T

his refers to the article '€œModern Asia at 70 is less than ideal'€ by Mario Rustan published by The Jakarta Post on Aug. 24 (page 7).

In the fifth paragraph of his article he mentions: '€œEven a natural disaster such as the 1970 Bhola Cyclone (which killed at least 300,000) led to a war between Pakistan and India as well as the creation of Bangladesh.'€

This statement is not only wrong but also devoid of actual facts about the glorious history of the independence of Bangladesh. The author might have chosen to write this paragraph deliberately to belittle the millions of Bangladeshis who lost their lives and the women who lost their honor at the hands of Pakistani military personnel and their local cohorts. Otherwise he could be completely ignorant of the history of the independence of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh achieved her independence through a long struggle against the ruling class of Pakistan under the dynamic leadership of the father of our nation, Bangabandhu Seikh Mujibur Rahman, who led his Party Bangladesh Awami League to an emphatic win in the 1970 general election.

Bangabandhu in his historic address to the nation on March 7, 1971, gave a clarion call to the Bengali nation to fight for the independence of their motherland and declared the independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971. after the crackdown by the Pakistani army on an innocent and unarmed civilian population.

After nine months of bloody war, when at least 3 million people sacrificed their lives, golden victory was finally achieved on Dec. 16, 1971.

Md Nazmul Quaunine
Ambassador of the People'€™s Republic of Bangladesh
Jakarta