Dhaka, Jan. 24 -- How does it feel to live under foreign, and of course brutal, occupation? We in Bangladesh know the answer to that question, for we experienced life under an army which subjected us to not only occupation but also accompanied it by a systematic genocide of our compatriots.

Occupation by alien forces is a dehumanising process. At the same time, occupation brings out some of the best in people, especially when they realise that every occupation is a moment when resistance must be shaped to challenge it. In Bangladesh, resistance came in the shape of the Mukti Bahini. We did not know how long we would need to wage war, but as a people denied their democratic rights we knew full well that as long as the country remained und...