठीचा नाश होईल.
म्हणून मी तुम्हाला आवाहन करतो कि तुम्ही मराठीचा मान वाचवा. मराठीच्या हक्कांसाठी लढा. आपण सारे मराठी आहोत आणि हि मराठी मायबोली आपली माउली आहे. तिचे रक्षण करणे हे आपले कर्तव्य आहे. मराठी भाषा आणि संस्कृती हे आपल्या जीवनाचे अभेद्य स्थंभ आहेत. त्याचे संरक्षण करा!
मराठीचा विजय असो
मराठीराष्ट्राचा विजय असो
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
आजच्या महाराष्ट्रामधील मराठीची परिस्तिथी
मला हे लिहायला खूप दुःख होते कि ज्या मराठी भाषेच्या आधारावर ह्या महाराष्ट्राची स्थापना झाली त्या भाषेलाच आज महारष्ट्रात मान नाही. मराठी भाषेला पोषक असे काहीही केले तर लोकांना ते अमराठी जनतेवर अन्यायकारक आहे असे वाटते. काही काळापूर्वी मराठी पाट्यांचा मुद्दा चांगलाच गाजला होता. तेव्हा देखील काही लोकांनी त्या चळवळीचा विरोध केला. खरंतर मराठीच्या राज्यातच मराठीचा विरोध होतो हे आश्चर्यजनक आहे. मुंबई मध्ये तर मराठी आहे कि नाही हाच प्रश्न विचारायला हवा. रस्त्यावर कोणासोबत मराठीत बोलले तर ती व्यक्ती आपल्याकडे अशा नजरेने पाहते जाणू आपण दुसऱ्या जगातून आलो आहोत. हल्ली लोकांनी हे गृहीतच धरले आहे कि मुंबई मध्ये मराठीला काहीही स्थान शिल्लक उरलेले नाही. खरंतर हा एक विरोधाभास आहे. लालबाग, पार्ला आणि दादर अजूनही मराठीच्या प्रचंड प्रभावाखाली आहेत.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Future of the Marathi language
I really wonder what would happen to our beloved language 20 years down the line. The use of Marathi is declining by the day. I have seen Marathi youths conversing in Hindi among themselves. I really don't understand the point of conversing in some other language when they both speak Marathi as their mother tongue. When asked they, when there would be an argument between Marathi and Hindi they would support Marathi on that matter. I can understand that, but why not speak in Marathi? I am pretty sure that both of them can communicate better in their native language than in any other.
However, this is not an isolated case, there are many people like them. I have encountered many people with the same tendencies. They rather speak in some other language than Marathi, even in a situation when it is their native language. On the other hand I have also met people who are adamant on speaking in Marathi with Marathi speakers even though they are non-native speakers of that language; and in some cases they speak in Marathi with non-Marathi speakers also.
I would also like to inform all of you that I was fortunate enough to meet people who spoke Marathi as their native language even though they were non-Marathi. I know one family which migrated from Andhra Pradesh to Mumbai. The parents can speak in Telugu but all three of their children communicate in Marathi with their parents. After immigrating to Mumbai, these people learned Marathi and only spoke in Marathi. Thats the reason their children never learned Telugu. They were surrounded by Marathi culture and language from all sides. Their parents and they themselves also watch Marathi channels as Marathi speakers would do. I am really proud of them. They are role-models of cultural assimilation. They are real Marathi people.
This is exactly what we want. Complete assimilation of immigrants. Its not that we hate immigrants, the only problem is that we want them to assimilate into Marathi language and culture, but unfortunately they don't. This is mostly caused by the fact that the Hindi speakers think that since Hindi is the Official Language of the Union, they are not supposed to learn the language of the region they live in. They think that as everyone learns Hindi and speaks it, they have no responsibility of learning the regional language. I vehemently counter this argument. Why is it thought that non-Hindi speaker are obligated to learn Hindi since they are living in India and Hindi is the official language of the country. Is this not one form discrimination against non-Hindi speakers. The Non-Hindi speakers are forced to learns Hindi while the Hindi speaker never learn any of the regional languages of India. The Union Government has found a Sanskrit as a scapegoat for this problem. They have introduced Sanskrit as one of the optional languages; and in some cases the only option is Hindi or Sanskrit. This places the Hindi speakers at a comfortable position. They are speared of the burden of learning an extra language, since the learn Sanskrit and are not supposed to learn any other language except English.
Do think on this matter people.
