The New Nation - Internet Edition

The Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Mr. Pinaki Ranjan Chakravarty has once again reminded us, all Bangladeshis, that we must not forget but remember with the deepest gratitude the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her contributions to the independence of Bangladesh. May be, we are forgetful of others debt just as had been of her in 1971; that is why Mr. Chakravarty has reminded us the matter. We should be thankful to him for kind reminder in the matter.

There is, however, other side of the story, as well. India owed to us for the gains they have made in 1971.

First, they have emerged as the regional power following their victory in the 1971 war against Pakistan by breaking and severing from the body one of two hands of the 'Enemy number one'. Since then India cares much less for China that it had to do had there been united Pakistan, because in that case she had to stand against two competing and powerful neighbors at the same time.

Secondly, India has got a easy market access to Bangladesh that it can manipulate at will just to create difficulty for Bangladesh at her sweet free will just as she has been doing lately by stopping export of rice, onion and wheat causing unusual and rapid rise of price of such very essential food items in Bangladesh to make the government unpopular in matter of days.

Third, she has secured safe her eastern 2,500 Kilometer geographical border for good that would have been vulnerable had there been united Pakistan under one federal arrangement.

Fourth, the 'Truncated and Moth-eaten Pakistan' of 1947 has further been so viciously 'cut to size' that despite being nuclear she has lost all hope to become anything competitor, much less threat to India, not to speak anything from the military front.

Fifth, she has, since after 1971, need not bother about the Kashmir issue that seriously bothered her so much so that she had to fight specific two (1948 and 1965) wars in matter of 17 years, in sharp contrast of no such war in 36 years with Pakistan. I am not sure about arithmetic figure of savings India made in the last 36 years for cutting to size Pakistan in 1971, but I am sure the money gained in the savings alone from the military account surpassed whatever she had spent in the refugee business of 1971 and of the war proper, much less the immediate gains she made from taking away whatever the victors could lay their hands on from armory to small machine tools etc immediately after the16th December of 1971.

Sixth, quantum in terms of huge money, I am unable to figure out, for the psychological gains India made in winning the 1971 war that was incidentally seen in Indira's body language when she boasted and burst into joy, possibly sadistic, uttering from within in her mouth on the 16th December evening in her first press conference immediately after the surrender of the Pakistan Army's Eastern Command in Dhaka to her General Arora that in her verbatim was, 'Hazar Salo Ka Badla Le Lea', that in English version stands as, 'We have taken revenge of past one thousand years defeat'. That was appreciable as against the Muslims not against the Bengalis though.

There are many people, I am sure, much more intelligent than me who could add to the figures I roughly estimated as above.

No matter whether one would come forward or not for further and more accurate accounting of losses and gains in the matter, it might put a burden on India's shoulder to be grateful to Bangladesh, as well, in the matter for Bangladesh's contribution to India's huge gains in the 1971 war. What do you say Mr. Chakravarty?

M.T.Hussain

795/2 Ibrahimpur

Dhaka-1206