Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in December 1971. After five decades, it has now achieved independence again in August 2024, this time from the Awami League.
However, the fate of the country’s minorities remains unchanged. On the day Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan, many minorities were attacked. Their properties, temples, pagodas, and churches were demolished and burned down, not only in the plains but also in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Many good Muslims guarded temples, churches, and minority properties at that time. But how long could they sustain this protection? Ultimately, they could not protect the minorities or their properties, leading more than half of the minorities to cross the border into India.
Half of the non-Muslims are still in Bangladesh. Now, the country has gained independence again from the Awami League, and the same events are happening. Non-Muslims are being attacked on the same day. Bangladesh is transitioning from a democracy to a truly Islamic country, at least according to the sentiments seen on social media.
We all know the history of Pakistan.
Pakistan was born in 1947, and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was part of it. The people of East Pakistan fought against Pakistan to gain independence and live in peace.
This independence was only possible with India’s help. Essentially, the war was between India and Pakistan, which is why the Pakistani military surrendered to the Indian military, not to the Mukti Bahini.
Do you recall the iconic photo of Lt. Gen. A.A.K. Niazi, the Commander of the Pakistani Eastern Command, signing the Instrument of Surrender in Dhaka in the presence of Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora, the GOC-in-C of the Indian Eastern Command? This historic moment marked the end of a tumultuous era and the dawn of a new beginning for Bangladesh.
Sadly, the people of Bangladesh hardly mention it.
Why am I telling you this?
There is a reason.
In 2024, Bangladesh achieved its second independence, this time from the Awami League, the party that claimed to have brought independence from Pakistan.
Now, why do I compare it to Pakistan?
Because the people’s sentiment is increasingly Islamic, and the majority of Muslim people hate India. They even demolished the sculpture of Mujib, whom Indira supported.
Before the division of India and Pakistan, India was supposed to be multi-cultural, and Pakistan an Islamic nation. Consequently, areas with significant non-Muslim populations, including the Chittagong Hill Tracts and some parts of present-day Bangladesh, were supposed to be part of India.
So, if Bangladesh ideally becomes like Pakistan, then the parts that were supposed to be part of India might soon rejoin India.
The logic is simple. The Congress government, under Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru, made serious mistakes during the 1947 division, including the acceptance of the two-nation theory and the subsequent partition of India.
During the Liberation War, Indira Gandhi tried to rectify this by supporting Bangladesh’s independence. She feared that if Pakistani ideology governed Bangladesh, all non-Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh would flee to India.
But the problem remains unsolved. The BJP is unlikely to make the same mistake. They might address it by fulfilling the 1947 demarcation demands of non-Muslims, which include the protection of their rights and properties, especially those in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Do not believe?
Okya. Wait a minute. Can you tell me then what other options India has?
