It's not just about the scale of such incidents, it's the intentions behind them that really matters. And those intentions are crystal clear. They're willing to go to extreme lengths, even resorting to killing men (as we've seen with the dozens of lives lost and over 700 people injured from gunfire on May 9), and yes, they're even stooping so low as to sexually assault women. All of this is done with the sole purpose of suppressing any form of uprising or dissent that might dare to question their absolute authority.
And the events of 1971 did not happen in isolation. It all started following Yahya's decision to indefinitely postpone the convening of the Assembly on March 1st, protests erupted resultantly in East Pakistan causing the deaths of over a hundred individuals, all reportedly at the hands of the police. The Awami League's MNAs were abducted, tortured, and 88 out of 162 members were forced to leave the party. Awami League was banned. And then things spiraled out of control, and the rest is history. It is the concerning pattern and trajectory of such incidents that raises significant worries.
Although the dynamics in East Pakistan may vary, the primary culprit remains the same, employing similar techniques to achieve their goals. The Army will continue escalating the level of atrocities until the civilians completely give in.
