Colonel (Retd) Mohammad Abdul Haque, Chairman of the Retired Armed Forces Officers Welfare Association (RAOWA), has said that to ensure the prosperity of the nation, political corruption must be stopped and good people must be brought into leadership roles. He emphasized that had the army not led the Liberation War, the country would not have achieved independence.
He made these remarks during a recent interview at the Bangladesh Pratidin office.
Discussing the role of the army in the Liberation War of 1971, Colonel Haque said, "This country did not gain independence by the finger-pointing of any individual. Had our army not been in leadership, this country would not have become independent. It was the Bangladesh Army, led by the people of this country, that made the country independent. Had the army not been present at that time—had there been no General Osmani, Major Zia, Major Mosharraf, or Shafiullah—had the 30 or 40 officers and the five battalions of the East Bengal Regiment not been there, the country would not have been independent even until the Day of Judgment. There would have been a transfer of power from Pakistan to India. However, by the special grace of Allah, a significant number of Bengali officers of the Pakistani Army were present in this country. India never anticipated such an armed rebellion here. The army initiated the country's independence. The Commander-in-Chief of the war was General Ataul Gani Osmani. Under his leadership, the Bangladesh Army fought in 11 sectors. This was not a gift of mercy. The army is a key stakeholder of Bangladesh. Without a strong military, any country can be occupied. The enemies of the country will rise, and conspiracies against the country are inevitable. Those involved in such conspiracies stand against the sovereignty of the nation."
As the chairman of RAOWA, which represents over 11,000 retired army personnel, Colonel Haque highlighted the rebellion of army members against Pakistan during the 1971 war, noting that they had sworn an oath to sacrifice their lives to protect Pakistan. Had Pakistan succeeded, they would have faced execution, likely by firing squad.
He pointed out that no other individual in the country swears an oath to sacrifice their life for the nation, not even the Prime Minister, Chief Justice, or senior officials. The military sacrifices its life and youth for the country.
"Without the army in 1971, this country would not have been independent. In 1975, had there been no army, the country would have fallen into the hands of India. The army rebelled at that time as a symbol of national unity. In 1977, there was another attempt. What would have happened on August 5th of last year if the army hadn't stood up? If General Waqar-uz-Zaman, the Army Chief, hadn't met with all political parties and delivered a speech to the nation? If he hadn't helped form an Interim Government, what would our condition have been?"
He asserted that the army always works for the country's sovereignty.
"India cannot accept Bangladesh; they cannot accept this country. They have created agents in various sectors of the country to destabilize it. They want to create chaos through these agents and provoke civil war between the army and the people."
When asked about the participation of former army officers in politics, Colonel Haque responded, "Politics is the right of every individual. Anyone can enter politics after retiring from government service. If good, patriotic people from the army enter politics, the country will develop. They will not indulge in corruption. They will work for the country. The good patriots should come into politics."
On the BDR killings, Colonel Haque remarked that the incident was directly orchestrated by India to weaken the army and prolong Sheikh Hasina's power. However, he pointed out the failure of command in this case, as the BDR chief did not know about the incident. He termed it a great failure that senior officers were unaware of such a major event.
"The military could have easily suppressed this massacre with its firepower, but General Moin U Ahmed's indecisiveness and incompetence led to the tragic deaths of the officers. He handed his brothers over to the enemy. Why wait for the Prime Minister’s decision when your house is on fire?"
Colonel Haque also noted that the government at that time should have been ousted by the army.
"When the government can kill army officers, it must be removed. The people should have taken to the streets to overthrow that government. There is no security for anyone in the country if the army is being killed. The entire nation should have risen, and we would not have faced such a grim situation."
Regarding institutions controlled by military officers, Colonel Haque criticized the influence of Sheikh Hasina over agencies like the DGFI, NSI, RAB, SSF, and the DGDP, which were not under the army’s control.
"These were all under the Prime Minister's control. They stole, and it’s the politicians and bureaucrats who sold out the country. They make deals, and draft contracts. Who built houses in Begum Para? It wasn't army officers but politicians and bureaucrats. They must be held accountable."
He further said that political parties need to change their positions and policies.
"They must remove the corrupt, thieves, and criminals from their ranks and bring in good people to lead. Until good people are elected, there will be no peace for us. Unfortunately, we vote for symbols, not for people. We vote for the thieves and bandits. We need to stop selling votes for money. Among our 18 crore people, if we can turn the 10 crore young energetic people into a resource, we will never have to look back. If we can send them abroad as skilled workers, no one can stop our progress."
“Political parties have corrupted people's character.
"Extortion, theft, robbery, and violence are involved in most political parties. To correct this, we need to reform the education system and incorporate Islamic ideals. Only then can this country become one of the most peaceful nations in the world," he added.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
