Hearing his name would have created panic in the Pakistani cantonment

Pakistanis used to call him Papa Tiger! Hearing his name would have created panic in the Pakistani cantonment.

Pakistanis used to call him Papa Tiger! Hearing his name would have created panic in the Pakistani cantonment.

 In his career he was an officer in the army of 3 countries. In 1942, he was the youngest major in the history of the then British Empire. At just 23 years old, he became the captain of a battalion. He was the chief commander in the war of liberation on the path of independence of a country, one of the great heroes of the battlefield to bring independence to a country. Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmani is unselfish and always outspoken.

 MAG Osmani was born in Sunamganj due to his father's job. Osmani spent his childhood and adolescence in different places due to his father's job. At one time they left Sunamganj for Gohati It was there that Osmani got his hands on formal education. In 1934, he became the first in the whole of India to pass the matriculation examination from Sylhet Government High School. Osmani was awarded the Pretoria Prize by the British government for this great achievement.

 He then graduated from Aligarh University in 1936. He then joined the then army. He joined the Royal Armed Forces in 1939 as a cadet and after training at the British-Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, he joined the British Army in 1940 as a commissioned officer. Osmani was promoted to the rank of Major in 1942. In 1942, Osmani was the youngest promoted major in the British Empire. After partition, Osmani joined the Pakistan Army on 7 October 1947. At that time his rank was Lieutenant Colonel.

 

The Chittagong Cantonment was established in 1951 when he was the commander of the 1st Battalion of the East Bengal Regiment. He retired from the army in 1986. He was later elected to the Awami League in 1970.

Osmani was in Dhaka on March 25 of the war of liberation. The Pakistani government was aware of Osmani's military prowess and foresight, who retired from the Pakistan Army four years ago. So that night a commando of the Pak army was killed in an attempt to kill Osmani. But Osmani miraculously survived.

When the war of liberation started, Osmani crossed the border and entered India. The Prime Minister of the Mujibnagar government, Tajuddin Ahmed, in a speech at the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, said that the infrastructure of the Bangladesh Army was under construction. A. G. Osmani has been added as the Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Army. It may be mentioned that the Declaration of Independence was issued on 10 April and the government was formed and later on 16 April the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was sworn in at Mujibnagar. The Mujibnagar government was formed on 17 April 1971 and Osmani was made the Commander-in-Chief of the Mukti Bahini.

Under the direction of MAG Osmani, the whole of Bangladesh was divided into 11 sectors. One army officer was appointed as the sector commander of each sector. Osmani successfully coordinated various sectors and forces, liaised with the political leadership, ensured the supply of weapons, and provided training to the guerrilla forces. From April 12 to M. A. G. Osmani assumed the responsibility of conducting the war as the Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Army with the rank of Minister.

As a tactical strategy, Osmani first divided the whole of Bangladesh into 11 sectors considering its geographical location and wisely controlled the sectors. The Pakistani army was efficient and outnumbered With this in mind, Osmani's strategy was first to keep the enemy in his camp and isolate them from all means of communication. That's why M. A. G. Osmani conducted the war in a regular manner till May After May, he felt that it would not be possible to destroy the enemy even if the enemy was kept in the camp with far fewer troops than necessary.

He informed the government about this and brought strategic change in the war The former EPR Bengali member, Ansar, Mojahed, formed a mass or guerrilla force with the police force and the youth in the liberation struggle. G. Osmani did not have a navy. However, some regular naval officers. A. G. He kept in touch with Osmani all the time In addition, a number of Pakistani submarine crews in French waters were in regular contact with the Liberation Army.

 A few days later. A. G. Osmani formed a naval commando force with them and a number of guerrilla youths. In mid-August, they almost blocked the enemy's movement on the river. The formation of the navy ended a major crisis, but before the country became independent, another crisis m. A. G. Osmani felt. That is, he did not have an air force. Towards the end, he formed a small air force with two helicopters, an Attar and a Dakota for his own use.

