Pakistan’s revisionist tactics

On 15 October, Congressman Steve Chabot and Indian-origin American Congressman Ro Khanna, placed a resolution for the first time in the United States House of Representatives urging the US President to recognise the atrocities committed against ethnic Bangalees and Hindus by the armed forces of Pakistan in 1971 as genocide and demanded Pakistan's apology to Bangladesh. 

On 23 November, in his farewell speech, at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa remarked, "former East Pakistan was a political failure and not a military one." These two news stories are in stark contrast with each other.

Incidentally, exactly one week after the outgoing General's address, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari remarked that the 1971 debacle was not a "political failure" but rather a "military failure." 

These types of verbal mud-slinging are nothing new in Pakistan's political aristocracy. Pakistan's side of the history of what happened in 1971 has always been riddled with inaccuracies. A constant state of denial is maintained through generations by educational institutions where the creation of Bangladesh is seen through the lens of  "conspiracy theory."   In a report by Dawn, the students of grades 9-10, are taught that an "international conspiracy" was behind the separation of East Pakistan. 

The dominant Pakistani narrative holds that India conspired to disband East Pakistan to safeguard the interest of the Hindu minority. Hence, the general public perception or opinion regarding the history of 1971 is either vague or misconstrued.

Political screw-ups from the Pakistani high-ups

Firstly, let's unpack former Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, who claimed that the 1971 war of liberation was a "political failure." 

In reply to this claim, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took a jibe at him and termed that war was lost due to "military failure," not a political one. The truth is politically Pakistani elites made just as inept decisions as they did militarily.  

The years of prolonged disparity and exploitation since the emergence of Pakistan had crystallised anti-Pakistani sentiment in Bangladesh. The simmering discontent was unleashed in the post-1970 developments when it was apparent that the West Pakistani political elite was reluctant to enter into a power-sharing agreement with Bangladesh. 

This political issue bolstered the war of independence, and the effort to salvage the rights of Bengalis had sustained political support for the liberation war of 1971.  The denial of the Pakistani elite in recognising Bangla as a language, and the ploy to arbitrarily impose Urdu as the language of the country, had also riled the Bangladeshi people and discontent simmered against the West Pakistani elite. 

The language issue had ruptured the supposed solidarity between the two wings of Pakistan, and the injustices were etched permanently in the psyche of Bengalis. 

Botched military operations

The birth of Bangladesh came at the cost of the genocide of three million people. Tens of thousands of women were raped and thousands of intellectuals were brutally murdered by the occupying Pakistani military to frustrate the war of independence. 

Pakistan had been under military rule since 1958, with General Ayub Khan seizing power and abrogating the 1956 constitution. The 1970 election was also held under the military regime, which willfully denied the handover of political power to the elected majoritarian party Awami League.

According to Major General Khadim Hussain Raja's book "A Stranger In My Own Country," the military hawks in Rawalpindi were the mastermind of the crackdown and 'Operation Searchlight'. The book describes that during January and early February of 1971, military dictator General Yahya visualised the possibility of a military crackdown accompanied by the suspension of all political activity.  

The military dictator was angry with General Yakub, commander of the Eastern Command in Dhaka. General Yakub was against a military solution to political gridlock, and therefore was replaced by Lieutenant General Tikka Khan, known as the "Butcher of Balochistan." The message of the replacement was loud and clear. 

In the midst of the dialogue, the infamous 'Operation Searchlight' was launched. Several historians explain that military hawks kept in mind the dreadful operation and the parley was a ploy. The plan for 'Operation Searchlight' was quickly adopted by Yahya Khan while he was still in Dhaka.

The Pakistani Army targeted intellectuals, university students, professors and those in the Hindu community during the carnage. The military establishment in Pakistan was quite confident that they could suppress the Bengali nationalist movement in a barbaric way. 

Their calculations were soon overwhelmed as the Bengali freedom fighters quite aptly employed guerilla warfare and fought bravely in combat. India played a significant role in terms of providing refuge to 10 million refugees and providing training, arms and materials to freedom fighters. 

However, contrary to many "conspiracy theories" about India's sinister role in dismantling Pakistan, India, like other major powers of that time, advocated for a diplomatic and political solution. India only started to provide training to Mukti Bahini in June-July. As the influx of millions of refugees was pouring in, it only meant that the situation in East Pakistan had gone out of hand. 

In August, President Yahya Khan threatened India with an incoming war at various international press outlets. Furthermore, in November, the Pakistani air fleet intruded into Indian air space and finally, Pakistan launched an air attack on India, compelling India to officially accede to Bangladesh's request for military intervention. 

Ill-judged diplomatic manoeuvres

Amidst military and political rhetoric, one important factor that remains undervalued is the diplomatic manoeuvres of the two parties. 

West Pakistan, on paper, had the most edge as most of the major powers were on their flank. Pakistan was an important channel for the US–China détente. It was of conspicuous interest to China for its geographic position. Zulfikar Bhutto was sure of China's support if the war erupted in the region. He, however, was disillusioned when he visited China in November and the Chinese Premiere did not come to receive him. 

The US administration supported West Pakistan for its vital geopolitical interest. However, the response from the Americans had grown to be overwhelming on the side of Bangladesh. "Concert for Bangladesh", held in Madison Square Garden, was a testament to the unflinching support of the cause of Bangladesh by the American people. 

While the country was battling a gruesome war, on the transnational front, Bengali diplomats were defecting and pledging allegiance to Bangladesh. They were successful in exposing the misery that the Pakistani military had inflicted upon the Bengali people and garnering massive support for the cause of Bangladesh. The diplomats took a huge risk and put their careers at stake for their motherland, the very ideals that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman propounded.

It is expected from General Bajwa to hail the military toil and as well as the FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to sing the praise of his grandfather, a towering figure in the political history of Pakistan. However, it is ironic that both the military and political powers were the orchestrators of the dismemberment of Pakistan through the launch of "Operation Searchlight."

Syeda Noshin Sharmily is a foreign affairs analyst. She is studying for her bachelor's in the Department of International Relations at the University of Dhaka.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.