Why did Bangladesh Minister seek apology from Pakistan amidst launch of Rita Chowdhury’s book “Zero Hour”?

After the launch of the trending book “Zero Hour” by Assamese author Rita Chowdhury, talks of the 1971 Liberation War resurfaced on the internet once again.

On the day the book was launched in Dhaka, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud raised the issue of genocide committed by Pakistan military during the 1971 Liberation War and sought an apology from the country. 

Based on themes of war and humanitarian issues, the book is available in Assamese and Bengali languages. However, the author said that the book will be released in English very soon.

But what prompted the Bangladesh Foreign Minister to seek an official apology from Pakistan? 

When asked, the author told India Today NE that "the emotion must have stemmed from Mahmud’s own experiences or sufferings, however she wondered why the issue was raised after so many years." She added, “Perhaps, somewhere her book or the content in the book must have created the emotion." 

"May be, the book has some role to play", she further remarked. 

The book was received proudly by intellectuals of Bangladesh and will soon be released in English. Rita Chowdhury delves head-straight into the issues revolving around the 1971 war from an outsider’s perspective. 

Interestingly, the North East has a special role to play as well. The Eastern Command head office in Calcutta led the 1971 war, with military forces from Tripura and Assam police training centre.

The book is only the first part of Chowdhury's trilogy, "Neverland". The first book which serves as the introduction of the trilogy explores the issues which were involved with the Zero Hour and the war. 

The second part, Chowdhury said would serve as the most important section covering the duration of 9 months when the country went into war. The book focuses on refugee issues, international involvement and the role of India. 

The Assamese author also informed that some instances in the book stem for her personal experiences during the war.  

The third and final part would pave way for the trilogy’s end, underscoring the factors and post-war politics. The book is an amalgamation of anecdotes, photos as well as important information.