CU pro-VC calls claim that Pakistani forces killed intellectuals baseless

Professor Mohammad Shamim Uddin Khan, pro-vice-chancellor (academic) of Chittagong University, has described the killing of intellectuals by the Pakistani forces as “illogical”.

Speaking at a discussion organised on the occasion of Martyred Intellectuals Day on Sunday, he said, “At a time when I, meaning the Pakistani forces, was trying to flee the country, when it was not even decided whether I would survive or die, the idea that Pakistani soldiers would kill the intellectuals of Bangladesh seems completely illogical to me.”

Professor Mohammad Shamim Uddin Khan made this remark as a special guest at a discussion titled “Free Thought, Liberation War and the Killing of Intellectuals in 1971” held at the vice-chancellor’s office of the university at 1:00 pm.

Mohammad Shamim Uddin Khan said, “Intellectuals were killed as part of a conspiracy to turn this country into a vassal state of another country through an international plot. We have still not been able to trace Zahir Raihan. Had Zahir Raihan been found, we would have known the true history.”

The vice-chancellor (academic) also expressed doubts about the number of martyrs in the liberation war. He said, “Last night I saw on a TV talk show that our freedom fighter Akhtaruzzaman (Major (Retd) Akhtaruzzaman, a former MP who later joined Jamaat-e-Islami politics) was speaking. When he was asked, ‘You used to say that millions were martyred in 1971. Now you have joined politics—why?’ he replied, ‘These are rhetoric statements. They are not true.’”

The vice-chancellor (academic) also expressed doubts about the number of martyrs in the liberation war. He said, “Last night I saw on a TV talk show that our freedom fighter Akhtaruzzaman (a former MP who later joined Jamaat-e-Islami) was speaking. When he was asked, ‘You used to say that millions were martyred in 1971. Now you have joined politics—why?’ he replied, ‘These are rhetoric statements. They are not true.’”

Shamim Uddin Khan said, “We do not want to hear rhetorical statements before the nation. We want reality. We want to know what truly happened in Bangladesh in 1971, who were martyred in those events, and who committed the killings. That information is still unknown to us.”

To find out what happened on 14 December 1971, Shamim Uddin Khan urged chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus to form an independent and impartial commission.

He said, “To this day, no list of martyrs has been prepared. To this day, no list of collaborators has been made. We have misled the nation repeatedly with statements and divided it. I would request that everyone free the nation from this misinformation and provide it with a correct direction.”

Shamim Uddin Khan urged chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus to form an independent and impartial commission to find out what happened on 14 December 1971.

He said, “To this day, no list of martyrs has been prepared. To this day, no list of razakars (local collaborators of Pakistan army) has been made. We have repeatedly misled the nation through statements and divided it. I would request that everyone free the nation from this misinformation and provide it with a correct direction.”

Professor Shamim Uddin Khan said, “In Bangladesh, for all the killings that have taken place so far, initially we all know that the blame is placed on a particular group or an individual. Later, 15 or 20 years down the line, it turns out the real culprit is someone else. Why is this happening? One narrative after another is being created. There is an international conspiracy underway to destabilise a nation.”

Mohammad Shamim Uddin Khan is a professor in the Finance Department of the university. On 23 September last year, he assumed the post of pro-vice-chancellor of the university. Earlier, he served as the convener of the political organisation of BNP- and Jamaat-aligned teachers at the university, called the ‘Sada Dal’.

However, BNP-aligned teachers have a separate organisation named the ‘Nationalist Teachers Forum’. Leaders and members of that forum claim that the Sada Party is solely an organisation of Jamaat-aligned teachers.

The meeting was moderated by the university’s proctor, professor Hossain Shahid Sarwardi. Chaired by the pro-vice-chancellor (administration), professor Md Kamal Uddin, the chief guest was the vice-chancellor, Professor Muhammad Yahya Akhtar.

Also present were the university’s acting registrar, professor Mohammad Saiful Islam; student adviser, professor Md Anwar Hossain; provost of Atish Dipankar Shreejnan Hall and associate professor of the political science department, AGM Niyaz Uddin; syndicate member and retired professor Abul Kalam Azad; vice president of CUCSU, Md Ibrahim; general secretary Saeed Bin Habib; joint general secretary Ayubur Rahman, among others.

Regarding the pro-vice-chancellor’s statements, the university’s vice-chancellor, Muhammad Yahya Akhtar, told Prothom Alo that, due to an online meeting, he had to leave the session several times. As a result, he did not hear the pro-vice-chancellor’s statements and could not pay full attention. Therefore, he does not wish to comment on the matter.

Professor Al Amin told Prothom Alo that on 14 December 1971, the Pakistani occupation forces along with the Razakars, Al-Badr and Al-Shams systematically killed a large number of the nation’s best minds—the intellectuals. Towards the end of the Liberation War, when the occupying Pakistani forces realised their defeat was inevitable, they carried out these killings with the intention of leaving independent Bangladesh deprived of talent.

At the session, the keynote paper was presented by Professor Mohammad Zahidur Rahman of the History Department and director of the university museum. He declined to comment on the statements made by the pro-vice-chancellor.