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Showing posts with label East Pakistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East Pakistan. Show all posts
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Hundreds rushed to hospital with suspected poisoning at Bangladeshi garment factory
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“We are suspecting that it was poisoning of the water. It could be some sort of pesticide,” S M Mannan, a vice president of the BGMEA, told AFP. He went on to state that the factory has its own water supply from a deep-tube well so the scope for contamination was almost nil. “Someone might have mixed poison in the water,” he said. Global scrutiny over the conditions under which a number of Bangladesh-produced items are made is intensifying after a cluster of disasters at factories producing commercial goods. 1,129 people died in a disaster at the Rana Plaza Bangladeshi garment factory in April, with bodies still being dragged from the collapsed wreckage over a week later. The building was also located in a northern suburb of Dhaka, called Savar. It was the world’s most lethal industrial accident since the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India.
Fires are common in the factories of Bangladesh’s garment industry, which comprises about 80 percent of the country’s exports. Bangladesh houses more than 4,500 factories dedicated to churning out such goods. A fire last November killed 112 people. The latest was in an 11-story building in Mirpu, located between Dhaka and Savar, killing the company’s managing director and some of his personal staff and friends.
Despite Bangladesh factories’ proneness to disaster, Walmart and Gap, both voiced opposition to a broad safety upgrade agreement in mid-May, which included “dispute resolution mechanisms.” The new pact additionally called for retailers to pay up to $500,000 a year toward the effort, and to halt business with any Bangladesh factory that refuses to make safety improvements.
If Walmart and Gap become signatories to the agreement, they may leave themselves open to cases filed by US lawyers on behalf of the workers in Bangladesh who suffer as a result of unsafe working conditions.
Earlier on Wednesday, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at families protesting the death of their relatives in the April disaster, who had gathered where the building once stood. They have been calling for the authorities to publish a list of missing workers so that their relatives can claim compensation.
“There were up to 1,000 protesters, they blocked a key highway and staged a sit-in in front of the ruined site for nearly three hours,” local industrial police inspector Amjad Hossain told Reuters.
“Primarily we suspect the water supply of the Starlight Sweaters factory was poisoned or contaminated,” local industrial police officer Mahfuzur Rahman told AFP on Wednesday. The factory is located in Gazipur, a suburb just north of the capital, Dhaka. The estimate of 600 was cited to the news agency by the administrative officer of the factory, with an official from Bangladesh's Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), stating that the contamination could well have been deliberate.
(RT)
Pakistan Cyber ForceThursday, December 13, 2012
Did Pakistan commit genocide and kill 3 million people in East Pakistan in 1971?
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 |
| Time Magazine 1971 |
He questions the conventional narrative of an oppressed, downtrodden Bengali nation fighting a brave and noble war of “liberation” from a tyrannical regime in the face of impossible hardship only to emerge as a free nation to whom the future now belonged. He says that greed for personal power and Indian predatory ambitions against its only regional counterweight were the only things that motivated the players who incited the breakup of the only homeland created for the Muslims of the subcontinent.
He explains how the allegations of genocide were artificially cooked up and from where the “absolutely impossible” 3 million figure was hatched, and anyone who tried to dig for the real truth in those days was murdered. He gives research-based details of each major incident that was blamed on Pakistan: the killing of intellectuals in Dhaka University, killings elsewhere in Dhaka, the murder of 5,000 Buddhists and 17,000 Awami Leaguers, the massacres and destruction visited on Kushtia, Jessore, Khulna and Chittagong, and the rapes of 400,000 women resulting in 200,000 pregnancies.
He then goes on to explain another category of atrocities committed by the so-called “liberators” that anti-Pakistan propagandists have whitewashed from all historic record, these were carried out against large numbers of East Pakistanis that fought for Pakistan and just about everyone who did not support Mukti Bahini. He describes the savage and gruesome ways they (he gives actual names and credentials of the victims) were murdered and otherwise brutalized and recounts the stories survivors themselves told, and apportions responsibility directly to Mukti Bahini and Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman, who was an Indian collaborator since the mid-1950s.
