In the beginning, the battles that took place were disorganised and unplanned. But slowly the freedom fighters grouped together and began to fight back. The position of Commander in chief of the Bangladesh armed forces was given to Colonel (Retired) M Ataul Ghani Osmani, Chief of Staff to Lt Colonel Abdur Rob and Deputy Chief of Staff to Group Captain AK Khandaker. Bangladesh was divided into eleven sectors.
Besides the eleven sectors, Major Ziaur Rahman, Major Khaled Mosharraf and Major KM Shafiullah were in charge of three brigades, named Z-force, K-force and S-force, after the first letter of their names respectively. Also, in Tangail, Abdul Kader Siddiqui led a regional team of extremely well-organised fighters, called the Kaderia Bahini, and put together a team of volunteers to help them. A courageous group of young guerrillas, called the Crack Platoon, captured international attention by carrying out an extremely dangerous guerrilla operation right under the Pakistani military’s noses in Dhaka city. There were also naval commandos, who carried out an incredible mission called Operation Jackpot on August 15 in which they blew up several ships with mines in Chittagong. Towards the end of the war, the Bangladesh air force joined the armed forces and carried out bombings in the war.
The Bangladesh Liberation War was truly a people’s war. Countless students, farmers, workers and people from all spheres of life took part in the war which lasted for nine months. The indigenous people from the plains and hills also joined. They had no uniforms or necessary weaponry – they didn’t even have any
time to train. In the words of Khaled Mosharraf, the battlefield was their training ground. They had unbelievable courage and deep compassion for their motherland. While Bangladesh’s regular armed forces fought the Pakistani military, the guerrilla teams attacked the Pakistani forces from the underground, restricting their movement to their own camps. There is no end to the stories of bravery of these freedom fighters.
One small story goes like this: A young freedom fighter was arrested by the Pakistani army in Rohanpur area of Rajshahi in June 1971. Despite terrible torture, he refused to disclose any information. A Pakistani
officer finally held a stengun to his chest and said, “Answer my question or I’ll kill you right now”. The fearless young freedom fighter bent down and kissed the ground of his motherland for the last time, stood up straight and said, “I’m ready to die. My blood will free this country”. This is true patriotism and bravery. The Pakistani army saw these young fighters and knew they would never be able to defeat them. Sooner or later, they would have to admit defeat and leave the country.
The Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro may not have fought with arms, but it was like a real soldier in the Liberation War all. With the help of our poets, writers, artists and cultural activist, the radio station continually encouraged the people and gave the freedom fighters courage. Songs from that time still inspire people today.
This history would be left incomplete if women’s role in the freedom of Bangladesh was not mentioned. Only because of their help could the freedom fighters move safely through the country. The women provided food and medical services to the freedom fighters, carried supplies and information, and some even fought in armed battles.
During our freedom movement, Bengalis who lived outside the country were of immense help. They raised money for the freedom fighters and the Bangladesh government, alerted the world about Pakistan’s genocide and formed public opinion in favour of Bangladesh’s freedom. It was not only the Bangladeshis who helped _ on August 1 in New York’s Madison Square Garden, musicians Ravi Shankar, George Harrison and many other famous singers of that time staged a huge concert to raise funds for Bangladesh, which captured the attention of the entire world. American poet Allen Ginsberg wrote a beautiful poem about the sufferings of the war refugees, ‘September on Jessore Road’, which still moves people to this day.

To be continued.

Source: ‘Children’s History of the Liberation War’ by Muhammed Zafar Iqbal
(Translated by Yeshim Iqbal).