Muhammad Musa

hat affected his beloved nation and became the reporter of Daily Azadi of Chittagong and the official university correspondent of Ittefaq then and now, the most highly-respected and largest circulating national daily newspaper in Bangladesh. It was on March 26, 1971, he answered the patriotic call of his occupied and suppressed nation, and the impassioned plea of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the father of the Bengalee nation. Musa joined and actively participated in the Liberation War in Sector 9 at the beginning. He made his name as a valiant Freedom Fighter in various war fields and earned the admiration of the Sector Commanders and fellow Freedom Fighters. Later, considering his journalistic background the Government of Bangladesh-in-exile appointed him War Correspondent of the Liberation Radio of Bangladesh, popularly known as 'Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra'. Musa was also attached with the then Acting President of exile Government, moved with the Allied Forces (Indian Arm Forces) and Muktibahini (freedom fighters) and reported on their activities to the vast listening audience, which radio enjoyed in those days. His dispatches from the war fronts were both morale-boosting and inspirational for the people, then under the occupation of the Pakistan forces, and were eagerly awaited by all. Broadcasts of his two weekly features "Ranangan Ghure Elam" (on return from the war field) and "Muktanchal Ghure Elam" (from the liberated areas) became compelling listening for both young and old, the main topic of tea-room social discussions across Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan) and a vital source of valuable information on the war for governments worldwide. As War Correspondent, Muhammad Musa risked his life countless times to bring the frontline news into the living rooms of homes across the nation. Before Sector commanders devised their war strategies, it was a regular occurrence for him to be asked to slip behind enemy lines and gather vital information about the enemy manoeuvrings and their defence positions. On 29 November 1971, he was captured at Chachra (Sector 8) by the Pakistan Army and was fortunate to escape death after four days of inhumane torture at the hands of the Pakistani interrogators. The scars he bears today are a constant reminder of his past. In 1971 his articles explaining and defending the cause of the Liberation War of Bangladesh were syndicated worldwide and published in many of the world's most respected journals. He has written a book on the history of the liberation war of Bangladesh in Bengalee titled "Muktijuddya Hridaye Mamo", published by Kashban Prakashani in 1994. Muhammad Musa, double M.A (Pol. Science,1st class), M.A in Bengali (1st class), author, broadcaster, raconteur, journalist, Freedom Fighter and patriot is more popularly known under his pen name, Musa Sadik. He lives in Dhaka, and is a former Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh and President of the Freedom Fighter Officers-Employees Welfare Association of the Republic. Men like Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Muhammad Musa and millions of Freedom Fighters of Bangladesh have helped and contributed freedom to their nation, but perhaps equally as important, they've given hope to all suppressed nations in the world.