A wrong assumption
AZM Abdul Ali, Uttara, Dhaka
Mr O H Kabir's assumption (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Shaheed Ziaur Rahman, Jan. 3) that "had there been no Shaheed Ziaur Rahman there had (would have) been no proclamation of war" is totally wrong. If Mr. Kabir had verified his facts from anyone who lived in Chittagong at that time he would know that Major Ziaur Rahman was chosen by the then leaders of Chittagong (MR Siddiqui, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury, MA Hannan et all) to make that radio announcement only because he was the senior-most Bengali officer available in the vicinity who at that time had joined the war of liberation in Chittagong. Captain Rafiqul Islam was, by that time, already fighting the Pakistanis from Agent Hill, Chittagong Railway area. But he was junior to Major Zia. It was, therefore, just his seniority amongst the Bengali officers in Chittagong area that catapulted Ziaur Rahman to that fame. Well, there is nothing wrong in that. History has a way of thrusting greatness upon people. But it is wrong to assume that without Shaheed Ziaur Rahman there would not have been any proclamation of war.I'll not, however, refer to Bangabandhu's declaration of March 7 at Suhrawardy Uddan or the statement that he passed through the then EPR transmitter at Rajarbagh which was received in Chilimpur (Foujdarhat) VHF centre in Chittagong around midnight of March 25, 1971.
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