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Tariq Rahman’s medical assistance to the injured in the mass movement

A fragment of Tariq Rahman's medical assistance to the injured in the mass movement of the students in the 2024 uprising. Photo: Collected A delegation...
HomeEditorThe contribution of German diaspora in the War of Independence is unknown

The contribution of German diaspora in the War of Independence is unknown

The contribution of the German Diaspora in the War of Independence is unknown If you are in a far away country, your heart yearns for your homeland. But it is not easy to carry out the work of regularly spreading the plight of the dear country to the outside world and garnering support from foreigners for 9 months. During the great independence war of Bangladesh, many words of help and cooperation of expatriate Bengalis and their well-wishers around the world are still unwritten. The hearts of the diaspora sat in distant Germany and wept for the freedom of the motherland – the sovereign and the great liberation war. Their contribution to the motherland will be remembered forever in their daily busyness in the diaspora. In 1971, the position of Bangladeshis was not so much in the East or West of Germany. However, during the War of Independence, the student Anil Dasgupta living in West Germany in the middle of April, Dr. SK Lahiri, Engineer Malik and others formed the Expatriate Aid Bangladesh Committee Europe and established contact with the expatriate government. At that time, documents and guidelines containing various information were regularly sent to Germany from the Bangladesh government in exile from the address ‘9 Circular Avenue, Kolkata-17’. It was distributed among the civil society in West Germany to inform the real situation of Bangladesh. Letters and information were sent to Anil Dasgupta on behalf of the government-in-exile at the Swanfurt city address. The subject of the letter is Dr. who lives near the city of Dusseldorf. SK Lahiri was asked to inform. In the letters signed by M. Hossain Ali on August 27, 1971 and Saidur Rahman on September 20 and November 6, 1971, Anil Dasgupta was written about various events related to the Liberation War. I am surprised to read the letters. At that time the Provisional Government had no tricks but their skill and ingenuity was really surprising. The typed letters elaborated on the rationale for Bangladesh’s independence and how to campaign abroad. Contact has also been made with other expatriate groups in support of independence in various parts of the world. In the letters, at that moment, how the invading Pakistani forces were oppressing and setting fire to various places in Bangladesh. It is written how the brave freedom fighters are fighting bravely in the occupied territories. In the letter, Bengali students and researchers, who are in exile, are prohibited from returning to Pakistan. In the letter, it is asked to contact the West German parliamentarians, newspaper editors, radio and television journalists for the purpose of obtaining support, cooperation and sympathy for the liberation war of Bangladesh. In addition to working in favor of Bangladesh in West Germany, the Aid Bangladesh Committee used to send various types of aid from Germany to the refugee camps of West Bengal in India during the liberation war. In August 1971, Anil Dasgupta wrote to Senator Edward Kennedy, the then influential American politician of the Democratic Party, about the need to protect the innocent Bengalis from the hands of the Pakistani invasion forces and help in the refugee camps. In response to this letter, on August 20, Senator Edward Kennedy said that he would submit his full report to the US Congress immediately. It may be noted that Senator Edward Kennedy visited West Bengal in India in 1971 to visit refugee camps.