Bangladesh : cost much, sales cheap
Muhammad Shamim Akhter
T he territory that is called Bangladesh was governed by the Nababs from Murshidabad during the last phase of Muslim rule prior to British rule. The last Nabab governed Bangla, Bihar and Orissa from the capital Murshidabd that is located in West Bengal of India now.
The seizure of the power from Nabab Sirazudaullah by the British East India Company is marked as the shocking part of the history of ours. The country was fallen in to the hands of British in the year June 23, 1757 in the Palashi war field. Again the country became independent in the year 1947 in the name of East Pakistan . The East Pakistan again plunged in to division in the year 1971 and got independence.
Since the changes had the vast impact on Muslims, thrive to maintain interest free society; want to govern by Madina model of Muhammad (SM), have the headache to this change, because the turn ensured the capitalistic mode of rule ,obviously that contradicted with Islamic values.
My concentration penetrates in to four phases of the history -pre and post 1757 and 1971, as to dig out the similarity since I am concerned the inner realm of the proverb ‘history repeats itself' for the safety passage to my fore -generation.
To day I shall graze the contents of the treaties signed by the historical figures adhered to shape the new history. I shall discuss the treaties of the following:
• Calcutta Treaty (Between Mir Jafar Ali Khan and Calcutta council.)
• Company-Mir Quasim Treaty.
• India-Bangladesh Treaty, 1971.
• India- Bangladesh Treaty, 1972.
1. Calcutta Treaty:
According to Sirazul Islam (1984) - on 23 rd June 1757, the war began on morning 8 o'clock. The Nabab fled on 4o'clock afternoon. Nabab had 15000 horsemen, 34000 soldiers, war elephant and 40 cannons. On the other hand, Clive had 3200 European soldiers and 8 cannons .But the whole Nabab force were kept silence and did not participate in the war with the command of Mir Jafar Ali khan. As a result Englishmen won the battle.
According to Brijen K.Gupta (Cited in Sirajul Islam, 1984) to expel the Nabab Sirajuddaullah from the power the Calcutta council first chose Yar Latif Khan, but later Mir Jafar Ali Khan had been appointed with the advice of Jagatsheth.
Anyway, to implement the conspiracy a treaty was signed by Mir Jafar Ali Khan with the Calcutta council on 4 th June 1757, although the discussion continued from 1 st may to 4 th June 1757.
The conditions of the treaty were as follows:
• Fully implementation of Alinagar treaty signed on 9 th February, 1757.
• All the French property and French have to be handed over to the Englishman.
• The defense pact with the English have to be signed and payment of 10 crore (10,0000000) taka annually regards to defense expenditure.
• For the compensation of attack to Calcutta it has to be paid 50,00000 taka for Europeans ,20,00000 taka for Hindus and 7,00000 taka for Armenians .
• The permission to expand the city of Calcutta .
• There will be no permission can be issued to stop the building of forts in Hugli.
The consequences of this treaty and war resulted an enormous affect to the socio-political history of our country.
When the Hindu historian Jadu Nath Sarker (Cited in Sirajul Islam, 1984, pp.30) argues “The victory of the English in the Palasi concluded the ‘mediaeval religious dictatorship'. Education, literature, society and politics became lively with the touch of western civilization .With the magical touches of Goddess, a blunt Eastern society accelerated by renaissance that was vast, deep and revolutionary than Europe achieved.” ;then the Sirajul Islam(1984,pp.31) disagrees with the following points:
a) According to the comment of James Long and A.R.Mollick (Cited in Sirajul Islam, 1984) the English man accepted one education police in the eighteenth century .Before that thousands of Mugali educational institutions were closed or about to close without having the patronization of the Government. As a result the country fell in to the darkness.
S. Islam asks is it Renaissance?
b) According to Brojen Nath Bandhopadhya(Cited in Sirajul Islam,1984,pp.31) at the end of nineteenth century the obstacles on the way of attaining the upper posts were removed .Before that the most responsible and high paid jobs were reserved exclusively for the English men around a hundred year. Being lost the jobs many occupational families became pale and the burden to the society.
c) According to K.M Mohsin, Sharifuddin Ahmed and Bishop Heber (Cited in Sirajul Islam, 1984, pp.31) urbanization is an index of development .After the English rule all the populated towns, ports lost their glory and became the den of smelly, nasty garbage .Chollera, pox, malaria etc. hit the cities and the number of the population decreased very fast.
S.islam asks is it renaissance?
d) According to Debendro Bijoy Mitra(Cited in Sirajul Islam,1984,pp.31)The clothes and Resom industry, once famous around the globe-destroyed after the Palashi war. Bangladesh became the ‘captive market' of Glasgow Manchester.