I hope Marathi speakers are awakened.
However, this is not an isolated case, there are many people like them. I have encountered many people with the same tendencies. They rather speak in some other language than Marathi, even in a situation when it is their native language. On the other hand I have also met people who are adamant on speaking in Marathi with Marathi speakers even though they are non-native speakers of that language; and in some cases they speak in Marathi with non-Marathi speakers also.
I would also like to inform all of you that I was fortunate enough to meet people who spoke Marathi as their native language even though they were non-Marathi. I know one family which migrated from Andhra Pradesh to Mumbai. The parents can speak in Telugu but all three of their children communicate in Marathi with their parents. After immigrating to Mumbai, these people learned Marathi and only spoke in Marathi. Thats the reason their children never learned Telugu. They were surrounded by Marathi culture and language from all sides. Their parents and they themselves also watch Marathi channels as Marathi speakers would do. I am really proud of them. They are role-models of cultural assimilation. They are real Marathi people.
This is exactly what we want. Complete assimilation of immigrants. Its not that we hate immigrants, the only problem is that we want them to assimilate into Marathi language and culture, but unfortunately they don't. This is mostly caused by the fact that the Hindi speakers think that since Hindi is the Official Language of the Union, they are not supposed to learn the language of the region they live in. They think that as everyone learns Hindi and speaks it, they have no responsibility of learning the regional language. I vehemently counter this argument. Why is it thought that non-Hindi speaker are obligated to learn Hindi since they are living in India and Hindi is the official language of the country. Is this not one form discrimination against non-Hindi speakers. The Non-Hindi speakers are forced to learns Hindi while the Hindi speaker never learn any of the regional languages of India. The Union Government has found a Sanskrit as a scapegoat for this problem. They have introduced Sanskrit as one of the optional languages; and in some cases the only option is Hindi or Sanskrit. This places the Hindi speakers at a comfortable position. They are speared of the burden of learning an extra language, since the learn Sanskrit and are not supposed to learn any other language except English.
Do think on this matter people.
I hope Marathi speakers are awakened.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Where Foreign Rule is disguised under the Veil of Independence, Democracy and National Integration.
Today marked the 50th anniversary of the formation of the State of Maharashtra. The golden jubilee of the Marathi State. There were mesmerizing celebrations all over the state. The government was also too keen on cashing in on one of the most important occasions in the history of the state. Major political parties had organized various cultural events to mark the occasion. The so called Marathi nationalist parties were eager to demonstrate their love for Marathi and Maharashtra. In doing so, they were busy attracting famous Marathi personalities and celebrities into their camps. But I wonder if celebrations alone can save the language and the state in a situation were fighting for your linguistic rights and your state is considered to be anti-national and treason.
Two contrary incidents occur on the same as Maharashtra marks its golden jubilee. Amid the celebrations which took place all over the state there were also few incidents of anti-Maharashtra protesters who were agitating for a separate state of Vidarbh. They observed Black day on this occasion and waived black flags at Maharashtra day celebrations. However, the support for the formation of Vidarbh is open to debate.
On the other hand, the representatives of the people of Belgaum went to meet the President of the country. They want presidential rule to be declared in the Marathi speaking areas of Karnataka until the issue of unification of the Marathi speaking areas with Maharashtra, is resolved. They also demonstrated in support of Maharashtra in Belgaum and many other Marathi speaking areas of Karnataka.
When I look back at our history I find various things which trouble me a lot. What was the problem in the grating a unified Marathi state? What was the problem in giving Mumbai to Maharashtra when it is geographically and culturally Marathi land? As far as I know, the problem is that, Marathi Manaus had to fight for everything which he needed. He had to fight even for the very things which were rightfully his. I know that he will always have to fight in order fulfill even his basic needs.
We are never given anything without a fight. We are supposed to fight for everything from the inclusion of Mumbai in Maharashtra to making Marathi compulsory in schools. I cannot understand, how can one oppose the a law which makes Marathi compulsory in the very state which was established on that language. This can only happen in Maharashtra. The martyrdom of the 106 innocent lives is in vein. Nowadays, our youth has no concern for our language or the future of our state. We are already on the brink of losing Mumbai. It won't be long until we lose our entire state.
We Marathis are so used to Outside Rule that we can never think of us ruling ourselves. We always want someone or the other to rule over us. Why is it so? We are strong enough and we can also be able to sustain ourselves without anyone's help. However, even the idea of liberation is feared of. Why? Know that you are self-sustainable. Know that you can rule your nation on your own. Most important of all, know that you are Marathi First before being anything else.
