Debunking Bangladeshi Myths of 1971

[RiazHaq]

http://www.riazhaq.com/2015/12/debunking-bangladeshi-nationalists-1971.html


Aided and abetted by the Indian and western media, the Bangladeshi Nationalists led by the Awami League have concocted and promoted elaborate myths about the events surrounding Pakistan's defeat in December 1971.


Pakistan's Lt Gen Niazi Surrenders to Indian Army Dec, 1971
Sheikh Mujib's daughter and current Bangladesh Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina alleges "colonial exploitation" of Bengalis by Pakistan and "Bengali genocide" by the Pakistan Army. They claim economic disparities between East and West Pakistan as the main cause of their "war of independence" in which "Pakistan Army killed 3 million Bangladeshis".

Let's examine the Bangladeshi claims on the basis of real facts and data known today as follows:

1. The per capita income in West Pakistan was 60% higher than in East Pakistan in 1971. But they never tell you that the per capita income in East Pakistan was higher than in West Bengal and India. They also don't tell you that the ratio of per capita incomes between Bangladesh and Pakistan has changed little in the last four decades since "independence'.


Per Capita Incomes Source: World Bank


2. Bangladeshi nationalists claims that "three million people were killed, nearly quarter million women were raped". These claims have failed the scrutiny of the only serious scholarly researcher Sarmila Bose ever done into the subject. Bose's investigation of the 1971 Bangladeshi narrative began when she saw a picture of the Jessore massacre of April 2, 1971. It showed "bodies lie strewn on the ground. All are adult men, in civilian clothes....The caption of the photo is just as grim as its content: "April 2, 1971: Genocide by the Pakistan Occupation Force at Jessore." Upon closer examination, Bose found that "some of the Jessore bodies were dressed in shalwar kameez ' an indication that they were either West Pakistanis or ‘Biharis’, the non-Bengali East Pakistanis who had migrated from northern India". In Bose's book "Dead Reckoning" she has done case-by-case body count estimates that lead her in the end to estimate that between 50,000 and 100,000 people were killed on all sides, including Bengalis, Biharis, West Pakistanis and others, in 1971 war.

3. Dr. M. Abdul Mu’min Chowdhury, a Bengali nationalist who actively participated in the separatist cause, in his publication "Behind the Myth of 3 Million", challenges the falsehood. Citing an extensive range of sources to show that what the Pakistani army was carrying out in East Pakistan was a limited counter-insurgency, not genocide, the scholar discloses that after the creation of Bangladesh, the new de facto government offered to pay Taka 2,000 to every family that suffered loss of life but only 3,000 families claimed such compensation. Had there been three million Bengalis dead, a lot more of such families would have come forward. The actual fighting force of Pakistan was 40,000 not 93,000. They were given the responsibility to maintain law and order and protect civilians from the India-backed insurgents of Mukti Bahini. India's Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw praised the professionalism and gallantry of Pakistani soldiers facing the Indian Army's 50:1 advantage in the 1971 war.

Recent books and speeches by Indian officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ex top RAW officials, confirm what Pakistanis have known all along: India orchestrated the East Pakistan insurgency and then invaded East Pakistan to break up Pakistan in December 1971.

Here's a video of Indian Army Chief Field Marshal Manekshaw talking about Pakistan Army in 1971 War:

What Happened in East Pakistan (Yuri Bezmenov Former KGB Psychological Warfare Expert). Yuri Bezmenov ex KGB Psychological Warfare Expert Explains What Happened in East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) in This Video

Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Ex Indian Spy Documents RAW's Successes in Pakistan

Shaikh Hasina's Witch Hunt

Bangladesh and Pakistan Compared

Economic Disparity Between East and West Pakistan

Is this a 1971 Moment in Pakistan's History?

India's Hostility Toward Pakistan

http://www.riazhaq.com/2015/12/debunking-bangladeshi-nationalists-1971.html

 

[RiazHaq]

http://www.riazhaq.com/2016/09/performance-of-pakistan-armed-forces-in.html

Talking with Karan Thapar on BBC's Face-to-Face about the 1971 India-Pakistan war, India's Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw said as follows:

"About the 5th day of the (1971) conflict in (East Pakistan)...everything had gone wrong (for India); the (Indian) Navy had lost the Khukri; Our (India) Air Force has lost a lot of aircraft on the ground; my (Indian Army's) advances in Bangladesh were halted......The Pakistan Army in East Pakistan fought very gallantly but they had no chance; they were a thousand miles away from their base; I had 8 or 9 months of preparation; I had almost 50:1 advantage; they had no chance but they fought very gallantly."

