পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/৪২০

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388 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড Weirdly they had left behind thousands of Pakistani flags fluttering from every house, shop and rooftop. The effect was like a national day celebration without the crowds. It only served to emphasize the haunted look. The Hags were by way of insurance. Somehow the word had got around that the army considered any structure without a Pakistani flag to be hostile and consequently to be destroyed. It did not matter how the Pakistani flags were made, so long as they were adorned with crescent and star. So they came in all sizes shapes and colors. Some flaunted blue fields, instead of the regulation green. Obviously they had been hastily put together with the same material that had been used for the blue Bangladesh flag. Indeed blue Pakistani flags were more common than the green. The scene in Chandpur was repeated in Hajiganj, Mudafarganj, Kasba, Barhmanbaria; all ghost towns gay, with flags. A 'parade' and a knowing wink Laksham was an example of the other reaction: cringing. When I drove into the town the morning after it had been cleared of the rebels, all I could see was the army and literally thousands of Pakistani flags. The major in charge there had camped in the police station, and it was there that Major Rathore took us my colleague a Pakistani TV Cameraman, to make a propaganda film about the, "return to normalcy" in Laksham-one of the endless series broadcast daily showing welcome parades and "peace meetings." I wondered how he could manage it, but the Major said it would be no sweat. "There are enough of these bastards left to put on a good show. Give me 20 minutes." Lieutenant Javed of the 39th Baluch was assigned the task of rounding up a crowd. He called out to an elderly bearded man who had apparently been brought in for questioning. The man, who later gave his name as Moulana Said Mohammad Saidul Huq, insisted he was a "staunch Muslim Leaguer and not from the Awami League." (The Muslim League led the movement for an independent Pakistan in 1947) He was all too eager to, please. "I will very definitely get you at least 60 men in 20 minutes," he told Javed, "But if you give me two hours I will bring 200." Moulana Saidul Huq was as good as his word. We had hardly drunk our fill of the deliciously refreshing coconut milk that had been thoughtfully supplied by the Major when he heard shouts in the distance. "Pakistan Zindabad!" "Pakistan army Zindabad!" "Muslim League Zindabad" they" were chanting. (Zindabad is Urdu for "Long live") Moments later they marched into view, a motley crowd of about 50 old and decrepit men and knee- high children, all waving Pakistani flags and shouting at the top of their voices. Lt. Javed gave me a knowing wink. Within minutes the "parade" had grown into a "public meeting" complete with a make-shift public address system and a rapidly multiplying group of would-be Speakers. Mr. Mahbub-ur-Rahman was pushed forward to make the address of welcome to the army. He introduced himself as "N.F. College professor of English and Arabic, who had