Two contrary incidents occur on the same as Maharashtra marks its golden jubilee. Amid the celebrations which took place all over the state there were also few incidents of anti-Maharashtra protesters who were agitating for a separate state of Vidarbh. They observed Black day on this occasion and waived black flags at Maharashtra day celebrations. However, the support for the formation of Vidarbh is open to debate.
On the other hand, the representatives of the people of Belgaum went to meet the President of the country. They want presidential rule to be declared in the Marathi speaking areas of Karnataka until the issue of unification of the Marathi speaking areas with Maharashtra, is resolved. They also demonstrated in support of Maharashtra in Belgaum and many other Marathi speaking areas of Karnataka.
When I look back at our history I find various things which trouble me a lot. What was the problem in the grating a unified Marathi state? What was the problem in giving Mumbai to Maharashtra when it is geographically and culturally Marathi land? As far as I know, the problem is that, Marathi Manaus had to fight for everything which he needed. He had to fight even for the very things which were rightfully his. I know that he will always have to fight in order fulfill even his basic needs.
We are never given anything without a fight. We are supposed to fight for everything from the inclusion of Mumbai in Maharashtra to making Marathi compulsory in schools. I cannot understand, how can one oppose the a law which makes Marathi compulsory in the very state which was established on that language. This can only happen in Maharashtra. The martyrdom of the 106 innocent lives is in vein. Nowadays, our youth has no concern for our language or the future of our state. We are already on the brink of losing Mumbai. It won't be long until we lose our entire state.
We Marathis are so used to Outside Rule that we can never think of us ruling ourselves. We always want someone or the other to rule over us. Why is it so? We are strong enough and we can also be able to sustain ourselves without anyone's help. However, even the idea of liberation is feared of. Why? Know that you are self-sustainable. Know that you can rule your nation on your own. Most important of all, know that you are Marathi First before being anything else.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Why did Bangladesh secede from Pakistan?
In August 1947, the Partition of British India gave birth to two new states; a secular state named India and an Islamic state named Pakistan. But Pakistan comprised two geographically and culturally separate areas to the east and the west of India. The western zone was popularly (and for a period of time, also officially) termed West Pakistan and the eastern zone (modern-day Bangladesh) was initially termed East Bengal and later, East Pakistan. Although the population of the two zones was close to equal, political power was concentrated in West Pakistan and it was widely perceived that East Pakistan was being exploited economically, leading to many grievances.
In 1948, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's first Governor-General, declared in Dhaka that "Urdu, and only Urdu" would be the sole official language for all of Pakistan. This proved highly controversial, since Urdu was a language that was only spoken in the West by Muhajirs and in the East by Biharis. The majority groups in West Pakistan spoke Punjabi, while the Bengali language was spoken by the vast majority of East Pakistanis. The language controversy eventually reached a point where East Pakistan revolted. Several students and civilians lost their lives in a police crackdown on 21 February 1952.
Although East Pakistan accounted for a slight majority of the country's population, political power remained firmly in the hands of West Pakistanis. Since a straightforward system of representation based on population would have concentrated political power in East Pakistan, the West Pakistani establishment came up with the "One Unit" scheme, where all of West Pakistan was considered one province. This was solely to counterbalance the East wing's votes. East Pakistanis noticed that whenever one of them, such as Khawaja Nazimuddin, Muhammad Ali Bogra, or Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy were elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, they were swiftly deposed by the largely West Pakistani establishment.
The situation reached a climax when in 1970 the Awami League, the largest East Pakistani political party, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory in the national elections. The party won 167 of the 169 seats allotted to East Pakistan, and thus a majority of the 313 seats in the National Assembly. This gave the Awami League the constitutional right to form a government. However, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (a Sindhi), the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, refused to allow Rahman to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Instead, he proposed the idea of having two Prime Ministers, one for each wing. The proposal elicited outrage in the east wing, already chafing under the other constitutional innovation, the "one unit scheme".
A planned military pacification carried out by the Pakistan Army — codenamed Operation Searchlight — started on 25 March to curb the Bengali nationalist movement by taking control of the major cities on 26 March, and then eliminating all opposition, political or military, within one month. Before the beginning of the operation, all foreign journalists were systematically deported from East Pakistan. The main phase of Operation Searchlight ended with the fall of the last major town in Bengali hands in mid-May. The operation also began the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. These systematic killings served only to enrage the Bengalis, which ultimately resulted in the secession of East Pakistan later in the same year. The international media and reference books in English have published casualty figures which vary greatly, from 5,000–35,000 in Dhaka, and 200,000–3,000,000 for Bangladesh as a whole.
