An Open Letter to Madam Prime Minister
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Major General (retired) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury
Madam Prime Minister
You are on a war footing. Enemy has declared war against the elected government and partially succeeded because they could bluff the whole country. It is highly probable that many of them, especially those who initiated the killing and ignited the unruly activities are not BDR personnel but intruders.
Kindly take simultaneous and bold action. Kindly do not hesitate in taking drastic action against hardened criminals. You may have pardoned them but they would never pardon you. Banga Bandhu pardoned anti-liberation elements but at an opportune moment they did not hesitate to eliminate him and other family members. It is their characteristics. Our beloved Prophet pardoned Abu Sufian and Bibi Hendha yet after 50 years it is Abu Sufian's grandson who mercilessly wiped out almost all the family members of our beloved Prophet (Bibi Fatima's children).
Kindly take prompt, simultaneous and judicious actions. For that all the Intelligence Branches of Armed Forces, Police, CID, RAB, BDR, DG DGFI, NSI as well as Home Ministry and Secretariat as a whole need to be reorganized and made efficient.
Initiative is the cardinal point of any such operation besides inherent elements like surprise, timely and appropriate all out actions coupled with boldness will ensure success which has to be cost effective. One has to be proactive whereas being reactive means the receiving end is behind the time schedule. Mobilizing appropriate resources in time in right direction, carefully selecting soft target, concentration of firepower and making a dash with all available resources shall ensure cost effective win in the battle. Any half-hearted attempt is just suicidal. Put full thrust with a concentrated dose and wipe out threat in one go otherwise it will be very costly affairs. Aim and objective should be crystal clear and that is wiping out the enemy, otherwise the enemy will do the same thing. Time is a vital issue. One stitch in time saves nine. For the enemy, it is the question of survival, so invariably they will regroup again and in a very short time they would hit again so that the ongoing inquiry into the incident may be disrupted. It is better to keep in mind that adage that everything is fair in love and war.
In retrospect, if we look back we shall find that while they were negotiating with the government, while the culprits were conveniently masquerading as negotiators in front of the government house, their cohorts were carrying out indiscriminate gang rape, killing, looting and burning of dead bodies, hunting down unarmed officers and their families. Initially they killed 40 officers in one go and in following 33 hours they killed another almost 100 officers including wives and children and the visiting friend of DG and his wife along with DG'S wife. It is alleged that wives had undergone inhuman torture and they ultimately succumbed to their gang rape for hours together by waves of rapists.
Again when they were surrendering their weapons they put off light and putting BDR personnel in the front those notorious group quietly left Peel Khan and in all probability with weapons. It was just like 14th Dec'71 as done by Al Badr and Al Shams. They are now at large and still remaining as a perpetual troublemakers all over the country and they are now free to create nuisance particularly at and across the border belt. They took full advantage of our simplicity. Had there been one Stalin or King Saud, they would have wiped them out then and there. No doubt a human right worker would have cried out in despair but while facing politically motivated professional killers and rapists armed with live bullets and heavy weapon at their disposal, was there any better solution one could conceive of? Probably the answer is no. In 1976 in Myanmar, 140 members of Arakan Liberation Force after they got trained and armed from China, they were tracked down (over 400miles) one by one by the Myanmar Army starting from Shan State/Golden Triangle Area. Then all the 140 persons following different routes assembled at the entry point of Arakan in extreme cold weather of the month of January'77 at about 8,000ft height at a vintage point of Kochin hill. But then and there, they were gunned down and it was ensured that none of them could get an opportunity to escape. The Myanmar Army did not even bother to arrest them but wipe all of them in one go.
Whereas, if we look at the Pakistani (alleged) terrorists who carried out sabotaging raids on Mumbai Hotel Taj, whatever wrong they might have committed, they at least did not do any such inhuman crimes. They rather boldly tried to put up resistance at their own knowing fully well that they would not be able to survive, but still they did not take any such reprisal actions. Because it is a coward who normally carries out this type of inhuman crime but a brave never indulge in killing unarmed human being particularly women and children. Gen Shakil while facing bullet did not allow his gunman to open fire on the approaching armed Jawans, better termed so-called Jawans, because he was a brave judicious Commanding Officer.
