imran Profile picture
8 Dec, 12 tweets, 5 min read
December Shards
(reader discretion is advised)
___
1. The Civil Servant of Kushtia
It was on the cover of Newsweek or was it Time?
Smiling faces
'Bengali rebels displaying severed head of a federal soldier'
'He wasn't a soldier', years later Lt Ataullah of 27 Baloch would reveal
He was Waqar Naseem Butt a Civil Servant from West Pakistan posted to Kushtia
A company of 27 Baloch owing to rebels' attack on Ni 29/30 Mar had to retreat to Jessore
Waqar refused to evacuate with them
He thought he belonged to the place
He thought he belonged to his countrymen
2. Mymensingh
Brothers in Arms
___
A cantonment 60 miles north of Dhaka, housed East Bengal Regiment & elements of East Pakistan Rifles
Liberation War Museum of Dhaka would deny that there ever was a cantonment in Mymensingh
Residents do recall soldiers taking on their brothers
Here on the night of 26/27 Mar Bengali soldiers of Pak Army and East Pakistan Rifles revolted
The took on their West Pakistani colleagues in the dark of night as they slept in their barracks and family quarters
Death toll of officers & soldiers and their families was in hundreds
3. Hindu Merchants of Shankaripara
___
A small residential district in Dhaka was a hub of Hindu merchants
Eye witness accounts of survivors mention soldiers of Pak Army encircling the area
They then entered the most prominent house in the district, House No 52 it was, so they say
Shots were then fired as heard by home restricted residents
They would later discover 15 or 16 bodies including that of an infant
This would force a migration of Shankaripara Hindus to India, leaving behind the dead of the day
They were to return much after Bangladesh was born
4. The Ghosts of Santahar
___
'I wrapped my husband’s dead body with white bed sheets
A neighbor earned it to the graveyard for burial
Dressed as a rustic Bengali woman, I slipped out of my house with my two children'
Nafisa Khatoon tells of the horrors of Santahar
Massacre of Non-Bengalis reduced Santahar to ghost town
People would sense it by the stench of dead from miles
Capt Qadir 13 FF remembers discovering & burying 34 bodies of children
Pardon me, dear reader, for I don't have a heart to pen his description of the scene
5. A Village of Widows
___
Bidhoba Palli in Bengali translates to Village of Widows
Sharmila Bose visited Thanapara, border village near Rajshahi that carries the title
It was here that all men were killed in cold blood
Army had come here to relieve Police Academy from rebels
Woven from carefully scrutinized eye witness accounts this one is a horrible tale
A company of Punjab Regiment faced light resistance as they entered Thanapara
The villagers meanwhile had escaped to and gathered at the river bordering India
The army then came to the riverbank
An officer (a captain or lieutenant) is reported to have segregated and rounded up all men
They were then shot in cold blood
Later the pile of the bodies were soaked in kerosene and set on fire
The ones still alive attempted to escape and were killed in second round of shooting
کانٹوں کی زباں سوکھ گئی پیاس سے یا رب
اک آبلہ پا وادی پر خار میں آوے

kan'Ton' ki zabaan' sookh gai pyaas se ya rab
ik aabla-paa vaadi-e-pur-ḳhaar mein' aavey

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More from @meemainseen

7 Dec
The Gentlemen Gorkhas
The Balochi Sultan
___
2/5 Gorkha Rifles (FF) a decorated Indian Unit fought at Pir Ganj and Bogra in Dec of 71
They built a road block at Pir Ganj and in a daring move crossed Karatoa River almost capturing Pak divisional and brigade commanders in an ambush
Gen Tajammul, who then commanded the famed Hilli Brigade tells us an interesting tale
On 7 Dec GOC had asked Tajammul to accompany him to Rangpur
"He told me it was only a short visit and we would be back by evening"
As they drove to Pirganj they came across a tank within 400 yds
Tajammul was first to ask, "whose tanks are these"
Gen Nazar replied, "the enemy's"
Tajammul says as per their assessment Karatoa river was considered impassable
In crossing the river and laying the daring ambush the valiant Gorkhas had achieved complete surprise
Read 12 tweets
7 Dec
A Son, a Friend, a Shaheed
Shabbir of Sabauna
__
Sometimes I wonder what motivated him to approach death with such alacrity
My son always had a premonition where he was headed
Sometimes when I pine too deeply for him, he comes in my dream gesturing he has acknowledged my feelings Image
'Ammi Jee' in an interview fondly remembered her elder son
Maj Sharif had raised his kids on simple guidelines, hard work & honesty
Rule of thumb: کسب کمال کن کہ عزیزجہاں شوی
Achieve excellence and ye shall be loved by the world

