With the surrender of the Pakistani armed forces in Dhaka in 1971, the Bengali population residing in Pakistan (former West Pakistan) practically became hostages overnight in a country which had once belonged to them. They were allowed neither to move freely within Pakistan nor to leave the country. Their only option was, therefore, to flee from there deceiving the police and the border security guards. A Passage to Freedom is an enchanting description of an arduous journey of a Bengali family who escaped from Pakistani captivity and returned to Dhaka through Afghanistan and India. It narrates many exciting and often scary incidents encountered by the family during their long journey through the planes of Sind and the mountains of Baluchistan. The narration also includes an account of the war of independence in Bangladesh and descriptions of several historical events, both past and recent, that will enthrall the readers, the younger generations in particular.
ড. আবদুল মতিন
Dr. Abdul Matin is a former Chief Engineer of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and a former Associate Professor of King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He graduated in electrical engineering in 1961 and specialized in nuclear engineering and power system planning. He was the first Project Director of Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) at Savar, near Dhaka. He published a large number of technical publications. He regularly writes op-ed columns in national newspapers. Two books by the author, Rooppur & the Power Crisis and Tribute to Bangabandhu and Other Essays, are in the process of publication.