He says the true story must be told otherwise Bangladesh will never be a truly free nation and a normal member of the international community or the comity of Islamic nations. He says only the truth will enable reconciliation between Pakistanis and Bengalis and enable them to move on from the past and move toward the future together as brotherly nations like they used to be at one time.
Download this book to know the true story:
BEHIND THE MYTH OF THREE MILLION
By Dr. M. Abdul Mu’min Chowdhury
Behind the myth of 3 million: True story of bloody birth of Bangladesh
***********
Pakistan Cyber Force
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The Courageous Pakistan Army’s Stand on the Eastern Front: An Untold Story of 1971 Indo-Pak War
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| By SHARMILA BOSE
THERE is much for Pakistan to come to terms with what happened in 1971. But the answers don’t lie in unthinking vilification of the fighting men who performed so well in the war against such heavy odds in defense of the national policy. Rather, in failing to honour them, the nation dishonours itself.My introduction to international politics was 1971, as a schoolgirl in Calcutta. Many images from that year are still etched in my mind, but the culminating one was the photo on Ramna Race Course of two men sitting at a table — the smart, turbaned Sikh, ‘our’ war-hero, Jagjit Singh Aurora, and the large man in a beret, A A K Niazi, commander of the other side, signing the instrument of surrender. Nearly a generation later, a chance interview for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) with Lt Gen. Aurora took me back to 1971. The interview was not about 1971, but about injustices suffered by Sikhs at the hands of the state General Aurora had served. I thought he was a bigger hero for what he had to say then. That view was reinforced as I read — with incredulity — the disparaging remarks by other Indian officers about him, and each other, in their books. If this is what happened to the winning commander, I wondered what had happened to the other man in the photo.
The result was a revelation.
It turns out that General Niazi has been my ‘enemy’ since the Second World War. As Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army fought on the Burma front in 1943-45 in their quest for India’s freedom, Niazi was fighting on the other side, for the British Indian Army, under the overall command of General (later Field Marshal) William Joseph Slim. Slim and his 14th Army halted the advance of the INA and the Japanese at the Imphal campaign and turned the course of the war.
In the process of inflicting military defeat upon my ancestor, Niazi’s performance was so exceptional that the British awarded him an on-the-spot Military Cross for action on the Assam-Burma front in June 1944. On another occasion they wanted to award a DSO, but he was too junior, so a Mention in Despatches was recorded. In the original record of his MC signed by his commanding officers all the way up to Slim, which I obtained from the British Ministry of Defence, the British commanders describe Niazi’s gallantry in detail: “He organized the attack with such skill that his leading platoon succeeded in achieving complete surprise over the enemy.” They speak of how he personally led his men, the ‘great skill and coolness’ under fire with which he changed tactics with changing circumstances, created diversionary attacks, extricated his wounded, defeated the enemy and withdrew his men by section, remaining personally at the rear in every case.
The British honoured Niazi for “personal leadership, bravery and complete disregard for his own personal safety.” On 15 December 1944 the Viceroy Lord Wavell flew to Imphal and in the presence of Lord Mountbatten knighted Slim and his corps commanders Stopford, Scoones and Christison. Only two ‘Indian’ officers were chosen to be decorated by the Viceroy at that ceremony — ‘Tiger’ Niazi was one of them.
In 1971 Niazi was a highly decorated Pakistani general, twice receiving the Hilal-e-Jurat. He was sent to East Pakistan in April 1971 — part of a sorry tradition in South Asia of political rulers attempting to find military solutions to political problems. By then Tikka Khan had already launched the crackdown of 25 March for which he has been known to Bengalis as the ‘Butcher of Bengal’ ever since. The population of East Bengal was completely hostile and Pakistan was condemned around the world.
Authoritative scholarly analyses of 1971 are rare. The best work is Richard Sisson and Leo Rose’s War and Secession.