Madam Prime Minister, immediately after surrendering of weapons by the Jawans of BDR and those rascals, we could have hauled them up. But we missed that golden opportunity and allowed them to be scattered all over the country side. Now it will be a Himalayan task to get them. Whosoever is responsible for this type of lapse should be taken into task.
Madam Prime Minister,
It seems that exploiting and taking advantage of some aggrieved group's sentiment, maybe they created one, against Army, they wanted to destabilize the democratic process and the elected government by creating a permanent rift between the Army and the BDR, the two vital organs of our state to marginalize our security and strength. Any undesirable confrontation between the Army and BDR would have jeopardized country's sovereignty. Our agile and prudent Prime Minister's timely unique action saved the country. It was a wonderful speech, perhaps one of the best speeches we ever heard since 7th March 1971. But it should have been delivered on the first day immediately after the incident occurred followed by combing and mopping up operation with a lightning speed.
The rebels wanted to malign Army on baseless accusations. Initially, primarily because of ignorance and irresponsible reporting they succeeded but later on countrymen were stunned to see their inhuman and barbarous activities and their ulterior motives were thoroughly exposed although irreparable damage has been done to BDR and the Army. BDR as an organization is now hardly in existence. It has to be disbanded and in some other name to be raised again. Army lost over 137 officers of major rank and above. Command structure of Army will have adverse effect. It will take years to fill up the gap. It will take decade to rebuild BDR, may be in some other name.
In our Defense strategy BDR along with Ansars and VDP provides 2nd line of defense (Citizen Army) and that is why BDR and Ansars are embedded in the Army. It is a cost-effective defense strategy. Otherwise, these two organizations could have been commanded by their own officers but it will be expensive and to train their officers on military aspect you need further training facility which will be cumbersome. In that case, quality, command and control would be extremely difficult.
The rebels carried out horrendous operation with lightning speed and precision. It was a total surprise and hardly anybody was in the knowledge and if at all, did not give any importance. And we are yet to know why they were so na
Madam Prime Minister
You are on a war footing. Enemy has declared war against the elected government and partially succeeded because they could bluff the whole country. It is highly probable that many of them, especially those who initiated the killing and ignited the unruly activities are not BDR personnel but intruders.
Kindly take simultaneous and bold action. Kindly do not hesitate in taking drastic action against hardened criminals. You may have pardoned them but they would never pardon you. Banga Bandhu pardoned anti-liberation elements but at an opportune moment they did not hesitate to eliminate him and other family members. It is their characteristics. Our beloved Prophet pardoned Abu Sufian and Bibi Hendha yet after 50 years it is Abu Sufian's grandson who mercilessly wiped out almost all the family members of our beloved Prophet (Bibi Fatima's children).
Kindly take prompt, simultaneous and judicious actions. For that all the Intelligence Branches of Armed Forces, Police, CID, RAB, BDR, DG DGFI, NSI as well as Home Ministry and Secretariat as a whole need to be reorganized and made efficient.
Initiative is the cardinal point of any such operation besides inherent elements like surprise, timely and appropriate all out actions coupled with boldness will ensure success which has to be cost effective. One has to be proactive whereas being reactive means the receiving end is behind the time schedule. Mobilizing appropriate resources in time in right direction, carefully selecting soft target, concentration of firepower and making a dash with all available resources shall ensure cost effective win in the battle. Any half-hearted attempt is just suicidal. Put full thrust with a concentrated dose and wipe out threat in one go otherwise it will be very costly affairs. Aim and objective should be crystal clear and that is wiping out the enemy, otherwise the enemy will do the same thing. Time is a vital issue. One stitch in time saves nine. For the enemy, it is the question of survival, so invariably they will regroup again and in a very short time they would hit again so that the ongoing inquiry into the incident may be disrupted. It is better to keep in mind that adage that everything is fair in love and war.
