Geopolitics

Untold Heroism of Mukti Bahini Frogmen: Prelude to Liberation - I
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Issue Book Excerpt: War in the Indian Ocean | Date : 29 Jun , 2011

Pakistan Naval Headquarters immediately obtained approval for an amphibious force and a marine battalion to be complimented by seamen, naval police and regulating personnel. The marines would provide commando/infantry units for amphibious assault, the manning of special boat sections and assault crafts as also for the defence of vital naval installations and security duties in ships and establishments.

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A marine base in East Pakistan was commissioned as PNS Haider. One marine company arrived at Chittagong on 27 November 1971 by ship and two companies by PIA flight but without weapons. The commandos borrowed .303 rifles from the police and from the naval base, PNS Bakhtiar and carried out an operation against the Mukti Bahini forces near Juldia. Subsequently, they took up positions on Patanga beach till they were disbanded after the surrender.

The commandos borrowed .303 rifles from the police and from the naval base, PNS Bakhtiar and carried out an operation against the Mukti Bahini forces near Juldia.

The Army which was being hemmed in by hit and run attacks which cut down their mobility now appreciated the Navy’s role and made continuous demand for more support. Nonetheless, due to the breakdown of law and order and the hostility of the local population, the Mukti Bahini achieved a measure of success which in hindsight was far beyond their expectations. East Pakistan was reinforced by four divisions from the West, but the riverine environment enabled the Mukti Bahini frogmen to sink or cripple over a lakh tons of shipping, immobiliie jetties and wharves as also block navigable channels. This was the curtain raiser for an entirely new concept of guerrilla warfare in cloistered waters which kept the Khans from West Pakistan completely off balance.

Crisis in Pakistan – Encore the Bhutto Connection

The election which followed the devastating cyclone of November 1970, turned out to be an accurate precursor to the happenings of 1971. The Awami League led by Mujibur Rehman won a total victory as a result of their undermentioned six-point programme.

  1. Pakistan should have a federal form of government with a Parliament elected on the basis of universal adult franchise.
  2. The federal government should deal with only defence      and foreign affairs, leaving all other subjects to the provincial governments.
  3. There should be two separate freely convertible currencies for the two wings or one currency with two separate reserve banks.
  4. The powers of taxation and revenue collection should vest with the provincial governments.
  5. Economic, fiscal and legal measures need to be taken to remove the economic disparities between the two wings.
  6. A separate militia or paramilitary force should be created for the defence of the Eastern Wing.

The Army which was being hemmed in by hit and run attacks which cut down their mobility now appreciated the Navys role and made continuous demand for more support.

The Awami League won 160 out of the 162 seats from East Bengal and thus gained a majority in the overall Pakistan National Assembly of 313 seats. The Awami League also. secured an absolute majority of 261 of the 300 seats in the Provincial Assembly of East Bengal.

The only other party to emerge from the battle of the hustings with any degree of mass support was the People’s Party led by Zulfikar Bhutto which gained 82 seats in the National Assembly with Independents and other parties winning 59 seats.2 NI the other parties including the three factions of the Muslim League, and extremist parties both of the left and the right made poor showing.

The election results came as a shock both to the ruling military clique and to Bhutto’s People’s Party. Both had calculated that small splinter groups would gain ground and thus hold the balance between the People’s Party and the Awami League. The military junta had also hoped that the resultant political stalemate would help them to continue in power. On the other hand, Bhutto had visualized that he could grab power with the help of the smaller parties. The Awami League’s resounding victory at the polls had dashed their hopes and sparked off the crisis.

The election results came as a shock both to the ruling military clique and to Bhuttos Peoples Party. Both had calculated that small splinter groups would gain ground and thus hold the balance between the Peoples Party and the Awami League.

Immediately after the election results, President Yahya met Mujib and described him as the future Prime Minister of Pakistan and fixed 3 March as a tentative date for holding the National Assembly. Bhutto and Mujib met on 27 January in an effort to find common ground but the talks failed after parleys for four days. Bhutto then threatened to create a crisis and wanted the Assembly session to be delayed. Vice Admiral Ahsan, who was by then the Governor, sent a telex message to the President on 28 February requesting a date for summoning the Assembly. The Governor of East Pakistan was thereupon dismissed and Major General Sahibzada Yakub Khan, who was later to become Pakistan’s long-serving foreign minister during the Zia regime, was appointed ‘Governor and Martial Law Administrator. He also impressed on Yahya Khan the need to come to Dacca. When the President refused, Major General Yakub Khan resigned on 31 March and there was a strong move to bring him to trial by court martial. Lieutenant General Tikka Khan was appointed Governor and Martial Law Administrator.

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Vice Admiral Mihir K. Roy

Vice Admiral Mihir K. Roy

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