S.Islam asks is it renaissance?
e)According to Sirajul Islam(1978,pp.32),the effect of introducing company's land -taxation system, a middle -man group, detached from the labor, flourished in the state – jamindar class rooted in Bangladesh.
S.Islam asks is it renaissance?
Regards to their lavished lifestyle Nazimuddin Ahmed (1986, pp.71) describes, “During the 18 th and 19 th centuries, the chief interests of the aristocratic feudal lords of the land,-familiarly known as zamindars, who often held courtesy titles of ‘Rajas' and ‘Maharajas'-were not only in European dres s, wine, ho rses and such external glamour of life but also in architectural forms and embellishments avidly emulating the west for their pretentious country houses or palaces.”
2. Company – Mir Quasim Treaty:
• Establishment of friendship between Mir Muhammad Quasim Ali Khan Bahadur and Company ‘His foes our (company) foes, his friends our friends.'
• The readiness of assistance to Mir Quasim Ali Khan by Europeans and Talenga (Madrasi) combined English force.
• To facilitate for keep up the expanses for various charges and Military the Nabab would hand over the authority of Bordhoman, Medinipur and Chittagong .
• Prohibition to settlement of the Government tenant to the company's area and company's tenant to the Government's area.
• Any fugitive would not be allowed to be settled to any one's area and as soon as they are to be called they would be handed over. The implementation of the condition would have to be concluded by both sides.
• If Shahajada attacks, company and Mir Quasim would resist jointly and would correspond each other regards to the war or treaty with Shajada.
3. India-Bangladesh Treaty, 1971:
The attack to the civilians prepared the ground to separate Pakistan . The attack ‘advice' was delivered to Pakistani leaders by the United States Military. Because under the Pak – USA defense pact, the USA made huge impact over Pakistani Military. Regards to the matter writer Masudul Haq (1990) says “With the organization the USA supervised Pakistani defense policy was called MAG (Military Assistance Advisory Group).The Military headquarter in Rawalpindi was the headquarter of MAG.And the MAG was directed by Military officials of the USA .”The organization played double game with Pakistan , they provoked the Pakistani Military to capture Srinagar in 1965, and on the other hand, they provoked India to attack unprotected Pakistani Lahore. This made Ayub Khan angrier to the USA .While the Taskent pact was signed by Ayub Khan, the students protested in Rawalpindi and the shooting was done to the procession and made the final ground to overthrow Ayub Khan. The same thing happened in 25 th March that made the ground to handle India to our internal polices that was hungrily waited by Indira Gandi, the same thing was uttered by Deshai, a respected colleague of Gandhi's father Jawaharlal Nehru.Motiur Rahman and Naeem Hasan (1980) says “Deshai confirmed that the 1971 war with Pakistan was at Mrs. Gandhi's ‘provocation' and that it was ‘willed by her'.”
When the war mounted in 1971 and no way to escape, Indira Gandhi chained the Temporary Bangladesh Government in October-1971 by signing the treaty. The treaty is called ‘7 –point secret treaty'. The conditions of the treaty were extracted from Masudul Haq(1990,pp.92):
• Those who actively participated in the liberation war (1971), only; they will be allowed to stay at the administration. The rest of the officials would be sacked and the vacant posts would be filled up by Indian administrative officials.
• After the liberation war the Indian soldiers (required number) would stay in Bangladesh (there was no time limit about how long they would stay).From November, 1972 to review the matter a meeting between the two countries would be arranged in the following every year.
• There will be no separate Military for Bangladesh .
• To check the discipline of law and order in the country a Para Military force would be formed encircled by Mukti Bahini(Liberation force).
• The Indian Chief of the staffs of the Military would lead the possible India-Pakistan war, not the Chief of Mukti Bahini, and during the war time the Mukti Bahni would be under Indian command.
• The business of the two countries would be open market based. But the number of the business would be determined in every year and the dues would be paid by Sterling (Pounds.)
• In the case of relation between Bangladesh and other states, the Foreign Ministry would contact with Indian Foreign Ministry and India would assist as long she could.
The treaty was signed by Temporary President Syed Nazrul Islam. That man became fainted after he had signed the treaty. (According to Masudul haq, 1990, pp.93)
4. India-Bangladesh Treaty, 1972:
After 1971, when Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan another treaty was signed with India that resembles to the sign of Mir Zafar Ali Khan with the Calcutta council. The treaty was so shameful that it was not published publicly .The treaty was signed at the end of 1972.The writer Rahman and Hasan (1980, pp.119) said that:”Seven out of eight points were said to have been signed by Tajuddin Ahmed while in India .The eighth pacts, according to the same source, was concluded during Mrs. Gandhi's visit to Dacca in 1972 and was signed by Mujibur Rahman himself.”
