Pakistan observes 53rd anniversary of Fall of Dhaka

ISLAMABAD: Today, Pakistan remembers the unhealed scars of the Fall of Dhaka on its 53rd anniversary, which was the turning point in the aches and pains that led to Pakistan to break down in two parts and emerging of Bangladesh as an independent state.

The Fall is an aching reminder of the country’s disintegration, further fueled by resentment growing among Bengali leaders due to the political and economic dominance by the elite from West Pakistan.

The genesis of the Fall of Dhaka can be tracked down to late 1962, when the leader of the Awami League, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, started secretly consulting with India about the breakup of Pakistan.

India’s hand was fairly known to back up the Bengalis as to weaken its regional rival after it suffered a defeat in the 1965 war. Support came to the Pakistani nationalists in many forms- finance, military, and lively diplomatic maneuvering.

Three men, Sheikh Mujib, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and General Yahya Khan, played weathercaster-like roles; their actions before, during, and after the Fall of Dhaka have remained forever embedded in the annals of one’s nation.

India’s military intervention in East Pakistan on December 16, 1971, led to the surrender of Pakistani forces. The loss of East Pakistan became a defining moment in the national identity and territorial integrity of Pakistan.

The Indian intelligence agency, RAW, seized East Pakistan’s mounting discontent to maneuver the political climate because of the 1965 Pakistan-India war.

Channeling the Mukti Bahini, a guerrilla force of agents, banjos, and dissident Bengalis during the sordid few months, there were countless atrocities including murder, rape, and pillage widely reported in the Indian media as being conducted by the Pakistani military.

The Fall of Dhaka is ever more a moment for national reflection, its reflections nestling in the corridors of each one’s thoughts on it, with its longing for understanding the complete context of events that determined millions’ fates. Remembering the sacrifices associated with this moment in the history of Pakistan is important.