A remark by Imran Khan about Bangladesh cricket team has triggered much hue and cry on social networks. It reminds us of an incident of 1980. Pakistan cricket team visited Bangladesh on a short tour for playing two friendly cricket matches in Dhaka and Chittagong in 1980. It was Pakistan cricket team's first visit to Bangladesh after Bangladesh's independence. That Pakistan team's captain was Asif Iqbal. Imran Khan was in that squad too.
As the airplane carrying Pakistan cricket team landed at the Dhaka airport, a lot of young girls thronged that place to catch a glimpse of Imran Khan. It was a sensational thing for them to see Imran Khan who was at that time a heart throb for youngsters, particularly for girls. Imran Khan waved his hands at his female fans. Girls were thrilled to see Imran Khan and to hear his greetings. To look back on history, Pakistan army killed three million people of Bangladesh during the Liberation War of 1971 and raped a great deal of Bangladeshi women at that time.
Those gruesome memories still haunt the elderly citizens and historians of our country. Those girls who gathered at Dhaka airport during Pakistan team's tour in 1980 to see Imran Khan did not for a single moment recall the vices Pakistan army committed against the people of Bangladesh during 1971. However, some newspapers of Bangladesh got hold of this point and some spirited Bangladeshi youths vehemently condemned the Pakistanis. Some media agencies interviewed some of the Pakistani cricketers too.
Pakistani cricket players like their ancestors, undermined Bangladesh, Bangladesh's history and Bangladeshi people in their interviews. Perhaps they could not imagine what would happen consequently. On 2nd January 1980 some Bangladeshi youths entered the Pakistan dressing room. They gave a sound beating to the Pakistani cricketers for their audacious remarks about Bangladesh. Some players got seriously injured. That tour was abandoned immediately following this incident.
After that occurrence, Bangladesh had a very cold relationship with Pakistan for several years. Pakistan cricket board or players did not apologize for the offensive comments they had made about Bangladesh like the Pakistan government did not apologize for the atrocities and genocide their army committed during 1971.
Imran Khan, after long twenty one years, recalled those occurrences that happened in 1980. He said he was overwhelmed with the victory of Pakistan cricket team in the ongoing Champions Trophy. He said Pakistan army was wrong to carry out genocide during 1971. Pakistan troops should not have shot their own brothers, Imran Khan added. He also remarked that Pakistan should apologize to Bangladesh for what they did in 1971. But we must remember that Imran Khan had earlier defended Pakistan army for their action in Bangladesh during 1971. He had dismissed all reports about genocide as "false propaganda".
Why did Imran Khan deny the carnage of 1971? Imran Khan was in Dhaka during March 1971. He visited Dhaka during that time as a special guest. He left Dhaka on 25th March night for Pakistan. He left Dhaka with Yahya Khan who was the mastermind of genocide on Bangladeshi people during 1971. Imran Khan's uncle General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi stayed back in Dhaka under whose command the massacres all over Bangladesh including the murders of intellectuals were conducted.
Imran Khan is the nephew of General Amir Abdullah Khan who committed the most heinous war crimes by killing millions of civilians in Bangladesh during the Liberation War of 1971. For this reason, Imran Khan does not hesitate to condemn Bangladesh in his remarks. Imran Khan also opposed the war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh. He also criticized Bangladesh government for executing infamous war criminals who killed innocent Bangladeshis during 1971. He also sent a letter to Bangladesh government to excuse war criminals.
It shows Imran Khan harbors an intense anti-Bangladesh spirit. It must be remembered that the blood of General Niazi runs in the veins of Imran Khan. That's why he cannot forget Pakistan's disgraceful defeat to Bangladesh during 1971. So, it's quite natural that Imran Khan would make offensive comments about Bangladesh cricket. Imran Khan is also known as a promiscuous playboy having relationship with several women at different parts of his life.
The writer is a columnist for The Asian Age
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