Let the great soul rest in eternal peace. He was the first journalist to interview Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, soon after he was freed from Pakistani prison following Bangladesh’s emergence as an independent country on December 16, 1971 after 9 month-long bloody War of Liberation. The interview is a historic documentary.
Only months ago, possibly in June 2013, Mr Frost visited Bangladesh to make a documentary on Bangabandhu. The iconic British journalist, who was leading a team of producers and cameramen, went to Tungipara, where the slain founder of Bangladesh sleeps, to film Bangabandhus’ daughter, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina`s interview for the upcoming documentary. Unfortunately, he couldn’t finish the last task of his life .
Frost, who conducted serious interviews with various world personalities including that of Richard Nixon, visited the residence of Bangabandhu in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, which has turned as `Bangabandhu Memorial Museum’. The noted British journalist became somewhat emotional recalling his memorable moments with Bangladesh’s founder his house, where he was gunned down, along with his family members, on August 15, 1975 only three and half years of the country’s independence from Pakistan .
Along with Bangabandhu’s surviving daughter Sheikh Hasina, Mr Frost looked at Mujib’s blood-stained clothes, his spectacles, famous smoking pipe with a partially empty box of Erinmore tobacco flake etc. All these items are being preserved at the museum.
In honour of the late great British journalist, and also to re-inje1ct the undistorted history of Bangladesh’s independence, I am tempted to post the transcript of the first historic interview of Mr Frost with Bangabandhu, held in Dhaka, days after the new country was independent .I cannot recollect the date of the interview, but it was done some time in early 1972, soon after the Father of the Nation returned to his freed homeland.
DAVID FROST INTERVIEWS BANGABONDHU SHEIKH MUJIBUR RAHMAN, founder of Bangladesh
Transcript of the historic interview was telecast in ‘The David Frost Show’, WNEW-TV, New York , on January 18, 1972
Frost : Here in Chakrapadi, as you can probably see, life in the new-born State of Bangla Desh under their beloved leader Sheikh Mujibur is returing to normal- or at least as normal as it possibly can considering the events of the past few montha. Events like this: these were houses and then what happened here in Chakrapadi was terrifyingly simply (Pointing in different directions). West Paskistani army tanks at that end, West Pakistani army tanks at this end, first of all shelling into this densely resistance area. The results you see all around me. Then the resistance was softened up with light machine-guns. Then the troops moved in simply and terrifyingtly into each house chasing the surviving residesnt up towards the foofs when they were bayoneted and, in many cases, thrown back down in the strect again. It is estimated that 10,000 people died here in Chakra-padi alone; but now a new nation has been born and today Sheikh Mujibur, the beloved leader of that new nation, talks on Television for the first time. This is his story of the past few months of bloodshed hour of which Bangla Desh has been born. Joi Bangla !
On the night that you were arrested, on the night when in fact West Pakistan was about to invade where they'd been talking with you for sometime disguising their intentions and then they invaded, now at 8 O'clock you were at home on the night you were arrested and you got a warning, I belive by phone that the army was on the way. Why did you decide to stay and be arrested?
Sheikh Mujibur : You see, there is a most interesting story on this point, that evening, my house was surrounded by commandos and they wanted to kill me if I came out of the house, giving the names of my own people and saying that Mujib Rahman has been killled by the extremists of Bangla Desh. Then they decided to take action by telling the world that we are negotiation with Mujibur Rahman but the extremists killed Mujibur Rahman and that Yahya Khan has no alternative but to take action against that. That was their first idea. I know they are brutes, uncivilized. They will kill my whole people. They will make a massacre. I thought it is better I die and atr least save my people who love me so much.
Frost : You could have gone to Calcutta perhaps.
Sheikh Mujibur : I could have gone to any place if I was ready to go, but how I can leave my people? I am leader of the nation. I can fight and die, but I asked my people to resist.
Frost : You were right of course because this is what in the past nine months made you such a symbol for people to believe in. They think of you now as almost a God.
Sheikh Mujibur : I don't say that, but I say that they love me. I love them and I wanted to save their lives. But those brutes arrested me, destroyed my house. destroyed my village home where my old parents are living. My father was 90 years of age, my mother was 80 years of age. They were living in my village house, my ancestral house in the interior of the village. They sent the army, drove my father and mother from the house and burned the house in front of them. So they had no shelter. This way they have burned everything. I thought if they get me at least they will not kill my unfortunate people. But I know, my Party is sufficiently strong enough. I have organised a Party and the people who are behind it will fight it out. I told them, you must fight every inch. I have told them it might be my lest order until and unless you get emancipation. You continue fighting.
Frost : How did they actually arrest you? It was 1-30 in the morning wasn't it? What happened?
Sheikh Mujibur : They machine-gunned my house first.
Frost :Where were you when they arrived?
Sheikh Mujibur : I was sitting in my bedroom- this is my bedroom. They started machine-gunning from that side. Some machine-guns were this side and from that side they started firing on the windows.
Frost :This was all destroyed?
Sheikh Mujibur : All destroyed. I was with my family and a bullet entered my bedroom. My six-year old child was sleeping on the bed. My wife was here with two children.
Frost : Where did the Pakistani troops come in?
Sheikh Mujibur : All sides and they started shooting through the window. Then I told my wife to sit here with my two children. I went out leaving my wife.
Frost :What did she say?
Sheikh Mujibur : Not a word. I kissed her a farewell kiss, I opened the door and came out and I told them to stop shooting. I said, ''Stop shooting, I'm here. Why are you shooting, what for?'' Then they started rushing from all sides these military persons with bayonets to charge me. One officer was here. He caught hold of me like this. ''Don't kill him'' he said.
