Date: 5/5/2005
Bangladesh mourns General Aurora Haroon Habib DHAKA: : The passing away of Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, who led the India-Bangladesh joint command in 1971 leading to the surrender of the 93,000 strong Pakistan Army and the emergence of Bangladesh, was deeply mourned by Bangladesh war heroes, politicians, professionals and intellectuals. Lieutenant General Aurora visited Bangladesh only twice after the war, on invitation, but he was the most popular Indian General whose name was inseparably listed in the country's history. In a message to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, the former Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, Sheikh Hasina, conveyed her deep sympathy to the members of the bereaved family and said the people of Bangladesh would always remember Gen. Aurora's contribution in their Liberation War. Bangladesh Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan, in a message to his Indian counterpart, expressed his deep shock at the passing away of Lieutenant General Aurora. Great soldier Paying tributes to Lieutenant General Aurora, the then Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Liberation Forces, A.K. Khondoker, who represented the Mukti Bahini at the historic surrender ceremony in Dhaka on December 16, 1971, said: "He was a great friend of Bangladesh." "Since my acquaintance with him at the Mukti Bahini headquarters at Fort Williams, I met him several times and was present with General Osmany, Chief of Staff of Bangladesh Liberation Forces. I saw him always trying to help us in all possible ways," he said. "We learnt a lot from him," he said. "All those who knew him will miss the great soldier for long." Rafiqul Islam, who commanded war time Sector-1 and later became a Minister, said General Aurora was deeply moved by the sufferings of Bangladeshis.K.M. Shafiullah, then a sector commander of the nine month-long war and former Army Chief, said: "In fact, Lieutenant General Aurora was a father figure for us...We got all sorts of help from him during the war." A host of freedom fighters' organisations recalled General Aurora's contribution to Bangladesh's independence. MAY 5, 2005............000000000
[_private/ftarc.htm]