The weekly Haqkatha (Cited in Rahman and Hasan, 1980, pp. 121) delivers the summary of the treaty:
• India would raise an army in Bangladesh to be composed of recruits of India 's own choosing and led by selected Indian Army personnel.
• Bangladesh was to repay the military aid received from India in the following manner: She ( Bangladesh ) must not purchase arms from any country other than India . From time to time Bangladesh will announce that arms valued at so many millions have been purchased from India . India alone was to determine the price. Only half the quantity declared to have been purchased will be supplied at India 's will. India could even take back what she supplied .In other words, by selling the arms again and again; India could recover her due from Bangladesh and also the entire cost of her war with Pakistan . Bangladesh was to be supplied with arms needed for quelling internal disturbances only. No heavy arms, armored vehicles or tanks would be given to her.
• India was to control Bangladesh 's external trade. Without India 's sanctions no Bangladeshi goods could be exported to any foreign countries. India would determine the schedule of prices for exportable commodities; Bangladesh could not negotiate with any other country for their sale. Bangladesh shall have to have her important list sanctioned by India .
In the matter of the importation of foreign goods into Bangladesh India was to maintain a liberal attitude .She could get Bangladesh to import foreign goods she herself to need to import: and furthermore she would not import at the expanse of her foreign reserves. India was to collect them paying with Indian money by clandestine means from Bangladesh .This had already happened in respect of 7o'clock blades which India persuaded Bangladesh to import from Britain . She got one –and-a-half crore (15 million) rupees' worth of blades without spending foreign exchange.
• Bangladesh was obliged to have her Annual and Five Year Plans approved by India .
• Bangladesh 's foreign policy must follow that of India . In internal politics Bangladesh must accept India 's counsel. Bangladesh could not nullify the pacts unilaterally .They were to remain operative from year to year until India denied their effectiveness.
The difference between the two treaties is that the first one was signed first and implemented later and the second one was effective before and after signing the pact. If my argument was not true, then why the looting of Indian troops was done in 1971 (for instance). The impact international (cited in Rahman and Hasan, 1980, pp. 115) quoted Ataur Rahman Khan, a former Chief Minister of the then East Pakistan, he told that during the first three months after [the] Indian attack huge quantities of essential goods were taken to India .He further added that things moved openly and uncontrolled from Dacca to Calcutta .His estimate of that goods worth 20,000to 30,000 million Taka ( ^ 1000 to 1500 million) were transferred that way.
In Rahman and Hasan (1980, page.115) it is reported, “Soon after the surrender of the Pakistani army in December 1971, the world press was full of reports of looting by the Indian army. ‘Indian army looting of mills ,factories and offices in Khulna area ,has angered and amazed Bangladesh civil officials here .The looting took place in the first few days after Indian troops arrived in the city on 17 th December ,1971.The estimate of the value of the machinery taken (from Khulna alone ) stands at about ^ 40,000'.”
The Outlook (cited in cited in Rahman and Hasan, 1980, )reported: “A student activist who had fought for the creation of Bangladesh told an Australian Journalist : ‘The Indian army loaded three quarters of the auto rickshaws on to their lorries and took them back with them to Calcutta.' He added, ‘When I was a refugee in West Bengal ,I saw train after train passing from Bangladesh packed with Pakistani tanks. Ah,[if] only I had a camera with me then, to record it for the next generation in our land-the Indian army plundering from the country they said they would liberate ,the tanks and artillery that our Bangladesh taxpayers sweated blood year after year to pay for….Even the rifles and machine guns the Pakistani left they took –then sold to our government for expensive foreign exchange.”
