Had it not been for his becoming a witness in the trials of the war criminals we might not ever have come to know of Miron Sheik. For his part in the Liberation War — providing intelligence to his compatriots, he was shot, mercilessly tortured and left for dead by the Razakars. Regrettably, in the country he helped to liberate from the clutches of the most rapacious occupation forces, he has been living all these years in the most pitiable condition, barely eking out his existence.
And the society was oblivious to his plight all these years when he was going from door to door seeking alms to provide for his family, living hand to mouth and only coming to notice, ironically, during his recent testimony in a trial for war criminals to the International Crimes Tribunal. His travails show us once again the failure on part of the nation to realise the dream for which he and other freedom fighters had fought and given their lives, and our failure to turn that dream into reality.
How can we as a nation fulfil the lofty goals of our War of Liberation if we cannot even take care of our freedom fighters? In fact, such treatment of people who have given us a country to call our own where we can live a life of our choosing should bring us shame. It was time the authorities gave this freedom fighter, and others like him, their due benefits and for society to grant them their deserved recognition.
Source: The Daily Star
