Pakistan was brutally
disfigured on the fateful day of December 16, 1971. The tragedy has left behind
such deep scars on the psyche of the nation that its effects are felt even after
lapse of over 41 years. No one doubts that Pakistan was made the victim of
methodically planned international conspiracy. India and the Hindus residing in
former East Pakistan sowed the seeds of destruction and the self serving
Pakistani politicians nurtured the crop. The circumstances between 1948 and 1971
appearing on the political canvas of Pakistan placed a shallow political and
military leadership in the saddle during the 1971 crisis, which could not save
the sinking ship. While the sinking could be delayed, the final outcome was
inevitable. The country split into two under the weight of social injustice,
corruption and greed for power. Real issues were sidelined while non-issues like
power sharing, ethnic, sectarian and other matters of discord were encouraged.
The break-up of united Pakistan in 1971 was the first manifestation of the
state’s failure in national integration.
It was irony of fate that the very people who were in the vanguard of Pakistan
movement took up arms to destroy the very country which they themselves had
helped to create. The people of East Pakistan accepted India as a savior and a
mentor from whose shackles freedom was achieved in August 1947 after such a long
struggle. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were the two principle
characters who had played a definite role in adding fuel to the inferno of East
Pakistan and ultimate dismantling of the country into two. The Army was pushed
into the Bengal furnace to perform the final act of the gory drama. Under the
overwhelming odds, no Army in the world could have done any better.
Pakistan did not just fell in India’s way by accident. The Indians had schemed
and fervently worked for the attainment of their goal of breaking the myth of
two-nation theory since 1947. India’s involvement in the Agartala conspiracy has
now been proven without an iota of doubt. Kuldip Nayar in his book ‘Distant
Neighbors’ revealed that India had chalked out a ’15-day plan to annex East
Bengal’ soon after partition of India in 1947, and that the plan was implemented
in 1971.
The nefarious Agartala plan to dismember Pakistan was accidentally found out in
January 1968. The evil could have been nipped in the bud had the case been
allowed to reach its logical conclusion and the accused persons punished on
charges of treason. The politicians did no service to Pakistan by applying
massive pressure on Ayub Khan to let off the accused involved in a plan of
sedition and treachery. Later on Brig Jagdev Singh in his book ‘Dismemberment of
Pakistan, 1971 Indo-Pak War admitted that a conspiracy had been hatched in
Agartala on July 12, 1967 to liberate East Bengal with Indian Army’s clandestine
support and to establish Bangladesh.
Gen Yahya Khan could be blamed for his political naiveté and his unintended
blunders, which made the climate in erstwhile East Pakistan explosive. Lt Gen
Tikka Khan could be held accountable for using excessive force on March 25, 1971
that alienated the Bengalis. Likewise, Lt Gen AAK Niazi could be held
responsible for his moral failings and lack of strategic vision and for
capitulating under pressure. However, the three cannot be declared as
conspirators for having schemed to dismember Pakistan. Till 15th December, Gen
Niazi was in high spirit and never showed any sign of cowardice or lack of will
to fight. They all strove to keep Pakistan united. The same may not be true for
Mujibur Rahman and ZA Bhutto since both of them deliberately worked towards
break up of Pakistan into two parts and did not rest till it was finally broken.
Mujib’s crime in a sense is more in degree for having elicited India’s support
to win independence. In his interview to David Frost in 1972, he proudly claimed
that he had worked for the creation of Bangladesh from 1948 onwards.
A golden opportunity had been presented to Mujib to become PM of united
Pakistan. By not opting for confederation, East Pakistan could still have
enjoyed a much larger measure of autonomy it had ever tasted before. With such a
heavy mandate, he could have done whatever he pleased during his five-year
tenure. Who could have stopped him from amending the constitution further to
suit his agenda? Example of 1973 constitution is a case in point. He could have
redressed all the inequities and grievances of East Pakistan. Even he could
implement his evil designs against West Pakistan if he had any. He could have
moved the Naval HQ to Chittagong, transferred West Pakistan assets to East
Pakistan, cut the Army to size, granted maximum autonomy to other provinces, or
even drastically weakened the central government so as to make the unity of the
country merely nominal.
Having sufficiently enfeebled the federation, he could then declare secession.