Likely, “To facilitate for keep up the expanses for various charges and Military the Nabab would hand over the authority of Bordhoman, Medinipur and Chittagong.” the third condition of the treaty between Mir Quasim Ali Khan and British ,the same requirement was extended by the India, to control Chittagong port after 1971.The report of Holiday(Cited in cited in Rahman and Hasan, 1980,pp.117) stated: “The records of ship movements in Chittagong port shows that between 21 st December,1971,and 15 th February ,1972 ,alone,25 empty Indian ships arrived at the port and sailed back to Calcutta and Madras with ‘unrecorded consignments of cargo'. These ships included the Goldar, the Magar, the Nicobar Sun, the Indian Merchant, the Vishwa Vijay, the Jala Vishnu, the Nicober, the jago Manik, the Seva, the Andaman, the Cosmos Pioneer, the Viswa Kusum, and the M.V.Hoogly.The last named ship was in fact a Pakistani cargo vessel, the Bakar, which had been captured by the Indian navy somewhere at sea, then renamed and used for carrying cargo from Chittagong to Calcutta. These vessels were handled exclusively by Indian personnel stationed at the Chittagong port who violated the formalities about the recording of cargo.” The same journal reported (Cited in cited in Rahman and Hasan, 1980, pp.117-118), “By the time the Bangladesh Government took over control of the Chittagong Port Administration in March, 1972, the Indian navy was estimated to have purloined ‘at least 40,000 tons of goods' from and through this port .Reliable reports based on local investigations noted that: ‘Cars, air conditioners, radiograms, expensive fittings and innumerable cargoes were seen being loaded in to ships. The worst sufferer was the then Pakistani Navy's Shore Establishment at Saltgola in Chittagong.The whole base was cleaned even of screws and bolts. Even the chamber of the Commodore Commanding (naval officer in charge) in Chittagong was stripped of its air conditioning equipment and all other fittings.”
Regards to the destructions of our establishments, a French journal reported that (Cited in cited in Rahman and Hasan, 1980, pp.118): “If the factories do not work any more, it is not because the Pakistani army had destroyed them –no factory was destroyed by the Pakistani army –it is because the machines, particularly those of the jute factories, were stolen by the Indian army and sold in India.”
The treaty resulted hatred and caused persecution of lives in the history. While Mirjafar enthroned by the assistance of British, the British squeezed the neck of Mirjafar like a giant python. He along with his son Miron became so drastic to perish the opponents that nearly 300 opponents' local power elites had been planned to be executed since his unnatural death halted the mission. According to Ghulam Hossain Khan, Seir, and Abdul Majeed Khan (Cited in Sirazul Islam, 1984, pp.41) Abdul Ohab Khan, Yar Mohammad Khan and Aga Sadek, mother, mother's sister of Sirajudaullah were killed .Miron prepared death list of three hundred notable persons before his death. The same thing happened prior to liberation war in 1971. One prominent film maker Jahir Rayhn was killed during the time the whole Mirpur was under the control of Mujib Bahini.When the country was autocratically governed by Seikh Mujibur Rahman it was desirable that he ought to be able to check the country virtually when there were no major opponents at that time. But the reality differs to that he harbored the notorious guys of his party, even his son Kamal was involved in Bank robbery, the picture matched with the activities of Mirjafar family did nearly two hundred years ago .The law less ness of Bangladesh in 1972-73 plunged in to worse condition. Kirit Bhaumik (Cited in Matiur rahman and Naeem Hasan,1980)reported , “The Minister for Home Affairs had to admit in Parliament that there had been nearly 6000 murders in the first 18 months after the creation of Bangladesh . He also admitted that during the same period 377 women were kidnapped and 290 women ‘dishonored' .The Ittefaq reported (Cited in Matiur Rahman and Naeem Hasan,1980) the total number of victims of violence was later officially admitted to be over 10,000.The Guardian( Cited in Matiur Rahman and Naeem Hasan,1980….) reported , “….the number of robberies were even higher in the first eight months of 1973(nearly 7,000) than in the same period of 1972(about 5400).Chicago tribune reported, (Cited in Matiur Rahman and Naeem Hasan,1980) “ ….bandits have attacked a remarkably high percentage of Bangladesh's 65,000villages and 5,000 police posts.” If the people's progress and peace are the motto of politicians, then why had we to be experienced like that? Then was the country really under the paws of local and neighbor robbers? The effect of the Awami rule in the politics had formally established the Indian promoter. One Swedish journalist wrote (Cited in Matiur Rahman and Naeem Hasan, 1980, pp.109): “The men who are now, with Indian help, running Bangladesh , all belong to the Awami league .It has never been a party of the majority, but rather relies upon a small group of leaders with roots in the upper class, and close connections with India .”
So history repeated .The quest: are our leaders conscious to avoid the Palasi?
Only the political force that will be able to secure the positive answer of the question has the chance to win the hearts of the common people of Bangladesh in the long run.
References:
Rahman, Matiur and Hasan Naeem, Iron Bars of Freedom, News and Media Limited, London, 1980.
Islam, Sirajul, Banglar Itihash: Ouponibeshik shasan kathamo, 1757-1857, Bangla Academy , Dhaka , 1984.
Haq Masudul, Bangladesher Shadhinata Juddeh Raw Abong CIA ,Osmania Library, Dhaka ,1990.