Inaccurate news
In BTV news on the Armed Forces Day on Wednesday, 21 November last, it was mentioned that the Bangladesh Armed Forces comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force had come into being on 21 November 1971. The information is not correct. Neither the Armed Forces, nor the Army the Navy, the Air Force was formed on 21 November 1971.
During my 27 year long stay with the Inter-Service Public Relations Directorate from 1975 to 2002, I never found such information to be released from the office. What I found was that the Army Day used to be observed on 25 March, the Air Force Day on 28 September and the Navy Day on 10 December till 1982. In 1983, the Armed Forces Day was observed, for the first time, on 21 November. At that time, it was said that the freedom fighters had launched first combined offensives against the occupation Pakistani forces on land, sea and air on 21 November 1971.
It may be recalled that the Bangladesh Army, the Bangladesh Navy and the Bangladesh Air Force were formed in April, 1972. The fact, however, remains that the Bengalee members of the then Pakistan Armed Forces defected from their services and joined the people from all walks of life including the Police, EPR and Ansars to free the motherland, following the crackdown by the Pakistani occupation forces on the innocent people of Bangladesh on the fateful night of 25 March 1971. That was possibly the moment of inception of the Bangladesh Armed Forces.
We should understand that even our smallest deviations, either wilful or otherwise, might be tantamount to distortion of history. It is, therefore, imperative that we all guard against distortion of our national history, especially the history of our Liberation War.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments