The article by Ali Osman Shefayet revisits the events of May 1981, when Bangladesh faced a sovereignty crisis over the newly emerged South Talpatti Island in the Bay of Bengal and simultaneously lost its president, Ziaur Rahman, in a military uprising. The piece recounts how Zia resisted India’s deployment of forces on the disputed island, sending Bangladeshi naval gunboats to confront Indian ships in what became the country’s first direct maritime standoff. Under Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan’s command, Bangladesh’s firm stance forced India to withdraw and declare the island a no man’s land.
The author links Zia’s uncompromising defense of maritime sovereignty with his broader regional vision, including efforts to form SAARC as a counterbalance to regional dominance. His assassination on May 30, 1981, is portrayed as a turning point that weakened Bangladesh’s claim over South Talpatti. Later governments failed to maintain his hardline diplomacy, and by 2014, the island was legally awarded to India. The article argues that both Zia’s death and the island’s loss remain intertwined symbols of Bangladesh’s struggle for sovereignty and leadership courage.
আলী ওসমান শেফায়েত প্রকাশ : ২৩ জানুয়ারি ২০২৬, ০৯: ০৭ আলী ওসমান শেফায়েত বাংলাদেশের রাজনৈতিক ইতিহাসের কালপঞ্জিতে ১৯৮১ সালের মে মাস শুধু ক্যালেন্ডারের একটি পাতা নয়, বরং এটি সার্বভৌমত্ব রক্ষা এবং জাতীয়তাবাদী একজন নেতার ট্র্যাজিক মৃত্যুকে স্মরণ করার মাস।
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