Notes In memoriam: Raja Tridiv Roy

Abstract

The case of Raja Tridiv Roy who died on 17 September 2012 is a classic manifestation of the incurable habit of Pakistanis to ignore the achievements of their national heroes. Raja Tridiv Roy was one of that rare breed who loved Pakistan wholeheartedly and did his utmost to resist the machinations of its enemies to harm it. For a person of royal lineage and impressive background who gave up so much for so little, Raja Tridiv Roy appears in a class of his own. Urging the 13 tribes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts [CHT] to be loyal to Pakistan in the 1971 war, refusing to defect to the new government of pro-Indian puppets in Bangladesh – this in spite of the emotional blackmail of Sh. Mujibur Rahman who sent Raja Tridiv Roy’s aged mother to induce him to change sides, receiving a hero’s welcome by Z.A. Bhutto at Islamabad airport are some of the remarkable achievements of an extraordinary life. Apart from all this is his on-the-ground support to the Pak army in East Pakistan dramatically recorded in The Way it was by Brigadier Z.A. Khan. During the 1971 crisis, Raja Tridiv Roy became a one-man mission who tirelessly travelled to gather support for Pakistan in the countries of South East Asia.