Robert Jackson, fellow of All Soul’s College, Oxford, wrote an account shortly after the events. Most of the principal participants did not write about it, a notable exception being Gen. Niazi’s recent memoirs (1998).Some Indian officers have written books of uneven quality — they make for an embarrassing read for what the Indians have to say about one another.
However, a consistent picture emerges from the more objective accounts of the war. Sisson and Rose describe how India started assisting Bengali rebels since April, but “the Mukti Bahini had not been able to prevent the Pakistani army from regaining control over all the major urban centers on the East Pakistani-Indian border and even establishing a tenuous authority in most of the rural areas.” From July to October there was direct involvement of Indian military personnel. “…mid-October to 20 November… Indian artillery was used much more extensively in support …and Indian military forces, including tanks and air power on a few occasions, were also used…Indian units were withdrawn to Indian territory once their objectives had been brought under the control of the Mukti Bahini — though at times this was only for short periods, as, to the irritation of the Indians, the Mukti Bahini forces rarely held their ground when the Pakistani army launched a counterattack.”
Clearly, the Pakistani army regained East Pakistan for their masters in Islamabad by April-May, creating an opportunity for a political settlement, and held off both Bengali guerrillas and their Indian supporters till November, buying more time — time and opportunity that Pakistan’s rulers and politicians failed to utilise.
Contrary to Indian reports, full-scale war between India and Pakistan started in East Bengal on 21 November, making it a four-week war rather than a ‘lightning campaign’. Sisson and Rose state bluntly: “After the night of 21 November…Indian forces did not withdraw. From 21 to 25 November several Indian army divisions…launched simultaneous military actions on all of the key border regions of East Pakistan, and from all directions, with both armored and air support.” Indian officers like Sukhwant Singh and Lachhman Singh write quite openly in their books about India invading East Pakistani territory in November, which they knew was ‘an act of war’.
None of the outside scholars expected the Eastern garrison to withstand a full Indian invasion. On the contrary, Pakistan’s longstanding strategy was “the defense of the east is in the west”. Jackson writes, “Pakistani forces had largely withdrawn from scattered border-protection duties into cleverly fortified defensive positions at the major centres inside the frontiers, where they held all the major ‘place names’ against Mukti Bahini attacks, and blocked the routes of entry from India…”
Sisson and Rose point out the incongruity of Islamabad tolerating India’s invasion of East Pakistani territory in November. On 30 November Niazi received a message from General Hamid stating, “The whole nation is proud of you and you have their full support.” The same day Islamabad decided to launch an attack in the West on 2 December, later postponed to 3 December, after a two-week wait, but did not inform the Eastern command about it. According to Jackson, the Western offensive was frustrated by 10 December.
Though futile, the Western offensive allowed India to openly invade the East, with overwhelming advantages. “ …despite all these advantages, the war did not go as smoothly and easily for the Indian army…”, but Sisson and Rose come to the balanced judgment that “The Pakistanis fought hard and well; the Indian army won an impressive victory.” Even Indian officers concede the personal bravery of Niazi and the spirited fight put up by the Pakistanis in the East. That the troops fought so well against such overwhelming odds is a credit both to them, and to their commanders, for an army does not fight well in the absence of good leadership.
However, as Jackson put it, “…India’s success was inevitable from the moment the general war broke out — unless diplomatic intervention could frustrate it.” As is well known, Pakistan failed to secure military or diplomatic intervention. Sisson and Rose also say, “The outcome of the conflict on the eastern front after 6 December was not in doubt, as the Indian military had all the advantages.” On 14 December Niazi received the following message from Yahya Khan: “You have fought a heroic battle against overwhelming odds. The nation is proud of you …You have now reached a stage where further resistance is no longer humanly possible nor will it serve any useful purpose… You should now take all necessary measures to stop the fighting and preserve the lives of armed forces personnel, all those from West Pakistan and all loyal elements…” Sisson and Rose naturally describe this message as “implying that the armed forces in East Pakistan should surrender”.
