Showing posts with label War of Liberation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label War of Liberation. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Once Upon A Time Military Campaigns Of Isa Khan
The ruling of Karrani dynasty ended when Daud Khan was defeated in the Battle of Rajmahal in 1576. Isa started playing a leading role in the local resistance. In the end he successfully conquered Dhaka, Rangpur, Pabna, Tripura, parts of Mymensingh and Bogra. In 1577, Isa established Egarasindhur (in present-day Pakundia Upazila,Kishoreganj) as the political and trading center. forming a petty kingdom that remained independent. He declared himself as the ruler of the Bhati region in 1581-82. From Sarail, he shifted his administrative centre to Sonargaon. He built fortresses at Katrabo, Kalagachhia and Khizrpur near Sonargaon.
Battle against Khan Jahan
In 1578 Mughal Subahdar of Bengal, Subahdar Khan Jahan led an expedition towards the Bhati region and set camp in Bhawal. Ibrahim Naral, Karimdad and Shah Bardi submitted their allegiance to the Mughal force. Isa faced the Mughal force led by Shah Bardi and Muhammad Quli on the Sarail-Juan Shahi border in Kastul on the bank ofMeghna river. According to Rajmala, Isa then quickly retreated to Tripura and sought assistance from the Tripura king, Amar Manikya. With the good grace of the queen Amrabati, the king granted an army of 52,000 to help Isa face the Mughals.
But before Isa returned to Sarail, two zamindars - Majlis Pratap and Majlis Dilawar already attacked and defeated the Mughal forces under Khan Jahan. Muhammad Quli was captured but Shah Bardi fled to Bhawal camp. With the remaining army, Khan Jahan retreated to Srihatpur city of Tandah. Few months later, Khan Jahan died of health issues on 19 December 1578.
According to descriptions by Rajmala, Khan, who became the Zamindar of Sarail, sent one thousand laborers for Amar Manikya along with other Zamindars of Bengal in response to the request made by Manikya to excavate the Amar Sagar Dighi at around 1580 AD. Besides, as the naval commander of Manikya, Khan fought against the Zamindar Taraf Fateh Khan in 1581 .
Battle against Shahbaz Khan
In 1583 Mughal General Shahbaz Khan destroyed Isa's palace in Baktiarpur. In September 1584, the then-subahdar Shahbaz crossed Ganges near Khizirpur and attacked Sonargaon, Katrabo and Egarasindhur. and pursued the defeated Pathan forces under Masum Kabuli up to Bikrampur in Dhaka, the cunning Isa then deluded negotiation of surrender and delayed the attack of Mughal general in several months. But in 1584 Isa and Masum Khan Kabuli deploying a muskets and gunpowder artilleries launched counterattack which finally defeat Shahbaz Khan in the naval and land battles of Egarasindur and Bhawal, and even killing one of Mughal general, then Shahbaz Khan retreated to Tandah.
Battle against Laksmana Singh Hajra
In 1585, he attacked two Koch rulers, Ram Hazra and Lakshman Hazra, and occupied their Jangalbari Fort (in present-day Karimganj Upazila, Kishoreganj ).
Another source from local tradition was recorded that this happened in 1586 after Man Singh had defeated him in the battle of Egarasindhur. In the same year, Mughal Subahdar Shahbaz Khan again sent his forces against Isa to the south.
Second battle against Shahbaz Khan
With the help of reinforcements by Emperor Akbar, Shahbaz Khan led another military expedition towards Bhati in 1586. Isa attacked him at Bhawal (north of Dhaka) but forces of Shahbaz Khan were well fortified near Brahmaputra. Isa then choose to give allegiance towards Akbar and prevented an imminent invasion of Bengal by the Mughals.
He even promised the Mughals he would dispatch Ma'sum Khan Kabuli, the renegade to a compulsory Pilgrimage to Mecca, something that viewed as an act of banishment. and although in the end he didn't do it, he did manage to restrain the rebel.
In late 1586 Ralph Fitch, an English traveler and merchant, came to Sonargaon, Bengal’s eastern districts and stated,
Later on in 1588 he was involved in conflicts against Chand Rai and Kedar Rai
Battle against Raghudev
Isa continued his campaign against the Koch Kingdom. this time he fight and defeat Raghudev the king of Koch Hajo who ruled from Sankosh river in the west to the Bhareli riverin the east on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river and rival to Koch Bihar kingdom which gained prominence after the latter's annexation by Mughal empire. Isa successfully captured portions of Raghudev's territory as far as Rangamati and Goalpara. However, later Isa Khan and Raghudev formed an alliance against the threat of Mughal invasion
Battle against Durjan Singh
On 17 March 1594 Man Singh was appointed the Subahdar of Bengal by Emperor Akbar. After establishing Rajmahal as the capital of Bengal, Man Singh sent his own son, Durjan Singh, to Isa's Bhati region with a vast army on 7 December 1595. Isa was emboldened to resist the Mughals after he successfully sought alliance with Raghudev, his former enemy and Kedar Rai, Zamindar of Bhusna in Faridpur. In the clash that took in August 1597 and Isa engaged in a battle against Mughal naval forces with the assistance of Masum Khan Kabuli, an ex-Mughal defector. At first Isa faced defeat with the Mughals attacking Katrabo, one of Isa's pargana and city. However, on 5 September Durjan Singh was killed and Mughal was defeated. Both the army and navy of the Mughal-Koch Bihar alliance were either routed or captured.