One of the contingencies of Awami League’s battle plan clearly spelt out
secession after removal of disparities between the two wings, that is, milking
western wing to the maximum. But he blundered and took the joke of his six
points too far and stubbornly insisted on formulating the new constitution on
the basis of six-point formula and kept adding additional points to fail the
talks. According to some analysts, East Pakistan tragedy was in a way a blessing
in disguise to get a more homogenous and stronger Pakistan rather than
witnessing the breakup of Pakistan into five parts at a later date.
East Pakistan remained politically active, economically weak and emotionally
unstable throughout its 24 years of attachment with Pakistan. Politics of
agitation pursued by Bengali political leaders together with perverse influence
of India and affluent Hindu minority in East Pakistan and cultural affinity with
West Bengal had a lot to do in keeping the province in a state of turmoil.
Language issue was the first spark which vitiated east-west relations.
Thereafter the lava kept simmering and started to boil during the country wide
agitation against Field Marshal Ayub Khan in late 1968.
The situation apparently cooled down after the changeover of leadership in March
1969, but in actuality it was an illusory calm and the bubbling lava erupted
like a volcano on March 1, 1971 when Gen Yahya had to postpone the inaugural
session of Constituent Assembly scheduled on 3 March due to uncompromising
stance of the two political leaders. Militant Bengalis went on a rampage and
hacked to death over 100,000 non-Bengalis and pro-Pakistan Biharis. Indian
analyst Subramanian excitedly and arrogantly stated that it was the ‘opportunity
of the century’ to destroy India’s number one enemy. Spree of killings stopped
only when a military operation was launched on March 25 after Yahya-Mujib talks
failed. Despite the Indian supported insurgency, Pakistan would not have
dismembered if India had not intervened militarily in November. Had the local
population remained friendly, or even neutral, the enemy in spite of
overwhelming superiority could never have defeated Pak Army.
East Pakistan received its initial labor pains in March 1971. The pains subsided
considerably between May and September 1971 when Pakistan Army injected dozes of
pacification. During the nine months of pregnancy that convoluted in the womb of
East Pakistan, Pak Army tried its best to abort the illegitimate child of India.
But the paramour prevented it and continued to give artificial respiration in
its bid to prevent abortion of the child it had sought since 1947. Pak Army had
almost succeeded in its ‘Operation Abortion’, when India jumped in with its
surgical instruments in November 1971 to perform the caesarean operation upon
the willing body of East Pakistan. Soviet Union ensured that the operation
proceeded unhindered. After simulating three and a half weeks of intense labor
pain, India with the help of others midwived the birth of Bangladesh on December
16, 1971.
The Bengalis had protested that they were left out in 1965 war and not given a
chance to show their military muscles against the Indians. They had a golden
chance to fight the Indians and defeat them on their soil in 1971 and thus prove
to the world that they were no less a martial race. Alas! They frittered away
the only chance that came their way. Their sacrifices made in the liberation war
went in vain when India took all the credit and stood alone on the victory stand
to receive the trophy and accolades. Independence was thus won with a pinch of
salt. It didn’t take long for the Bengalis to realize that they had been
deceived. They took their revenge on August 15, 1975 by hacking to death
Bongabandhu Mujib and his entire family less Hasina Wajid who was fortunately
abroad.
Although Bangladesh is currently ruled by pro-India Sheikh Hasina Wajid led
regime and social studies school textbooks taught to students in Bangladesh
contain poisonous propaganda against Pakistan, well over 50% people of
Bangladesh nostalgically remember united Pakistan and over 70% hate India. A
glimpse of this is seen during cricket test matches, or when
delegations/individuals from both countries interact with each other, officially
or in private. The reason is that 90% people of former East Pakistan never
aspired for independence but wanted solution of their grievances while remaining
within the union of Pakistan. The ones wanting separation had got carried away
by Mujib’s promises that milk and honey would flow in all rivers of Bangladesh
once it attained independence. India maltreats Bangladesh the same way as it
used to mistreat united Pakistan. While the tide of Islam is rising phenomenally
in Bangladesh, so are anti-India feelings because of never-ending Indian
intrigues. An effort to revive the memories of 1971 through so-called trials by
Bangladesh courts at the behest of India is a crude way to mar
Pakistan-Bangladesh relations and to prevent anti-India political and religious
forces from gaining power.
Reflections on former East Pakistan
Asif Haroon Raja