Notwithstanding the incontrovertible axiomatic exactitude that the intelligentsia — that include statesmen, writers, academics et al — are an indispensable segment of a polity who play their vital catalytic role in socio-political dynamics — but without exception fascist elements, as a matter of course, loathe and leave no stone unturned to annihilate them. Fortunately in our case, the liberal-progressive section overwhelmingly dominated in honing the people’s democratic and political consciousness, which process enhanced and energised the body politic’s aspiration to assert the right to self-determination.
Looking back, the oldest political party of this territory was the Muslim League which was born in Dhaka in 1905 and played its due role (as the Congress did in India) in the Great Divide or Partition which saw the creation of two countries — India and Pakistan in August 1947. After less than two years, in protest against the atrocious anti-Bengali policy of the central government of Pakistan, in 1949 on June 23 the Awami League came into being under the wise and very able guidance of its founding father Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, who led all progressive political activism from the Language Movement till the 1969 Movement in support of the students that hastened the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Agartala Conspiracy Case. The rest as they is history.
Back in the late sixties, economist Professor Dr. Abu Mahmud, who was known as a Marxist, was attacked by the pro-Pakistani NSF hoodlums on the Dhaka University campus. The latest victim of fascist attack is one of the top-ranking student leaders of 1969 movement that overthrew the throne of Pakistani military junta dictator Field Marshal Ayub Khan. A scholar and columnist, Professor Dr. Mahbubullah, founder of Development Economics Department of Dhaka University, was assaulted on the Supreme Court premises by unidentified assailants on 13 September last. The 68-year-old economist came under attack near the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium. Following the attack, Mahbubullah, who now teaches at a private university, went to a programme attended by Khaleda Zia at the nearby Institution of Engineers.
“As I came out of the auditorium, four to five men surrounded me. They punched me heavily, hit me on the upper part of eyes and knocked me down. They fled the scene once our people reached there. I am a teacher. To the best of my knowledge, I have no enemy.” From there, one of his relatives told The Daily Star over the phone that Mahbubullah was shifted to the Coronary Care Unit to determine whether he had suffered any heart attack following the attack. Before Mahbubullah’s speech at the pro-BNP Association of Engineers’ programme, Khaleda Zia said, “We want to see the government taking proper steps to arrest those who attacked Professor Mahbubullah. Otherwise, we will assume that the attack was carried out on instructions of Sheikh Hasina,” reported the Daily Star.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Moudud Ahmed claimed that Mahbubullah was the first to declare the independence of Bangladesh in 1969. Addressing the unveiling of his book, titled Bangladesh: Emergency and the Aftermath (2007-2008)’, Moudud said, “Mahbubullah first declared the independence of Bangladesh in 1969. The then military government grilled him for that. I was his lawyer at that time.” [Vide UNB Sep 13, 2014. http: //en.prothom-alo .com/bangladesh/news/53553 /Mahbubullah-first-declared-independence]. Mahbubullah who was present when Moudud made the remark at the programme said he demanded the independence and consequently he was arrested by the then military rulers in 1970.
A teacher by vocation, Mahbubullah is not in active politics. As is his wont, in his talk show comments he has always been affable and exceptionally gracious. While an activist of the EPSU, a progressive student front, he was targeted for attack in 1968 by the Fascist pro-Ayub-Monem National Students Federation’s (NSF) armed goons. During such a physical assault on him on the Dhaka University campus eminent academics like Prof. Dr. Abu Mahmud and Prof. Dr. Nazmul Karim rushed out of their classrooms to protect him from being physically injured.
However, such threats could not daunt his indomitable spirit. At a public meeting of the EPSU at Paltan Maidan on 22 February 1970 Mahbubullah declared the resolve to establish independent democratic republic of East Bengal and a leaflet elucidating the goal was distributed, for which offence the military rulers of Pakistan served arrest warrant against him along with Kazi Zafar Ahmed, Rashed Khan Menon and Mostafa Jamal Haidar. Mahbubullah was released only after the independence of the country.
A leftist scholar and progressive thinker, soft-spoken and genial Mahbubullah is known for his logical, constructive and cogently argued analyses of political economy and allied issues laced with empirical evidence and research. Such an ideologue, alas, had to be attacked.
This is by no means an isolated incident launched on a person who does not support the ruling Awami League; according to the human rights organisation Odhikar’s recent report, 764 people became victims of extrajudicial killings between 2009 and 2013. According to the report, 1,223 journalists were tortured, assaulted, threatened, prosecuted or fell victim of repression in the five years. [newagebd. net/3516/five-years-of-al-rule-764- extrajudicial-killing-111-disappearances-odhikar/]
If the fundamentals of humanism are to affirm life and to elicit the possibilities of life, then there is lamentable absence and denial in this act of heartlessness from which blame the power that be cannot escape.
Source: Weekly Holiday
