Thanks, Mr. Lifschultz

The members of the new generation know very little about the visionary leader Col. Taher. Col. Taher cannot be compared with any other contemporary leaders in Bangladesh. He took part in our Liberation War and lost his leg in the war. However, this did not restrict him from working for the reconstruction of the war-crippled Bangladesh. Col. Taher was a visionary leader. It is really interesting to note that the devastating flood of 1974 disturbed Taher's mind and accordingly he gave a serious thought on the issue. To tackle this natural calamity he had come up with some research based solutions.

After the liberation, he realised that for the betterment of the nation, the colonial structure of the army must not be followed as Lifschultz stated, "In Taher's view if the Liberation War was to result in a fundamental change for those among the most impoverished strata in Bangladesh, then an army had to emerge that would identify with the interests of the poor. In his view, it could only do so by a new daily practice shaped around interactions with villagers and ordinary people. It would be an army much more than merely a force that carried arms. At this stage Taher called it a productive army". In fact, he had implemented his brain child "productive army" while he worked in Comilla brigade.

Bravery, patriotism, honesty, sincerity and above all love for the people of the country marked Col. Taher as a legendary figure. His political ideology was inclined towards Marxism. However, it does not matter, whatever ideology we follow, we must pay homage to Taher for his sacrifice for the nation.

Mr. Lifschultz has revealed the history of that dark span of time objectively. All the misdeeds done in the past by our so called "national heroes" should be unmasked before the new generation with a view to building up our future based on true history.