Dr. Umar Khan
Dr. Khan belongs to a Lahore based Think Tank.
12-12-23
Our appalling and deafening silence vis-à-vis,
16th December, 1971!
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty
by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
Decembers brings painful
memories for Pakistanis of my generation. 16th December 1971 was the most
painful day for us when our newly created beloved Pakistan got dismembered, but
the way it happened was even more painful. 90 thousand proud Pakistanis
surrendered in front of people we considered our enemy and inferiors and had to
endure years of humiliation in captivity. In addition to this humiliation the
basic message of two nation theory, the basis of creation of Pakistan came
under serious threat. No wonder the nation still mourns this tragedy and many
vow to avenge it.
I see a still greater tragedy
associated with 16th December 1971 than the fall of Dhaka.
The greatest tragedy was when
East Pakistanis were being mass murdered and gang raped for months, nearly
whole of West Pakistan along with me remained silent and didn’t resist or speak
up. These silent people were the better one’s because many supported this
carnage justifying it as patriotism. There might be an even bigger tragedy
involved; after 73 years we still haven’t understood or corrected anything and
might be repeating it.
“There is no greater tyranny
than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of
justice.” Montesuieu.
Dismemberment of Pakistan
just didn’t happen by chance on that fateful day as our mistakes for a quarter
century had culminated in that surrender. First of all West Pakistan harbored
an irrational sense of superiority over the East Pakistanis which had a
significant aspect of racism because of West’s stronger built and fairer
complexion. This color complex was hammered into our minds over centuries where
we were discriminated against by British and were even more brutal against
slightly darker shades. West Pakistan also considered East’s language
unimportant and tried to force Urdu while discriminating in jobs and
development too. Politically they were forced to give up their majority to
maintain equality with the West. Still can’t understand why East Pakistan
agreed to the unfair parity principal forced upon in 1956’s constitution? After
all this a military government was forced upon with people who were mostly from
West Pakistan. Political liberties, basic rights and the constitution were
repeatedly trampled at whims with no recourse.
After all this, things still remained under control till the 1970
election results were unilaterally defied although East Pakistan had given a
very clear mandate that couldn’t have been any clearer. Unfortunately the
military government mostly composed of West Pakistanis in power out of their
arrogance and foolishness couldn’t understand it and resorted to violence
trying to control and subdue the East Pakistanis. It wasn’t to work and there was
resistance starting a vicious cycle of increase in the intensity and scale of
violence.
This war against our own
people ultimately resulted in the number of deaths between 50000-3million,
depending upon the reporting source, and numerous rapes and frank dacoities by
the state officials, most of them uniformed. Finally this tragedy ended in
another tragedy of a horrendous military surrender.
While all this happened the
West Pakistanis stayed mostly silent although a few people did speak against
these atrocities but were mostly hushed up or simply slapped down.
Political liberties and civil
rights vanished, collective punishment and religious profiling became a routine
and the state apparatus developed a near complete impunity over treating its
citizens.
During these shameful times
when heinous crimes were being committed there was an appalling and deafening
silence in West Pakistan.
This tragic situation ended
in the only possible scenario it could have, absolute disaster with surrender
in front of the enemy who turned saviors of the perpetrators as the newly
independent Bangladeshis were revengeful.
More than the arrogance and
insanity of the generals in power it was the indifference and lack of
resistance of the decent West Pakistanis that let it happen making them
abettors to the crime.
“Throughout history, it has
been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who
should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered
most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” Haile Selassie
After this great tragedy we
tried to bury it under the rug and started life as usual but it was not to be.
We got involved repeatedly in many abrogations of the constitution, military
takeovers, wars, strange form of extremism and militarism while ignoring our
people and the country while enriching some who routinely launder the meager
resources abroad.
This sorry state of affairs made Pakistan into
an example of a failed state and a classic example of what not to do. Now we
are at the bottom of all human development indexes with perpetually faltering
economy impoverishing the 250 million even more. Our rulers are always begging
abroad and our passport lies at the bottom. Interestingly during all this we
remain proud of being a nuclear power or more appropriately, “Nuclear power
surviving on charities”.
Our acceptance of the 1971
tragedy had started rolling the chain of events that had to cause further
disasters. It established that the state apparatus was sacred and enjoyed absolute
impunity about how it treats its citizens. Rule of law became subservient to
the whims of the state officials and violence became an acceptable, rather
preferred way of solving problems. This impunity of state officials was
conveyed to India by East India Company as the foreign exploitative rulers
needed this dreadful aura and fear for it to operate and exploit. All this was
an absolute recipe for disaster.
State and its institutions
are for the people and not otherwise. While the world was converging on the
need for the state to be subservient to the people with the sole aim of serving
them, we are stuck in the bad old times. The state retains the right to
subjugate and humiliate its citizens despite our apparent gaining of independence.
Those who don’t learn from
history are condemned to repeat it; we in Pakistan just can afford to let it
happen again.
We must commit to ourselves
never ever to allow anyone to abrogate our constitution. Every person and
institution must always follow laws and stay subservient to them. Human
liberties the constitution imparts upon its citizens must be guarded jealously
and we must stop the habit of saving our skin when under pressure while others
are being trampled upon; just can’t afford this indifference anymore.
As a self-respecting nation
we must protect our rights and defy all the illegal orders that might be forced
down our throats. For this we must turn vocal and refuse to cow down to any
tyrant. We must come out and if we do it in significant numbers it won’t be
possible for future tyrants to try bullying us. Must remember that no one can
abuse you without your consent and we must revoke this privilege given to aspiring
tin pot dictators.
Having said that although it
isn’t possible to undo the history we must take initiative and apologize with
the depth of our hearts to our Bengali brethren whom we did wrong. We should
consider rehabilitating Mujeebur Rehman and others who fought for their just
rights. After all he services in the Pakistan movement and support of Fatima
Jinnah are well known. Then we must punish the perpetrators of these crimes as severely
as we can even posthumously. After declaring the perpetrators of this tragedy
like Yahya, Justice Muneer or Gen Niazi as villains, punishments suggested by
the late Justice Waqar Seth and the British treatment of Cromwell might be
considered. We have to send a clear message to aspiring dictators that the
nation won’t take it anymore, so don’t try.
One thing is for sure, as
Pakistanis we just can’t afford this apathy and indifference towards highhandedness
of the state apparatus anymore.
“First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak
out because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because
I was not a Jew
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out
for me.”
By Martin Niemöller