Hindu areas suffered particularly heavy blows. By midnight, Dhaka was literally burning, especially the Hindu dominated eastern part of the city. Time magazine reported on 2 August 1971, "The Hindus, who account for three-fourths of the refugees and a majority of the dead, have borne the brunt of the Pakistani military hatred." Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested by the Pakistani Army. General Yahya Khan appointed Brigadier (later General) Rahimuddin Khan to preside over a special tribunal prosecuting Mujib with multiple charges. The tribunal's sentence was never made public, but Yahya caused the verdict to be held in abeyance in any case. Other Awami League leaders were arrested as well, while a few fled Dhaka to avoid arrest. The Awami League was banned by General Yahya Khan.
The violence unleashed by the Pakistani forces on 25 March 1971, proved the last straw to the efforts to negotiate a settlement. Following these outrages, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman signed an official declaration that read:
Today Bangladesh is a sovereign and independent country. On Thursday night, West Pakistani armed forces suddenly attacked the police barracks at Razarbagh and the EPR headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka. Many innocent and unarmed have been killed in Dhaka city and other places of Bangladesh. Violent clashes between E.P.R. and Police on the one hand and the armed forces of Pakistan on the other, are going on. The Bengalis are fighting the enemy with great courage for an independent Bangladesh. May Allah aid us in our fight for freedom. Joy Bangla.
Wary of the growing involvement of India, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched a preemptive strike on India. The attack was modeled on the Israeli Air Force's Operation Focus during the Six-Day War. However, the plan failed to achieve the desired success and was seen as an open act of unprovoked aggression against the Indians. Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi declared war on Pakistan and in aid of the Mukti Bahini, then ordered the immediate mobilization of troops and launched the full-scale invasion. This marked the official start of the Indo-Pakistani War. India's external intelligence agency, the RAW, played a crucial role in providing logistic support to the Mukti Bahini during the initial stages of the war. RAW's operations, in then-East Pakistan, was the largest covert operation in the history of South Asia.
On 16 December 1971, Lt. Gen A. A. K. Niazi, Commanding Officer of Pakistan Army forces located in East Pakistan signed the instrument of surrender. At the time of surrender only a few countries had provided diplomatic recognition to the new nation. Over 90,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian forces making it largest surrender since World War II. Bangladesh sought admission in the UN with most voting in its favor, but China vetoed this as Pakistan was its key ally. The United States, also a key ally of Pakistan, was one of the last nations to accord Bangladesh recognition.
To ensure a smooth transition, in 1972 the Simla Agreement was signed between India and Pakistan. The treaty ensured that Pakistan recognized the independence of Bangladesh in exchange for the return of the Pakistani PoWs. India treated all the PoWs in strict accordance with the Geneva Convention, rule 1925. It released more than 90,000 Pakistani PoWs in five months.
This shows us that though the nation of Pakistan was founded on the basis of religion, it could not sustain itself as a nation just on the grounds of Religion alone. Language is indeed the most important aspect of one's cultural identity. Belgium and Bangladesh have laid down excellent examples for us to comprehend the linguistics strides which persist in India. These were a few examples depicting the notion of Religion versus Language as a basis of foundation of a state.
In 1948, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's first Governor-General, declared in Dhaka that "Urdu, and only Urdu" would be the sole official language for all of Pakistan. This proved highly controversial, since Urdu was a language that was only spoken in the West by Muhajirs and in the East by Biharis. The majority groups in West Pakistan spoke Punjabi, while the Bengali language was spoken by the vast majority of East Pakistanis. The language controversy eventually reached a point where East Pakistan revolted. Several students and civilians lost their lives in a police crackdown on 21 February 1952.
Although East Pakistan accounted for a slight majority of the country's population, political power remained firmly in the hands of West Pakistanis. Since a straightforward system of representation based on population would have concentrated political power in East Pakistan, the West Pakistani establishment came up with the "One Unit" scheme, where all of West Pakistan was considered one province. This was solely to counterbalance the East wing's votes. East Pakistanis noticed that whenever one of them, such as Khawaja Nazimuddin, Muhammad Ali Bogra, or Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy were elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, they were swiftly deposed by the largely West Pakistani establishment.
