What the Pak soldier told me
When the area bombardment began probably in late November or early December in 1971, our late father, took us to our village home only 30 miles from the capital for security concerns.
It so happened that our village fell on the path of the retreating Pak occupation army on their way back to the capital. When we could see the approaching army, we all decided to flee the village to a safer place. There was an old lady, too old to move, so she stayed behind. We all thought, we would find her alive when we come back.
The war over, we got back to our village and to our astonishment we found the old lady hale and hearty. We wanted to know how the Pak army dealt with her. She plainly replied, seeing her old and frail, they behaved well with her and wanted some thing to eat and she offered them whatever was there, thereafter they left.
The long gone old lady also said, while leaving a Pak army said: It is very unfortunate that we could not live together in peace, let's see how you do with the Indians while we are gone. All I can do is to regret the sad incidents that are happening every now and then at our borders.
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