Rohingya influx akin to ’71: Bangla mantri

KOLKATA: Senior Bangladeshi politician Mosharraf Hossain on Friday likened the influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh with the refugee problem faced by India in 1971 after the Pakistan army began persecuting people in erstwhile East Pakistan.
Hossain, minister for housing and public works, is in Kolkata to participate in Vijay Diwas celebrations to mark the 46th anniversary of the 1971 Indo-Pak War that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
“It is similar to what had happened in India in 1971 when nearly 10 million people from East Pakistan fled across the border to escape persecution at the hands of the Pakistan army. India had shown compassion then. Not only were they allowed to stay, they were fed and well looked after. We are doing the same now. We just can’t send the Rohingyas back to Myanmar to be slaughtered,” Hossain said.
An estimated 6,20,000 Rohingyas from Rakhine in Myanmar crossed over into Bangladesh after persecution by Myanmarese forces. “I also think that India should play a diplomatic role to resolve the crisis and return the Rohingyas to Myanmar,” he added.
Lt Gen Abhay Krishna, GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, said he wants youngsters from Bangladesh to participate in Vijay Diwas celebrations in India from next year. “While those who participated in the War feel about the occasion and cling to the bonds that were created, the youngsters may not be fully aware,” he said.
Lt Gen Krishna and Hossain also signed a joint statement during the day, reaffirming the two country’s support for each other. According to the statement, “both nations are eternally indebted to the valour and courage of the Indian Armed Forces and the Mukti Bahini, who jointly fought and overcame the tyranny and terror unleashed by Pakistani forces and gave birth to the great nation of Bangladesh. ”
“Youngsters from Bangladesh need to visit India during Vijay Diwas and realise how well they are received here and the traditional manner of greeting guests. They should also see how we spend so much time and effort to keep the emotions and memories of those days alive,” the Army commander said.
While Hossain said a memorial to honour Indian martyrs will be ready in Sylhet later this year, Eastern Command chief of staff Lt Gen Sunil Srivastava said a joint production of a biopic on Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman has been planned and should be ready by 2020, a year before both countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of the War.