At one point, some military officers raised the question, how possible is it for Osmani to fight alone in Mujibnagar? Sector commanders claim unrestricted power to issue instructions to their respective sectors. Osmani, who was mentally injured in the incident, announced his resignation on July 10 in the presence of Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed. He was later told the whole incident was a misunderstanding. At the request of the Sector Commander and the Prime Minister, he remained in office.

Pakistani invaders 17 December He surrendered to the joint command of the Liberation Army and the Indian Army in 1971. Bangladesh became independent. General Osmani, the Commander-in-Chief of the Mukti Bahini, was absent from the surrender ceremony. The reason for Osmani's non-attendance at the surrender ceremony was Army Protocol. Lt. Commander of the Indian Army's Eastern Front Lt. General Jagjit Singh Aurora. On the other hand, Lieutenant General AK Niazi, Chief of Army Staff of Eastern Pakistan was present on behalf of Pakistan. Both of them were regional chiefs. On the other hand, Osmani was the chief of the Bangladesh Army. Evidence will also be found as to why Ataul Gani Osmani was not present at the moment of surrender.

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MR Akhtar Mukul wrote in his book 'I have seen victory',

At around 12 noon on December 16, 1971, news reached Prime Minister Taj Uddin Ahmed at the Provisional Secretariat of the Mujibnagar Government on Theater Road in Calcutta that the invading forces had agreed to surrender in Dhaka. He will formally surrender in Dhaka this afternoon. A high-ranking official from the Mujibnagar government is required to be present at the event. Prime Minister Tajuddin looked a little worried then. Prime Minister General Osmani) shouted with joy at the sight, Mr. C-in-C may have heard the latest news in Dhaka? The process of surrender is still going on. The Prime Minister could not finish the rest. Osmani took him to another corner of the corridor. We didn't hear the conversation between the two for a few minutes. We heard Mr. Osmani's last words - 'No no prime minister, my life is very precious, I can't go'.

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M.N.A. Mohaimen wrote in his book 'Dhaka-Agartala-Mujibnagar',

From my well-wishers in the army, I have learned that there is a complete chaos in Dhaka at the moment. It is not at all safe for me to be present at any rally in Dhaka at this time. In the crowd, Mujib's men can shoot and kill me at any moment, but they can put the blame on Al-Badr, Al-Shams and the people will believe it. So my well-wishers say that they will let me know when the situation in Dhaka is under control and I hope I can go in a day or two. 'Asked if Mr. Osmani was going, he said,' He is not going either. '

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On the other hand, Osmani's P.R.O. Nazrul Islam said,

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At a time when rumors were circulating about who would be present on behalf of the Mujibnagar government at the handover ceremony in Dhaka, General Osmani was absent in Calcutta. No one knows exactly where he went or where he was. I don't even know. No military official in his office has commented on the matter.

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Two days after the surrender ceremony, General Osmani returned to the Mujibnagar headquarters. When asked why he was absent from the surrender ceremony, he said, "Look, we are going to achieve independence. But the sad thing is that as an independent nation, we have not yet developed a sense of self-worth. There was no question of me attending the surrender ceremony in Dhaka. Because, although this armed war was under the joint command of India and Bangladesh, the entire command of the operating party of the war was Lt. Gen. Shyam Manekshaw, the Chief of the Indian Army.

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Lt. Gen. Aurora will represent Gen. Maneksh at the surrender ceremony. If Maneksh had gone to the surrender ceremony, the question of my departure would have arisen. My position on the basis of sovereign power is equal to that of General Manekshaw. I cannot accompany General Aurora, the chief of the regional forces under Manekshaw. It's not about the mind. It is a matter of protocol. I'm sorry, I've been underestimated. We have a great lack of self-esteem.

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Osmani considered British democracy as a model. He was not even close to political deceit and hypocrisy. Osmani was a lifelong smoker and smoker. In his last life he used to sleep with a sheet on the floor. He has given away all his property and ancestral property through trust before his death, so that it can be used for the benefit of the people.

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Today is the birthday of General Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmani, the Commander-in-Chief of the Liberation Army during the War of Liberation. I remember this legendary Maharathi with humble respect.