Remembering 1971: The bloody 13-day war that gave birth to Bangladesh | World News

Dhaka: As vote counting continues following Bangladesh’s general elections and early trends show the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) heading for a landslide victory over Jamaat-e-Islami, the political shift has drawn attention to the Awami League led by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who came to power for the first time after the country’s liberation in 1971. The origins of the Union, which was banned from participating in this election, are directly linked. The historic war that led to the birth of the country.

The story of this journey dates back to a night that changed the course of South Asian history.

On 25 March 1971, the Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight in Dhaka. The military crackdown began with coordinated attacks across the city. Students were evicted from dormitories, professors were targeted, and scores of civilians were executed. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the elected leader of East Pakistan and president of the Awami League, was arrested. Senior party leaders went underground to avoid capture.

During the operation, the Army delivered a message that would later become famous: “Big bird in the cage. Little birds have flown.”

The operation was the beginning of a long and fierce war.

Conflict had been increasing for years. East Pakistan had a larger share of Pakistan’s population, but political power was concentrated in West Pakistan. The imbalance caused resentment to grow. When the Awami League won a clear mandate in the 1970 general elections, expectations of devolution increased. West Pakistan’s leadership refused to cede power. Street protests intensified, civil disobedience spread through cities and towns, and the army was deployed to regain control.

Anthony Mascarenhas, a Karachi-based journalist at the time, witnessed the operations of the Pakistan Army up close. He was taken on an official trip to East Pakistan, where officials were awaiting positive reports showing that the army had the situation under control.

What he saw told a different story.

He documented widespread killings of civilians. The soldiers talked to him about executions and said they were the “final solution.” Entire villages were destroyed. Innocent people were tied, shot or burned in their homes. Fearing the repercussions, Mascarenhas fled to London with his family. On June 13, 1971, the Sunday Times published its report describing the violence as “genocide”.

Their reports attracted international attention and partially influenced India’s decision to intervene. Today, his article is preserved in the Bangladesh Liberation War Museum as part of the historical record.

As Operation Searchlight expanded, the Pakistan Army moved deeper into the countryside and hunted down rebel Bengali troops. Civilians suspected of aiding the independence movement were killed. Towns were bombed, bridges and transport routes were destroyed. Families were destroyed in their homes.

According to BBC, between 3-4 lakh people were killed and lakhs of women were raped. Intellectuals, including teachers, doctors and journalists, were executed in an attempt to paralyze the social and cultural backbone of the region.

As a result, resistance began to organize.

Leaders like Tajuddin Ahmad and Syed Nazrul Islam formed the interim government of Bangladesh in Mujibnagar in April 1971. The Mukti Bahini, consisting of fugitive soldiers, students and volunteers, emerged as an armed resistance force. Guerrilla operations targeted military positions. Underground radio broadcasts and newspapers carried messages of defiance and independence. By August, nearly 1 crore refugees fleeing violence crossed into India.

The conflict entered a new phase when Pakistan launched pre-emptive air strikes on Indian air bases. The attacks triggered a full-scale India-Pakistan war. Indian forces moved into East Pakistan in coordination with the Mukti Bahini.

The war began on the eastern and western fronts. The war lasted 13 days. It resulted in one of the largest military surrenders since World War II. On December 16, 1971, more than 93,000 Pakistani soldiers laid down their arms in Dhaka.

Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation.

The world reacted along Cold War lines. While India and the Soviet Union supported the liberation of Bangladesh, the United States and China maintained ties with Pakistan during the conflict.

What happened in 1971 is still debated in Pakistan. The Hamoodur Rehman Commission’s report on the country’s military behavior was suppressed for years. The milestones of the war are central to Bangladesh’s identity.