Ghulam Azam’s son Abdullahil Amaan Azmi triggers a new controversy

Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, son of Jamaat-e-Islami ideologue and orchestrator of crimes against humanity during the Liberation War, has kicked up a social media storm by raising doubts about the number of Indian soldiers killed after having done so with regard of Bangladeshi martyrs.

Journalist Anjan Roy, the son of a freedom fighter, said in a Facebook post critical of a section of civil society on May 28 that 4,000 Indian soldiers had been killed in the Liberation War.  

Ghulam Azam’s son, a sacked army officer, branded Roy an “agent” in a post the following day in which again described as “imaginary” the figure of three million people having been slaughtered during the Liberation War.   

The Jamaat and those close to them had often challenged the number of martyrs. Of late, a section of the so-called civil society has faced contempt of court charges in the war crimes tribunal for their observations in the context of this controversy.     

Roy in his status wrote:  “About 4,000 soldiers of the Indian army had sacrificed their lives and over 10,000 of them were badly injured in our Liberation War. The members of our civil society say various things - they advise playing the anti-India card.

“They never for a moment suggest the erection of a memorial to those Indian soldiers who laid down their lives. One must not forget that there are not too many instances in history where a neighbouring country gave shelter to 10 million refugees and 4,000 of their soldiers sacrificed their lives.” 

He said playing the “anti-India card” by choosing to forget the history of the Liberation War amounted to “political dishonesty”.

The post Azmi shot back was titled ‘A strange agent’.

He said: “Barring one or two battles, the Pakistani army had not put up much resistance in the war that the Indian Army fought on the (Eastern) Front from Dec 3 to 15. So how did he get this data/idea of 4,000 casualties?

“I never came across this figure while going through the history of this war. Is Roybabu trying to feed the new generation with another imaginary figure like the ‘three million’?” 

There was a sharp reaction on Facebook to his post on May 29. Many castigated such comments by a war criminal’s son.

Online activist Mahmudul Haque Munshi wrote on Facebook, “It is our misfortune that the son of a Razakar should be teaching us the history of the Liberation War even 43 years after independence!”

He continued: “Ghulam Azam’s son Abdullahil Amaan Azmi has expressed doubts about the number of soldiers killed at the hands of the Pakistani army and the Razakar militia created by his father.”

In his return post, Roy, however, saw the abuse heaped on him by Ghulam Azam’s son in a different light. 

In his post on Saturday, he wrote: “My father (founder member of the CPB Comrade Prosad Roy) was arrested soon after the assassination of Bangabandhu. For several years, we had no inkling of his whereabouts or whether he was alive. Still, no one in the family ever cowered down. Individuals such as Victor Jara, Col Taher, Benjamin Moloise, Khaled Mosharraf gave me courage.

“What is the point in writing a post on me? I say what I believe.  I am also aware that it is only natural for me to meet with unnatural death. But I must add that I am no gentleman. I am a street fighter. I know how to fight tooth and nail.”

He wrote, in an obvious reference to Azam’s son: “I am proud to be a freedom fighter’s son, and because Ghulam Azam is the father of the man who has written the post about me, I am sure I am on the right track.”

Mahmudul Haque Munshi has given an explanation about the number of Indian soldiers killed.

He said, according to official records, about 4,000 soldiers of the Indian army had perished in those 13 days in December.

There are no records of the names and addresses of three million people slaughtered but the name and addresses of the Indian soldiers killed are certainly there with their government.

“The thing that cannot be openly said is that India had only officially fought alongside our Muktibahini for 13 days. But for nine months before that another 14,000 of Indian army, air force, and RAW personnel had died while secretly helping our fighters.

“The death of 4,000 has been acknowledged; the rest have gone unrecognised.” 

In his criticism of Azmi, retired major general Abdur Rashid has written: “Ignorance of history. Falsification in the name of military knowledge. Efforts to distort history out of a hesitation in acknowledging India’s contribution to the Liberation War to cover the shame of the Pakistani army’s defeat.”       

Kazi Ankan has said: “On the one hand, his dream of becoming the army chief has remained unfulfilled, and, on the other, his killer father is dead...blame it all on India. 

Munshi’s post says: “Does pointing out the absence of a memorial to them (the martyrs of the Indian army) make anyone an Indian lackey? That is why the son of a Razakar is angry at Anjan Roy, the son of a freedom fighter.

“They are angry because India had given shelter to 10 million refugees. They are angry because India had not, in line with the wishes of the Jamaat, killed the freedom fighters and ordinary people.”