It is recorded that in this clash Isa personally fought Man Sing in a duel. However the duel ended inconclusively when Isa Khan stopped fighting after Man Singh’s sword broke. The noble gesture touched Man Singh and both men was found respect for each other which developed into a friendship. Man Singh respect to his rival was even further that later when Isa sought to submit to the Mughal as the latter thought its wiser not to incite a full invasion, Man Singh accompany him to the Mughal court.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Sectors The War Of Liberation
War of Liberation, The began on 26 March 1971 and ended with the liberation of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971. The armed struggle was the culmination of a series of events, situations and issues contributing to the progressively deteriorating relations between East and West Pakistan. The questions of land reforms, state language, inter-wing economic and administrative disparities, provincial autonomy, the defense of East Pakistan and many other consequential questions had been straining the relations between the two wings of Pakistan ever since independence of the country from Britain in 1947.
The general elections of 1970 had made Bangabandhu sheikh mujibur rahman, chief of awami league which bagged 167 seats out of 169, the sole spokesman of the people of East Pakistan and majority leader in the Pakistan National Assembly. But the Pakistan civil and military ruling clique had refused to transfer power to the majority leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his party. Sheikh Mujib also refused to yield to the pressure put on him for undue accommodation. Sheikh Mujib's historic address on 7 March 1971 made this point quite clear to the Pakistani military junta. Then began the civil disobedience movement. Meanwhile talks started between Sheikh Mujib and President Yahya Khan to resolve the outstanding issues.
While holding talks, the Pakistani military junta was bringing more troops to Bangladesh, and at the same time wantonly killing innocent civilians all over the country. This clearly showed that they were totally insincere about handing over power to the elected representatives of East Pakistan. No sooner the talks failed, the genocide began with the Pakistan army's crackdown on the people of East Pakistan on the midnight of 25 March 1971. The Bangali soldiers serving in the then Pakistan Armed Forces and para militia forces declared instantly their solidarity with the people's liberation war.
The Pakistan Army was ordered to launch operation on Bangali people at midnight of 25 March. According to the plan for operation Search Light two headquarters were established. Major General Rao Farman Ali with 57 Brigade under Brigedier Arbab was responsible for operation in Dhaka city and its suburbs while Major General Khadim Raja was given the responsibility of the rest of the province. Lieutenant General Tikka Khan assumed the overall charge of the operation.
Sector 2 comprised of the districts of Dhaka, Comilla, and Faridpur, and part of Noakhali district. This sector was raised from the nucleus of 4 East Bengal and the EPR troops of Comilla and Noakhali. The sector was located at Melaghar about 20 miles south of Agartala. The sector commander was Major Khaled Mosharraf, later replaced by Major ATM Haider. About thirty five thousand guerilla fighters fought in this sector. Nearly six thousand of them were members of regular armed forces. The six sub-sectors of this sector (and their commanders) were: Gangasagar, Akhaura and Kasba (Mahbub, later replaced by Lieutenant Farooq, and Lieutenant Humayun Kabir); Mandabhav (Captain Gaffar); Shalda-nadi (Abdus Saleq Chowdhury); Matinagar (Lieutenant Didarul Alam); Nirbhoypur (Captain Akbar, later replaced by Lieutant Mahbub); and Rajnagar (Captain Jafar Imam, later replaced by Captain Shahid, and Lieutenant Imamuzzaman). Due to the operations of this sector the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in between Comilla and Feni was denied to the Pakistanis throughout the nine months of war of liberation. One of the most successful operations of this sector was the defence of the Belonia Bulge. The entries Belonia Bulge was kept liberated by the combined forces of 1 and 2 sectors till 21 June. In this sector, a number of regular companies operated deep inside Bangladesh. These were the Noakhali Company under subeder Lutfar Rahman operating around Begumganj, the Chandpur Company under subeder Zahirul Alam Khan operating in Chandpur Matlab area, a large force under Captain Abdul Halim Chowdhury operating in Manikganj-Munshiganj area in Dhaka and a force under Captain Shawkat at Faridpur. The urban guerrillas carried out a number of successful operations in Dhaka city itself.
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