Frost : Just one officer stopped them?
Sheikh Mujibur : Yes, then they dragged me from here and started giving me blows from the back on my legs and with the back of their guns started pushing me here and there. The officer caught me but still they were pushing and dragged me down. ''Don't drag me'', I said. ''Wait. allow me to bring my pipe and tobacco or get it from my wife; I require my pipe''. Then I came up again and saw my wife standing with my two childrn. They brought the pipe for me and a small suitcase. I went away. I could see fire from all sides and a small suitcase. I went away. I could see fire from all sides burning everywhere. They took me from here.
Frost : As you left your home at 32, Dhanmandi, did you think you would ever see it again?
Sheikh Mujibur : I didn't, I thought this was the last, but if I die as a leader with my head up, at least they will not be ashamed; but if I surrender to them, my nation, the people of my country cannot show their to the world. It is better that I die keeping the presige of my people.
Frost :You once said, ''You cannot kill someone who is ready to die'', didn't you?
Sheikh Mujibur : I told them that a man who is ready to die, nobody can kill him. You can kill a man physically, but can you kill a man's soul? You can't It's my faith. I'm a Mussalman and a Mussalman dies only once, not twice, I'm a human being. I love humanity. I'm a leader of this nation, and my people love me and I love them. There is nothing I expect from them now. They have given everything for me because I was ready go give everything for them. I want to make them free. I have no objection to die. I want to see them happy. I become emotional when I feel the love and affection my people gave me.
Frost : Did the Pakistanis loot everything from your house?
Sheikh Mujibur : Yes, my whole house. even the beds, almirahs, clothes, everything. All has been taken by them. There is nothing you see.
Frost : That was not taken by the builders, but by the Pakistanis?
Sheikh Mujibur : Yes, the Pakistani troops. I don't mind about them having taken my almirahs, furniture, clothes, my children's clothes, but I only mind that they have taken my life's history. I had my diaries for 35 years of my political life. I had a wonderful library. They have taken every book of mine and some valuable documents. Everything has been taken by the Pakistan Army.
Frost :Again the question comes, once again. Why, why did they take everything?
Sheikh Mujibur : I don't know. They are not human beings, they are criminals, they are fanatics, inhuman, uncivilized creatures. Forget about this whole thing of mine. I don't mind it. Think about them killing a 2-year old child, a 5-year old child, womenfolk. They have killed all innocent people. People who had no hearths or homes. I have shown you how they brunt the poor quarters. These were absolutely hungry people who used to live in these small places. Their homes burning. People rushed from their homes, they couldn't live there. They were machine gunned from all sides and killed in thousands.
Frost : You mean they forced them out of their homes and when they came out in the open they were gunned down?
Sheikh Mujibur : Yes, gunned down.
Frost :They didn't know whom they were doing it do ?
Sheikh Mujibur : No.
Frost :They just did it to anybody ?
Sheikh Mujibur : Anybody. Their idea was that everyone was a Sheikh Mujib follower, so everyone dhould be killed.
Frost : When you see human beings do something like that, do you feel that human beings are basically good, or does that make you feel that the human nature is basically bad ?
Sheikh Mujibur : There is good and bad everywhere. I've seen many human beings with human qualities, but I think the soldiers of West Pakistan are not human beings, they are worse than animals. People may have animal qualities, but people cannot be worse than animals. But these people are worse than animals, because an animal would kill a man attacking it, but not torture it. But they killed my people torturing them for 5 days, 7 days, 15 days.
Frost : What about your trial ?
Sheikh Mujibur : They made it a court-martial with five military officers and all civil officers.
Frost : What did they charge you with ?
Sheikh Mujibur : Treason, war against the Pakistan Government, against the armed forces, wanting to make Bengal independent and what not. Twelve charges out of which for six charges the punishment is hanging.
Frost : And did you have defence ?
Sheikh Mujibur : The Government was giving defence first but when I saw the situation and the position I thought, ''No use defending me, because this is a mock trial. It is a farce"". Then I got up in the court and said, " Mr. Judge, kindly ask the defence lawyers to go away because you know it is a camera trial. I am a civilian. I'm not a military person and they are giving me court-martial. Mr. Yahya Khan is not only the President but also the Chief Martial Law Administrator. He is the confirming authority. He is the convening authority of this court''.
Frost : So at the end, you mean, he can decide anything ?
Sheikh Mujibur : He can decide anything.
Frost : Did you carry on going to the court or did you stop?
Sheikh Mujibur : I had to. I was a prisoner.
Frost : You didn't have much freedom of choice I suppose. Did they ever reach an official verdict?
Sheikh Mujibur : After the court finished the proceeding of December 4, immediately Mr. Yahya Khan called on all the judges, that means the Lt. Colonels and Brigadiers, to Rawalpindi to dictate the judgment. There they decided to hang me.
Frost : And, indeed, I believe that you discovered that in the next cell to you they were digging a grave.
Sheikh Mujibur : Yes, just near my cell they dug a grave. I saw that.
Frost : You knew they were doing that?
Sheikh Mujibur : Yes, I've seen it with my own eyes, and I said, "I know, this is my grave perhaps. All right, I'm ready''.
Frost : Did they say "Yes this is your grave''?
Sheikh Mujibur : No, they would not say that.
Frost : What did they say ?
Sheikh Mujibur : They said, ''No, no, no, no. We are making some arrangement that if we have some bombing then you can take shelter''.
Frost : And at that moment what were your thoughts ? Had you thought you were about to die all the nine months?
Sheikh Mujibur : I knew all the nine months that any day I can die. Because they are uncivilized.
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