No matter how traumatic the outcome of 1971 for Pakistan, the Eastern command did not create the conflict, nor were they responsible for the failure of the political and diplomatic process. Sent to do the dirty work of the political manoeuvrers, the fighting men seem to have performed remarkably well against overwhelming odds. It is shocking therefore to discover that they were not received with honour by their nation on their return. Their commander, Niazi, appears to have been singled out, along with one aide, to be punished arbitrarily with dismissal and denial of pension, without being given the basic right to defend himself through a court-martial, which he asked for.
The commission set up allegedly to examine what had happened in 1971 was too flawed in its terms of reference and report to have any international credibility. However, even its recommendations of holding public trials and courtmartials were ignored. There is much for Pakistan to come to terms with what happened in 1971. But the answers don’t lie in unthinking vilification of the fighting men who performed so well in the war against such heavy odds in defence of the national policy. Rather, in failing to honour them, the nation dishonours itself.
Sarmila Bose is the niece of Subhas Chandra Bose or Netaji of Indian National Army fame who fought against the British supporting the Japanese. He is considered as a great hero in Bengal and India.Sharmila Bose is Assistant Editor, Ananda Bazar Patrika, India & Visiting Scholar, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.
(Madina-e-Sani)
Pakistan Cyber Force
Friday, November 30, 2012
Is Wal-Mart behind Bangladesh Factory Fire?
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), the world’s
largest retailer, fired a supplier that made apparel at a
Bangladesh factory where more than 100 people died in the
country’s deadliest ever blaze at a garment facility. However critics believe that this is a cover-up and Wal-Mart is trying to whitewash its dirt.
The factory, owned by Tazreen Fashion Ltd., had no emergency exits, and many workers were burnt alive, as they got trapped in heavy smoke, said Muhammad Mahboob, a director at the Fire Service and Civil Defence. Some workers jumped from the eight-story building to escape the flames, according to Mohammad Sharif, who runs a local grocery store and whose parents-in-law worked at the plant.
At least 124 people were killed in the fire on Nov. 24, said Habibur Rahman, superintendent of police for Dhaka. Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, estimates the death toll at 113.
Textiles contribute more than 10 percent of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product and about 80 percent of the nation’s exports, mainly to the U.S. and the EU, according to the manufacturers’ association.
Unsafe Buildings
Bangladesh’s High Court yesterday opened a probe into the nation’s worst garment factory fire. After four human rights organizations filed a writ petition, two judges in a ruling asked the government to explain what steps it has taken to implement an earlier High Court directive to ensure the safety of garment workers.About 700 apparel industry workers have died since 2005 because of unsafe buildings in the Asian country, the International Labor Rights Forum said in a statement. The second deadliest fire was in 2006 when 54 people died at KTS Textile and Garments in the port city of Chittagong, according to the manufacturers’ association. As wages have risen in China, companies such as Li & Fung Ltd., the world’s largest supplier of clothes and toys to retailers, are tapping Bangladesh and other lower-cost Asian countries.
Li & Fung
The factory that burned down has produced apparel for Li & Fung (494), which has said it is in contact with the factory’s owner and that it will conduct its own investigation. The fire won’t have any material impact on the company’s financial performance and the total value of orders placed by its U.S. subsidiary for the year amounted to $111,000, Li & Fung said yesterday. It hasn’t placed orders for other customers with Tazreen, it said.Wal-Mart has visited supplier factories to identify those deemed “high risk for fire safety hazards,” it said on its website. In 2011, the company stopped working with 49 factories in Bangladesh due to fire safety issues, it said. Tazreen Fashion, a unit of textile manufacturer Tuba Group, employs 1,200 workers and exports goods worth $36 million a year, mainly to the U.S. and Europe, according to the company’s website.
Pakistan Cyber Force
Friday, March 30, 2012
Bangladesh lost Asia Cup due to “ISI elements”: PM Hasina Wajid
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Pakistan Cyber Force
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
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