Clearly, Indian Army Chief Sam Manekshaw was the victor of the 1971 war but he also was honest in acknowledging the fact that he had all the advantages over his enemy Pakistan....in fact, he said he had "almost 50:1 advantage".

In addition to praising Pakistan Army's gallantry, the Field Marshal also mentioned the losses suffered by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. Let's look at what he was talking about.




Sinking of Indian Navy Frigate INS Khukri:

Pakistan Navy submarine PNS Hangor sunk Indian warship INS Khukri off the coast of Diu, Gujarat on December 9, 1971, the first such sinking of a warship since WW2 by a submarine. 194 Indian Navy sailors died in the sinking that has been described in detail by the Indian Defense Review in 2014.

INS Kirpan, another Indian warship which was close by when the attack took place fled the scene rather than attempt to rescue the sailors on board Khukri. Had Kirpan mounted rescue, at least some of the lives of the194 people (18 officers and 176 sailors) who perished in the sinking of INS Khukri could have been saved.

A book by retired Major General Ian Cardozo of the Indian Army on the sinking of Khukri has recorded the dismay of some of survivors at the cowardice INS Kirpan's captain and staff.

“We were hoping that Kirpan, our sister ship would come to rescue us but we saw her sailing away from the area”, Commander Manu Sharma, a survivor of Khukri, has been quoted by Cardozo.

“An early rescue was what everyone hoped for. We thought that at least INS Kirpan would send boat for our rescue, but no rescue boat came from INS Kirpan” Lt Commander SK Basu, who was aboard Khukri and survived the Pakistani attack, told Cardozo.

Prior to the Khukri sinking, Indian Navy had launched missile attacks on Karachi port and destroyed an oil terminal causing a huge oil fire that lit up the night sky.

After the sinking of Khukri, the Indian Navy ceased its attacks on Karachi and moved the focus of its operations to East Pakistan ports like Chittagong and Cox's Bazar. To date, INS Khukri is the only ship lost in combat in the history of the Indian Navy.

Indian Air Force Losses:

Pakistan Air Force struck Indian air bases and destroyed scores of Indian Air Force fighter aircraft sitting on the ground as acknowledged by Field Marshall Manekshaw in his interview with Karan Thapar.

Legendary USAF pilot General Chuck Yeager observed the performance of the Pakistan Air Force in 1971 war. Here's what he wrote in his autobiography "The Right Stuff":

"This air force (the PAF), is second to none...The (1971) air war lasted two weeks and the Pakistanis scored a three-to-one kill ratio, knocking out 102 Russian-made Indian jets and losing thirty-four airplanes of their own. I'm certain about the figures because I went out several times a day in a chopper and counted the wrecks below...They were really good, aggressive dogfighters and proficient in gunnery and air combat tactics. I was damned impressed. Those guys just lived and breathed flying. "

Ground War on the Western Front:

There is a myth that Pakistan lost the 1971 war not just in the East but also on the western front. India did take territory in farflung, desolate and uninhabited areas of negligible importance but lost more of the fertile land in strategic areas.

Here's an except from Indian Defense Review on 1971 ground war on western front:

"The major Indian gains claimed in terms of area were about 3,200 square kilometres in the Ladakh region under Lt Gen Sartaj Singh and 1,200 square kilometres. under Lt Gen G G Bewoor in the Rajasthan Desert. In both regions these gains lay in farflung, desolate, uninhabited and difficult areas of negligible economic, strategic and political value which could hurt the rulers of Pakistan only in their prestige. On the other hand, Sartaj Singh lost the area of Chhamb, where the aftermath of the refugee problem still haunts the Jammu and Kashmir administration. The loss of the Kasowala bulge, the Hussainiwala enclave and the Fazilka agricultural belt in Punjab could not be equated with marginal gains in the Sehjra bulge and the Mamdot enclave in economic, military or political terms. The Indian occupation of the major portion of the Shakargarh bulge was somewhat embarrassing to the Bhutto government.....Rawlley lost more than he gained in Punjab. The loss of Hussainiwala, the Fazilka cotton track and Chhina Bidhi Chand were inexcusable. The battle in this sector was a peripheral loss and gain of border outposts and nothing more."


Summary:

Pakistan Army fought gallantly against an Indian Army which had an "almost 50:1 advantage" in East Pakistan as acknowledged by Indian Army Chief Sam Maneckshaw who led the Indian military to victory over Pakistan in 1971.

At the same time, Pakistani Army, Navy and Air Force scored major successes against India on the western front. Pakistanis not only captured territory of greater economic and strategic value from India but also inflicted disproportionately heavy damage to Indian Air Force and Navy in 1971.