The situation reached a climax when in 1970 the Awami League, the largest East Pakistani political party, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory in the national elections. The party won 167 of the 169 seats allotted to East Pakistan, and thus a majority of the 313 seats in the National Assembly. This gave the Awami League the constitutional right to form a government. However, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (a Sindhi), the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, refused to allow Rahman to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Instead, he proposed the idea of having two Prime Ministers, one for each wing. The proposal elicited outrage in the east wing, already chafing under the other constitutional innovation, the "one unit scheme".
A planned military pacification carried out by the Pakistan Army — codenamed Operation Searchlight — started on 25 March to curb the Bengali nationalist movement by taking control of the major cities on 26 March, and then eliminating all opposition, political or military, within one month. Before the beginning of the operation, all foreign journalists were systematically deported from East Pakistan. The main phase of Operation Searchlight ended with the fall of the last major town in Bengali hands in mid-May. The operation also began the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. These systematic killings served only to enrage the Bengalis, which ultimately resulted in the secession of East Pakistan later in the same year. The international media and reference books in English have published casualty figures which vary greatly, from 5,000–35,000 in Dhaka, and 200,000–3,000,000 for Bangladesh as a whole.
Hindu areas suffered particularly heavy blows. By midnight, Dhaka was literally burning, especially the Hindu dominated eastern part of the city. Time magazine reported on 2 August 1971, "The Hindus, who account for three-fourths of the refugees and a majority of the dead, have borne the brunt of the Pakistani military hatred." Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested by the Pakistani Army. General Yahya Khan appointed Brigadier (later General) Rahimuddin Khan to preside over a special tribunal prosecuting Mujib with multiple charges. The tribunal's sentence was never made public, but Yahya caused the verdict to be held in abeyance in any case. Other Awami League leaders were arrested as well, while a few fled Dhaka to avoid arrest. The Awami League was banned by General Yahya Khan.
The violence unleashed by the Pakistani forces on 25 March 1971, proved the last straw to the efforts to negotiate a settlement. Following these outrages, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman signed an official declaration that read:
Today Bangladesh is a sovereign and independent country. On Thursday night, West Pakistani armed forces suddenly attacked the police barracks at Razarbagh and the EPR headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka. Many innocent and unarmed have been killed in Dhaka city and other places of Bangladesh. Violent clashes between E.P.R. and Police on the one hand and the armed forces of Pakistan on the other, are going on. The Bengalis are fighting the enemy with great courage for an independent Bangladesh. May Allah aid us in our fight for freedom. Joy Bangla.
Wary of the growing involvement of India, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched a preemptive strike on India. The attack was modeled on the Israeli Air Force's Operation Focus during the Six-Day War. However, the plan failed to achieve the desired success and was seen as an open act of unprovoked aggression against the Indians. Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi declared war on Pakistan and in aid of the Mukti Bahini, then ordered the immediate mobilization of troops and launched the full-scale invasion. This marked the official start of the Indo-Pakistani War. India's external intelligence agency, the RAW, played a crucial role in providing logistic support to the Mukti Bahini during the initial stages of the war. RAW's operations, in then-East Pakistan, was the largest covert operation in the history of South Asia.
On 16 December 1971, Lt. Gen A. A. K. Niazi, Commanding Officer of Pakistan Army forces located in East Pakistan signed the instrument of surrender. At the time of surrender only a few countries had provided diplomatic recognition to the new nation. Over 90,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian forces making it largest surrender since World War II. Bangladesh sought admission in the UN with most voting in its favor, but China vetoed this as Pakistan was its key ally. The United States, also a key ally of Pakistan, was one of the last nations to accord Bangladesh recognition.
To ensure a smooth transition, in 1972 the Simla Agreement was signed between India and Pakistan. The treaty ensured that Pakistan recognized the independence of Bangladesh in exchange for the return of the Pakistani PoWs. India treated all the PoWs in strict accordance with the Geneva Convention, rule 1925. It released more than 90,000 Pakistani PoWs in five months.
This shows us that though the nation of Pakistan was founded on the basis of religion, it could not sustain itself as a nation just on the grounds of Religion alone. Language is indeed the most important aspect of one's cultural identity. Belgium and Bangladesh have laid down excellent examples for us to comprehend the linguistics strides which persist in India. These were a few examples depicting the notion of Religion versus Language as a basis of foundation of a state.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)