Pakistan's leaders should heed the Lesson of Bangladesh

Few would disagree that the mishandling of the cyclone relief operation precipitated
the breakup of Pakistan in 1971, although secession was not solely due to the

the genocide that happened to the people of Bangladesh is the main cause of breakup. Let us not forget that shamful act.

It all started with Operation Searchlight, a planned military pacification carried out by the Pakistan Army started on 25 March, 1971 to curb the Bengali nationalist movement by taking control of the major cities on March 26, and then eliminating all opposition, political or military, within one month. Before the beginning of the operation, all foreign journalists were systematically deported from Bangladesh. The main phase of Operation Searchlight ended with the fall of the last major town in Bengali hands in mid May.

According to New York Times (3/28/71) 10,000 people were killed; New York Times (3/29/71) 5,000-7,000 people were killed in Dhaka; The Sydney Morning Herald (3/29/71) 10,000 – 100,000 were killed; New York Times (4/1/71) 35,000 were killed in Dhaka during operation searchlight.

The operation also began the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. These systematic killings served only to enrage the Bengalis, which ultimately resulted in the secession of East Pakistan later in December, 1971. The international media and reference books in English have published casualty figures which vary greatly; 200,000–3,000,000 for Bangladesh as a whole.

Amazing facts, but who care to learn from history

Seeds of hatred were planted by our neighbor

source ?

I'm sure that the victims are grateful, that it is not Pakistan fault for killing millions

West Bengal is still a state of India because people there doesn't want independence.Bangladesh also doesn't need anymore population then they already have.Both are happy the way they are.The Independence of Bangladesh took 25 years in the making,starting from when Jinnah said that URDU will be the only official language in Pakistan,when more than 50% Pakistanis were in fact Bengali.Seeds of Hatred was planted when President Ayub flew over the cyclone devasted Bangladesh to West Pakistan not bothering to land in East Pakistan and share the sorrows of Bengalis firsthand.These are only a few untold stories that general Pakistanis doesn't know.And until and unless they learn the truth of what actually happened in 1971 the misery of Pakistan will continue because they will never learn from previous mistakes.