Here's a video clip of Sam Maneckshaw speaking with Karan Thapar on 1971 war:

Related Links:

Haq's Musings

India's War Hero Manekshaw Passes On

India's Pakistan Obsession

Is this a 1971 Moment in Pakistan's History?

What if Modi Attacks Pakistan?

Ex Indian Spy Documents India's Covert Wars Against Pakistan

Pakistan Army at the Gates of Delhi

http://www.riazhaq.com/2016/09/performance-of-pakistan-armed-forces-in.html

 

[third eye]

I can see it still hurts.

Shouldn't we put this behind & move on ? Exhuming the dead only creates a stink &leads to heartburn.

Jo Ho gaya ..mitti pao & move on.

 

[Mugwop]

I can see it still hurts.

Shouldn't we put this behind & move on ? Exhuming the dead only creates a stink &leads to heartburn.

Jo Ho gaya ..mitti pao & move on.

I don't think your fellow countrymen want too

 

[PDF]

Yes, we treated them badly. Yes, they needed to get their rights. But, getting Independence is sad. We have our reservations with our leaders but we never ask for independence. Balochistan stood, Fata stood but alas, we lost Bangladesh. Anyway, Despite our confessions of mistakes and what not, Bangladesh do not reciprocate our efforts even slightly. And now, Bangladesh is suffering from their leaders and India. lets not keep apologizing when it is of no use.

We suffered when we lost them because of our unjust behavior. But their decision for independence is making them suffer now.( Unfortunately).

The winner was India sadly...

 

[truthseeker2010]

Shouldn't we put this behind & move on ? .

Tell these to your countrymen....... who still think this is india's biggest achievement to date.......

 

[third eye]

I don't think your fellow countrymen want too

The winner was India sadly...

Read this :

https://defence.pk/threads/some-did-not-return.467006/

Tell these to your countrymen....... who still think this is india's biggest achievement to date.......

It may well be, but at an avoidable cost to all parties involved.

If BD was to be recognised by Pakistan eventually, it may have been granted independence . It would have saved countless lives & families from being destroyed.

 

[truthseeker2010]

Read this :

https://defence.pk/threads/some-did-not-return.467006/



It may well be, but at an avoidable cost to all parties involved.

If BD was to be recognised by Pakistan eventually, it may have been granted independence . It would have saved countless lives & families from being destroyed.

something that hasn't been proven...........

 

[PDF]

Read this :

https://defence.pk/threads/some-did-not-return.467006/



It may well be, but at an avoidable cost to all parties involved.

If BD was to be recognised by Pakistan eventually, it may have been granted independence . It would have saved countless lives & families from being destroyed.

The war could be avoided if people were not manipulated and used. I get depressed by talking about 1971. Too much to repent, to sorrow over and to condole...

 

[third eye]

something that hasn't been proven...........

The grief of the families need not be proven. For once stop thinking from the head & think from the heart.

The war could be avoided if people were not manipulated and used. I get depressed by talking about 1971. Too much to repent, to sorrow over and to condole...

Thats just the point, those who manipulate get away & live a happy life while its soldiers on both sides who bear the brunt of it all.

 

[truthseeker2010]

The grief of the families need not be proven. For once stop thinking from the head & think from the heart.

Which Families are you talking about?

 

[third eye]

Which Families are you talking about?

Refer link in Post No 7

 

[Shajida Khan]

Mr. Haq, wars are fought for motives, not for gallantry. India achieved its target of converting a two front pincer situation into a single front western problem. It also stopped the flow of refugees from Bangladesh. Doesn't matter is we fought bravely or cowardly, what matters if that we achieved out goals with minimal losses. Infact, Pakistan lost even with China and USA working in her favor says a lot about India's diplomacy. Russia's involvement in the stopping US intervention in Bay of Bengal is testament for this.

Further, the same submarine was lost without India doing a single thing says Pakistan's military preparedness of the time. After loss of this submarine, Pakistan's any hope for naval intervention was lost.

 

[Kompromat]

Pakistan has become a much stronger state after the 71, it was a blessing in disguise. Look at the history between 1947 - 1971, crisis after crisis was conspired by the East Pakistani politicians who just wouldn't let any solid constitution take hold. The East political elite was vehemently against West's one unit while supported Eastern one unit because it gave them a dominating position in the elections. After 71, the "Bangladesh" now has 8 provinces or divisions. Look at what we have achieved after 71. We have nothing to complain. Bangladesh will never become anything more than an Indian vassal state.

 

[EAK]

I can see it still hurts.

Shouldn't we put this behind & move on ? Exhuming the dead only creates a stink &leads to heartburn.

Jo Ho gaya ..mitti pao & move on.

Lets see....In its tiniest comparison Can you say the same for mumbai attacks..