Major Shabbir Sharif did the same and earned glory Image
In Miani Sahab Shabbir sleeps beside his best friend Tanveer who took his own life
His mother would see Tanveer in pain in her dreams
She had told Shabbir of her wish to have a saint or martyr buried beside him
Sometimes I feel Shabbir embraced shahadat for the sake of friendship ImageImage
Read 13 tweets
6 Dec
"I had so far turned down any suggestion to recommend names for the gallantry awards…
The only exception I had made was that of Major Akram Shaheed Nishan-i-Haider of 4FF"
writes Gen Tajammul in The Story of My Struggle
He commanded the Hilli Brigade
The officer goes on to write Image
It was with this background that when after finishing his briefing Lt Col Mumtaz put up Maj Akram's (Shaheed) citation for Hilal-i-Jurrat for my approval, I was so much swayed by emotions that I upgraded it to Nishan-i-Haider because his company had really put up a heroic fight Image
The only Nishan e Haider on Eastern Front was originally recommended for Hilal-e-Jurrat by 4 FF (a.k.a Bawanja Sikh a.k.a Tunpur Bawanja)
It was upgraded by a commander who had a reputation of discouraging even downgrading the wartime gallantry awards
Wa To'izzo Mann Tashaa'o Image
Read 8 tweets
1 Dec
Nankana Sahib to Kartarpur
A Journey from Cradle to the Grave
... on Guru Nanak Jayanti
___

ਯਾਰੜੇ ਦਾ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਸੱਥਰੁ ਚੰਗਾ ਭਠ ਖੇੜਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਰਹਿਣਾ
ਮਿਤ੍ਰ ਪਿਆਰੇ ਨੂੰ ਹਾਲ ਮੁਰੀਦਾਂ ਦਾ ਕਹਿਣਾ

یارڑے دا سانوں ستھرچنگا بھٹھ کھیڑیاں دا رہنا
متر پیارے نوں حال مریداں دا کہنا
many are the reasons of my love for this wonderful community called Sikhs
their simple & carefree manners
hilarious Sardar jokes and the way they laugh on their own jests
simple beats & suchal vocals causing my blood to stir
and their melodious & stunningly insightful Gurbanis
Our journey, dear reader starts at Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib
the site of the parental home of Guru Nanak at a place that once was known as Rai Bhoi Ki Talvandi
on-site attractions include a well that has been preserved from the days of the founding Guru
Read 7 tweets
30 Nov
بانوقدسیہ سےملاقات
ایک پرانی یاد ـ ان کی سالگرہ پر
ــــــ
۱۹۸۴میں پاکستان ٹیلیویژن کی بیسویں سالگرہ کی تقریب میں غزالہ قریشی کےسوال کےجواب میں بانوآپانےکہاتھا
’میں اب تصوف کےبھی زیادہ قریب ہوں اورقبرستان کےبھی اب مجھے اسی کےمتعلق لکھناہے‘
اس میں انہوں نے آدھی بات درست کہی تھی
بہت بعد کا ذکرہے غالباً ایک انفرادی انٹرویو میں سوال کےجواب میں ان کاکہنا تھا کہ مجھ سےدنیا کےبارےمیں سوال کریں تو جواب دوں، مرد کی ذات عارفِ مولاہےوہ آپکواللہ تک پہنچنےکاکوئ راستہ بتائےتوبتائے
ایک بظاہر سادہ لوح خاتون لکھاری سے جب وہ عارفِ دنیا ہونےکانعرہ لگارہی ہواحتیاط لازم ہے Image
ہمارےکمانڈنگ آفیسر لیفٹیننٹ کرنل ریٹائرڈ ارشد بھٹی کوگلہ تھاکہ میں لوگوں سےملنےکےلیےان کےمرنےکاانتظارکرتاہوں
اس سنہری دوپہرماڈل ٹاؤن کےقبرستان میں اشفاق احمدسےملاقات ادھوری رہنی تھی جب تک اشفاق احمد کوبیا اورخودکوبئے کا گھونسلا کہنےوالی بانوآپا سے داستان سرائےمیں ملاقات نہ ہوجاتی Image
Read 15 tweets
10 Sep
A Short Story from Sialkot
___
Kaun ho?
Musalman hun
Woh mujhey pata hey, Unit konsi hey?
Mein Pakistan ka Sipahi hun
Apna hathyar neechay daal dou aur apnay saathyon se bhi kaho hathyar daal dein
Jab tak jaan hey, Pakistan ke liey larunga!

then he sprinted and a gunshot fired
It was 0600 on 8 Sep of 1965 when Indian 1st Armoured Division had crossed the border advancing towards Bhagowal-Philoura homing on to Chawinda
At 0800, 17 Poona Horse advancing on the eastern axis met the first Pakistani elements
The soldiers of D Company of 2 Punjab Regiment
Regimental History of Poona Horse records Maj N S Cheema's conversation with the exuberant Pakistani soldier with an innate admiration
It records the location as Shadipur and the soldier as a Havildar
As he sprinted to join his mates he was promptly shot & the location shelled
Read 6 tweets

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