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LINKS:
Bengali Uprising and the Birth of a New Nation
The Declaration of Independence
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THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE:
A message in the form of a telegram reached the hands of a few students from Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The students were excited to receive Mujib's message to the people, but were at a loss to decide what should be done with it. AT last it struck them that the message could be broadcast from Agrabad Station of Radio Pakistan. Dr. Manjula Anwar translated the message into Bengali. As they took the message to the radio station, announcer Kazi Hosne Ara was picked up on the way. The Armed police guards posted there were Bengali's who immediately opened the locks and allowed them to go in. Kazi Husne Ara rushed out and brought with her Mahbub Hassan, Belal Ahmed and Abul KashemSandwipi. Making hurried trips between Agrabad broadcasting station and its transmission center at Kalurghat they failed to secure permission from higher authorities to run the station. It was decided that they should go back to the other side of Kalurghat bridge where rations had just been delivered to the jawans of East Bengal Regiment under the command of Major Ziaur Rahman and plead with them for assistance to run the Kalurghat transmitter as a broadcasting station. Engineer Ashikul Islam had a meeting with the commandant who agreed to send some military guards to protect the Kalurghat transmitter. As the Bengali soldiers took positions to guard the transmission center, the rebels put their heads together and with the help of a few engineers of the Kalurghat industrial complex, converted it into a broadcasting station. Kalurghat was getting organized into a nerve centre for coordinating the liberation struggle. Troops had invaded the EBR (East Bengal Regiment) barracks, where under the command of Major Zia a bloody battle raged. Major Zia had to retreat and with a battalion of troops came to Kalurghat. He was made commandant of the rebel forces at Kalurghat where the transmitter was then ready for broadcasting. As contact could not be established between the leaders of the Awami League, Major Zia was requested by the rebel station to broadcast a message of independence to the people of Bangladesh. The first Declaration of Independence came from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Chittagong shortly after midnight of 25th March, i.e. early hours of 26th March, 1971 for transmission throughout Bangladesh over the EPR transmitter. "This may be my last message, from today Bangladesh is independent. I call upon the people of Bangladesh, wherever you might be and with whatever you have, to resist the army of occupation to the last. Your fight must go on until the last soldier of the Pakistan occupation army is expelled from the soil of Bangladesh and final victory is achieved." [Translated] The following day, on the 26th March 1971, at 2:10 noon, a Declaration of Independence was broadcasted by Abdul Hannan on behalf of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Very
few people heard or came to know about this declaration. Later in the day
it was Major Ziaur Rahman’s broadcast that became historic in the
struggle for independence. At 7:45 pm on 26th March 1971, Major Zia under the direction of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, from Kalurghat radio station, Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra broadcasted the declaration. "This is Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the direction of Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that the independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken command as the temporary head of the republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by the west Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our motherland. By the grace of Allah, victory is ours. Joy Bangla." Major Zia's message was picked up by a Japanese ship anchored mid-stream in Chittagong harbor. When the news of this declaration was broadcasted by Radio Australia, and The Statesman Delhi of 27th March 1971 the rest of the world came to know of it and this Declaration of Independence became instrumental in the struggle for independence. The Proclamation of Independence from Mujibnagar was established on 10th April 1971. On April 17, 1971 in Mujibnagar under Kushtia the Provisional Government was formed and took the oath of office. Syed Nazrul Islam took over as the acting President and Tajuddin Ahmed got the portfolio of the Prime Minister.
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