The Pakistan Defeat - The Surrender in the East
By Madan G Singh
In 1971 military dictator General Yahiya Khan was the President of Pakistan. He had taken over from Ayub Khan who had to step down. But Yahiya Khan was beset with difficulties. East Pakistan the eastern part of Pakistan had elected Sheikh Mujibar Rehman and his Awami party to 99% of the seats with the result that the Awami league became the single largest party in Pakistan and was to be called to form the government at Rawalpindi.
This was anathema to the politicians of West Pakistan led by ZA Bhutto who advocated that the results be scrapped.Unable to decide and in face of a civil disobedience movement in East Pakistan Yahiya on being egged by Bhutto ordered a crack down on the Awami league and East Pakistan politicians. Shiekh Mujibar was arrested and taken to West Pakistan and the Pakistan army in the fond belief that Bengalis are cowards mounted a big assault on the leadership of the East Pakistan political parties.
The result was disastrous as the Pak army carried out systematic rapes and murders of the population. In particular they targeted the Hindu community and more than 10 million fled to India. The idea was to restore demographic parity with West Pakistan. But all these moves misfired and a resistance movement spearheaded by the Mukti Bahini grew with active support from India.
The Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi took advantage of the situation and like a shrewd leader, ordered the Indian army in to East Pakistan after an abortive air raid by the PAF on Indian air bases in the western region. Why Pakistan mounted an attack in the west will remain a mystery.But perhaps they hoped to open a front in the west to relieve pressure on their troops operating in the eastern region.
The eastern command under Gen JS aurora mounted a three pronged invasion of East Pakistan. The Indian strategy was simple. They simply bypassed the fortified garrison s of the important towns and converged on the capital Dacca. The Air force in the meantime neutralized the PAF (In any case the PAF had only a squadron or two in East Pakistan). A Para drop was effected near Dacca and very soon the Pakistan army lost the will to fight. This was the crucial phase of the battle as Gen Niazi the GOC in C East Pakistan lost his nerve.In addition relentless propaganda from the air in the form of leaflets promising honorable treatment in case of surrender also undermined the Pakistan soldiers. The battle was thus lost in the mind and the vaunted Pakistan army fell easy prey and lost the will to fight.
In a swift campaign lasting just 13 days the Pakistan army surrendered and 93,000 soldiers went into captivity. In hindsight the villain of the entire episode was ZA Bhutto who egged on Gen Yahiya Khan to attack India as well as arrest Sheik Mujib.But the sad part is that the same man met his end at the gallows as a common criminal when he was hanged a few years later by the then Pakistan President General Zia ul haq.
All said and done the defeat of the Pakistan army in East Pakistan will pinch them for many years to come. Perhaps they will never forget it ever and could be one of the reasons for their aggressive postures in the west. But history cannot be re- written nor the events recreated and thus the defeat of the Pakistan Muslim army will prick them for years to come. The liberation of East Pakistan will remain a tremendous victory for Indian arms.
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