Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War | |
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File:DEAD RECKONING.jpg | |
Author | Sarmila Bose |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | History |
Publisher | C. Hurst & Co. |
Publication date | April 1, 2011 |
Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
Pages | 288 |
ISBN | 1849040494, ISBN 978-1849040495 |
Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War is a controversial book on the Bangladesh Liberation War written by Sarmila Bose.[1] Bose claims that allegations of genocide and rape by the Pakistan Army were exaggerated by Bangladesh and India.[2][3][4] She presents interviews of some selected[5][6] witnesses in favor of her opinion. She also accuses Bangladeshi liberation accounts of ignoring atrocities against Urdu-speaking people in East Pakistan. Bose's book implies a claim to being the 'first' to dissect the death toll of 3 million in 1971, but it has been termed as 'hollow' and 'self-promotional' as researchers like Zunaid Kazi had already documented 12 different media estimates of death tolls.[1] Some of the books on Pakistan Army's atrocity during 1971, written by Pakistanis were termed as 'limited' by Bose.[7]
Controversies[]
Criticism[]
Bose's study has been criticized by various historians and academics for numerous inaccuracies and excessive reliance on Pakistani military and government sources. Researchers have accused her of flawed and biased methodology, historical revisionism[8] and downplaying[9] war crimes.[5][10][11][12] In several cases, she misquoted her interviewees and other academics that she cites as reference.[13] Bose has been criticized for her bias towards Pakistani Army in the language she deploys — Bangladeshi accounts are labelled “claims”, Pakistani officers’ accounts are straightforward accounts.[14] Bose's impartiality has also been questioned due to her role as an advocate of US arms sales to Pakistan.[15][16][17][18][6][19]
Criticized before publishing the book[]
Bose has been criticized long before publishing the book for her research methodologies. She accepts the statement of Pakistani Brigadier Taj that no women were tortured in Rajarbag to be true even though Taj was not present during the operation. But she invalidates the testimony of an eye witness of the incidents of rape done by Pakistani Army as the witness is illiterate. In another case, she asserted that since one rape victim feared for her life, she must have consented to having sex with Pakistani soldiers.[20]
Admiration for Pakistani Generals[]
Bose is enthusiastic in her admiration for the commanding general of the Pakistan forces during 1971 war in East Pakistan, Lt. Gen. Niazi, whom she describes as having a "distinguished past and a tragic fate." However, this conflicts even with Pakistani General's view about Niazi. According to Pakistani Brigadier F.B. Ali, "'Tiger' Niazi was a disgrace to the uniform. He was a fraud, a lecher and a coward. When he was General Officer Commanding (GOC) 10 Division, it was well known in the garrison (I was there) that his staff car would often be found standing in Heera Mandi (Lahore's red light district). As GOC EP he used to go around visiting troops and asking JCOs: how many Bengali women have you raped? When discussing his surrender with the Indian general, he tried to ingratiate himself by telling dirty jokes."[12] Late Pakistani Major-General (retd) Khadim Hussain Raja expressed same view as above about Niazi, in his book A Stranger in My Own Country: East Pakistan, 1969-1971, saying Niazi is supposed to have pronounced the words that even Genghis Khan would have hesitated to use: that he would let loose his soldiers on the women of East Pakistan till the lineage/ethnicity of the Bengali race was changed.[21] Historians raised question about whether Bose is fudging figures deliberately, pointing out that the records indicating 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to the Indian Army in December 1971, which is thrice the number Bose suggests based on Niazi's claim.[9]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lawson, Alastair (16 June 2011). "Controversial book accuses Bengalis of 1971 war crimes". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13417170. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ↑ Woodrow Wilson Center Woodrow Wilson Center Book Launch event
- ↑ Anatomy of Violence: Analysis of Civil War in East Pakistan in 1971 by Sarmila Bose in the Economic and Political Weekly, October 8, 2005
- ↑ Losing the Victims: Problems of Using Women as Weapons in Recounting the Bangladesh War by Sarmila Bose in the Economic and Political Weekly, September 22, 2007
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sahgal, Gita (18 December 2011). "Dead Reckoning: Disappearing stories and evidence". http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=214510. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Nasir, ABM (14 March 2011). "Return of Sarmila Bose". http://opinion.bdnews24.com/2011/03/14/return-of-sarmila-bose/. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ↑ Bose, Sarmila (2011). Dead Reckoning. Columbia University Press. p. 195.
- ↑ Ahsan, Syed Badrul (13 July 2011). "Sarmila Bose and bad arithmetic". http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=193941. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bhaumik, Subir (29 April 2011). "Book, film greeted with fury among Bengalis". http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/04/2011429174141565122.html. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ Naeem Mohaiemen, "Flying Blind: Waiting for a real Reckoning on 1971", Economic & Political Weekly, vol xlvi no 36, September 3, 2011
- ↑ Sarmila Bose, "‘Dead Reckoning’: A Response"; Naeem Mohaiemen, "Another Reckoning"; Economic & Political Weekly, vol xlvi no 53, December 31, 2011.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Zeitlin, Arnold (November 17, 2013). "Thoughts on Dead Reckoning". http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=214413%E0%A5%A4. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ↑ Mohaimen, Naeem (3 October 2011). "Flying Blind: Waiting for a Real Reckoning on 1971". http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=205005. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ↑ Butalia, Urvashi (13 August 2011). "She Does Not Know Best". http://www.tehelka.com/she-does-not-know-best/. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ Sobhan, Zafar. "Bose is more Pakistani than Jinnah the Quaid". http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/bose-is-more-pakistani-than-jinnah-the-quaid. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ↑ Mookherjee, Nayanika (7 Jun 2011). "This account of the Bangladesh war should not be seen as unbiased". http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/08/bangladesh-liberation-war-sarmila-bose. Retrieved 19 Dec 2013.
- ↑ Raghavan, Srinath (Jul 30, 2011). "A Dhaka Debacle". http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-dhaka-debacle/824484. Retrieved Dec 19, 2013.
- ↑ Zia, Afia (12 January 2012). "Reading and writing 1971". http://tribune.com.pk/story/319980/reading-and-writing-1971/. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ↑ Milam, William (April 11, 2005). "The right stuff: F-16s to Pakistan is wise decision". http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0411/p09s02-coop.html. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ↑ Rahman, Mashuqur (December 2007). "The continuing rape of our history". http://archive.thedailystar.net/forum/2007/december/rape.htm. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ Ahmed, Khaled (July 7, 2012). "‘Genetic engineering’ in East Pakistan". http://tribune.com.pk/story/405014/genetic-engineering-in-east-pakistan/. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
Further reading[]
- Dead Reckoning and its critics
- Naeem Mohaimen critiques Dead Reckoning in EPW
- Nayanika Mookherjee in The Guardian on Sarmila Bose and the Bangladesh War
The original article can be found at Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War and the edit history here.