In retrospect, if we look back we shall find that while they were negotiating with the government, while the culprits were conveniently masquerading as negotiators in front of the government house, their cohorts were carrying out indiscriminate gang rape, killing, looting and burning of dead bodies, hunting down unarmed officers and their families. Initially they killed 40 officers in one go and in following 33 hours they killed another almost 100 officers including wives and children and the visiting friend of DG and his wife along with DG'S wife. It is alleged that wives had undergone inhuman torture and they ultimately succumbed to their gang rape for hours together by waves of rapists.
Again when they were surrendering their weapons they put off light and putting BDR personnel in the front those notorious group quietly left Peel Khan and in all probability with weapons. It was just like 14th Dec'71 as done by Al Badr and Al Shams. They are now at large and still remaining as a perpetual troublemakers all over the country and they are now free to create nuisance particularly at and across the border belt. They took full advantage of our simplicity. Had there been one Stalin or King Saud, they would have wiped them out then and there. No doubt a human right worker would have cried out in despair but while facing politically motivated professional killers and rapists armed with live bullets and heavy weapon at their disposal, was there any better solution one could conceive of? Probably the answer is no. In 1976 in Myanmar, 140 members of Arakan Liberation Force after they got trained and armed from China, they were tracked down (over 400miles) one by one by the Myanmar Army starting from Shan State/Golden Triangle Area. Then all the 140 persons following different routes assembled at the entry point of Arakan in extreme cold weather of the month of January'77 at about 8,000ft height at a vintage point of Kochin hill. But then and there, they were gunned down and it was ensured that none of them could get an opportunity to escape. The Myanmar Army did not even bother to arrest them but wipe all of them in one go.
Whereas, if we look at the Pakistani (alleged) terrorists who carried out sabotaging raids on Mumbai Hotel Taj, whatever wrong they might have committed, they at least did not do any such inhuman crimes. They rather boldly tried to put up resistance at their own knowing fully well that they would not be able to survive, but still they did not take any such reprisal actions. Because it is a coward who normally carries out this type of inhuman crime but a brave never indulge in killing unarmed human being particularly women and children. Gen Shakil while facing bullet did not allow his gunman to open fire on the approaching armed Jawans, better termed so-called Jawans, because he was a brave judicious Commanding Officer.
Madam Prime Minister, immediately after surrendering of weapons by the Jawans of BDR and those rascals, we could have hauled them up. But we missed that golden opportunity and allowed them to be scattered all over the country side. Now it will be a Himalayan task to get them. Whosoever is responsible for this type of lapse should be taken into task.
Madam Prime Minister,
It seems that exploiting and taking advantage of some aggrieved group's sentiment, maybe they created one, against Army, they wanted to destabilize the democratic process and the elected government by creating a permanent rift between the Army and the BDR, the two vital organs of our state to marginalize our security and strength. Any undesirable confrontation between the Army and BDR would have jeopardized country's sovereignty. Our agile and prudent Prime Minister's timely unique action saved the country. It was a wonderful speech, perhaps one of the best speeches we ever heard since 7th March 1971. But it should have been delivered on the first day immediately after the incident occurred followed by combing and mopping up operation with a lightning speed.
The rebels wanted to malign Army on baseless accusations. Initially, primarily because of ignorance and irresponsible reporting they succeeded but later on countrymen were stunned to see their inhuman and barbarous activities and their ulterior motives were thoroughly exposed although irreparable damage has been done to BDR and the Army. BDR as an organization is now hardly in existence. It has to be disbanded and in some other name to be raised again. Army lost over 137 officers of major rank and above. Command structure of Army will have adverse effect. It will take years to fill up the gap. It will take decade to rebuild BDR, may be in some other name.
In our Defense strategy BDR along with Ansars and VDP provides 2nd line of defense (Citizen Army) and that is why BDR and Ansars are embedded in the Army. It is a cost-effective defense strategy. Otherwise, these two organizations could have been commanded by their own officers but it will be expensive and to train their officers on military aspect you need further training facility which will be cumbersome. In that case, quality, command and control would be extremely difficult.
The rebels carried out horrendous operation with lightning speed and precision. It was a total surprise and hardly anybody was in the knowledge and if at all, did not give any importance. And we are yet to know why they were so na