It was in the evening in May 1954 when Iwas summoned ot Monak House in Dacca. I was Deputy Secretary Home(political) Department.The provincial Assembly and the Chief Minister, Fazlul Haq, had just been dismissed and the central government had appointed Gen.Iskandar Mirza as the Governor of East Pakistan.The news of Mirzas appointment hit the province like a tidal wave which swept all the political activists and agitators underground.Mirza was known as a latter date Genghiz Khan whom the British had transferred from the army to to the indian political service.The story was well known when, as political agent in the North West Frontier Province, Mirza invited a group of stuuborn tribal leaders to dinner and mixed a strong dose of Jamal Gota( a vicious indigenous lax ative in their food.)That was how Mirza managed to liquidate his opponents at least for a few days. I was conducted to the lounge net to the Governor bedroom where the new Chief Secretary N M Khan, and the DIG police, Anwarul Haq , were waiting, it seemed, for some impending doom. I took my seat and watched the weight-driven clock on the wall clicking away without remorse.suddenly two hands drew the heavy gray curtain and Mirza appeared in red silk dressing gown I want all these Gondas (rascals) to be rounded up at once. At least 1500 by tomorrow morning. and with this the red gown dippeared behind the curtain.Anwarul Haq immediately started dividing the figure 1500 by 17, the number of the district in the province, and didnt know what to do with the balance of four. N m Khan had a brain wave,let us get the etra four from Mymensingh which, after all, is the largest district . By next morning the police had rounded up every one they could get their hands on_ reckshaw pullers along with their passengers, hapless vendors, and poor pedestrians. In less than three months Mirza, having subdued East Bengal, returned to Karachi where it did not take long to persuade the ruling cabal to get rid of the ailing and disabled Ghulam Mohammd and invite him to assume the office of Governor General.(Altaf Gohar in his Ayub Khan)
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 17:38:16 +0000
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