Musleha Islam recalled marking 50yrs of raid on Crack Platoon hideout   

Family and friends Monday recalled the bravery and salient contribution of Musleha Islam to the War of Independence, marking 50 years of the raid by Pakistan Army on her Dhanmondi residence which was then turned into a hideout for Crack Platoon.   

At the remembrance meeting at the house, Musleha's youngest son Rizwan Faruk said his mother was calm throughout the raid, and she negotiated successfully with the Army to leave the house.

Crack Platoon fighters Shaidullah Khan Badal and Wasif Islam, who buried arms at the house during the Liberation War and used to use the residence as a base for guerrilla warfare, recalled the memories of 1971.

They said they along with three of their fellows brought arms, ammunition and grenades and buried those in the backyard of the house.

They said Musleha Islam's support to the war continued as she collected funds for medicine, blankets, and clothes and arranged critical supplies for fighters in Dhaka and across the border.

Her house was welcoming to all freedom fighters who often needed a place to rest and a home- cooked meal, said the speakers.

Widowed at the age of 30, Musleha Islam raised her four children as a single mother. Her eldest son Sayed Wasif Islam and daughter Shaheen Anam joined the independence war as her two other sons were too young to join the guerilla fight then.  

Shaheen Anam -- now executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation -- said her mother was a courageous woman who raised her four children alone but did not hesitate to allow them to join the liberation struggle.

Musleha Islam was born on 15 December 1929 in Kolkata. She was married to Farukul Islam in 1947 and moved to Dhaka in 1948. She passed away on 5 August 2021 at the age of 93.