Dhaka: Without the direct participation of the Indian Army, it would not have been possible to make Bangladesh independent even in a hundred years. Mohiuddin Ahmed, Mayor of Patuakhali Municipality in Bangladesh has said the same thing. According to him, it would not have been possible to free Bangladesh from the hands of Pakistani soldiers even in a hundred years if India’s brave soldiers had not fought directly against Pakistani forces by air, sea and land. In a special conversation with Hindustan Samachar, Ahmed said many big things about the strong relations between India-Bangladesh.
He is constantly trying to present the true history of India’s contribution to the freedom struggle of Bangladesh. He continues his efforts to highlight the historical moments from the language movement of 1952 to the surrender of the Pakistani Army by installing various paintings and sculptures. Some rare paintings and sculptures have been installed in various places of the Patuakhali district. All these include giving speeches by raising fingers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and painting the surrender of the invaders of Pakistan etc.
Asked why these rare sculptures and paintings were installed, Mayor Mohiuddin Ahmed said Bangladesh was occupied by radical independence activists after the assassination of the great hero of the creation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Even today, in the name of religious propaganda, various types of propaganda are being done to erase the history of independence. The latest Jamaat-e-Islami anti-independence group is spreading false propaganda on various social media including YouTube to erase the contribution of Bangabandhu and India in Bangladesh’s freedom struggle. It is also being propagated on YouTube that the Indian Army took part in the liberation struggle at a time when the freedom fighters were almost liberating Bangladesh. But the reality is that if the brave soldiers of India did not fight directly against the Pakistan army by air, sea and land, then it would not have been possible to free Bangladesh from the hands of the invaders even in a hundred years.
Ahmed also said that in spite of various publicity these sculptures and paintings have been put up so that the new generation is aware of the truth of history. Asked if any naming has been done for the idols and paintings, the Mayor said that the square opposite the District Commissioner’s building is being named Swadhinata Chowk. The names of the remaining two monuments are yet to be decided. However, the matter of naming is largely dependent on the approval of the Zilla Parishad.
When asked about the nomenclature, Patuakhali Zilla Parishad President Advocate Mohd. Hafizur Rahman said that the mayor has taken a good initiative. The newly elected Zilla Parishad members will make arrangements to approve the names in the first session itself. He said such sculptures, paintings and monuments should be installed at important intersections in every district and sub-district.
