From Protest to Freedom: The Birth of Bangldesh

On 26th March, 2010, Bangladesh will celebrate its thirty-ninth anniversary under the rule of the surviving daughter of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who, almost forty years, ago, inspired me to join the non-cooperation movement. As a result, I quit my job with the Pakistan Press Internaitonal (PPI).The director of the PPI was Nizamuddin Ahamed who was one of the victims of Al-Badar. After quiting my job I escaped by way of the East Pakistan border through Chandina of Comilla District and entered India’s territory known as Sona Mura of Tripura in August of 1971. It has been nearly thirty years ago since I left my country and settled in United States of America. Still the memories of 1971 are as fresh as if they were yesterday’s incidents. It is not just the 1971 incidents that I recall, but the entire twenty-five years of Pakistan’s history are still quite fresh and vivid in my mind. In 1952, when the Pakistani administration did not hesitate to fire on innocent Bengalis, I was a second grade student; and it was only two years later , when the United Front defeated the Muslim League.