C T Online Desk: The situation in East Pakistan turned volatile in the first week of March with the Pakistani military ruler Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan postponing the National Assembly and opting for repressive acts that killed over 170 protesters in Dhaka from March 1-3 amid a curfew.
The martial law regime imposed the curfew on the night of March 2, when Dhaka University students hoisted the flag of Bangladesh, carried out processions, and took down the Pakistani flag at different places.
The same day, Awami League chief and prime minister-elect Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called a general strike for March 3 from his Paltan rally. He also announced a non-cooperation and non-violent movement.
In the face of growing resistance, Gen Yahya on March 3 announced a round table conference with major political leaders for March 10.
But Sheikh Mujib rejected the proposal outright, slamming the door on the possibility of East-West accommodation.
Talking to several foreign correspondents “off the record”, the Awami League president said he would make an announcement equivalent to independence for East Pakistan on March 7, according to a memorandum from Harold Saunders and Samuel Hoskinson of the National Security Council Staff to the Presidentʼs Assistant for National Security Affairs Henry Kissinger on March 4.
Sheikh Mujib stated that the East and West wings should write their respective constitutions and thereafter discussions over the form of linkage could take place.
His stern steps followed a breach of promise by Gen Yahya, who on January 14 said he would hand over power to Sheikh Mujib soon but started procrastinating after Pakistan People’s Party chief Zulfikar Ali Bhutto refused to attend the National Assembly session scheduled for March 3 in Dhaka. The military ruler put off the National Assembly on March 1.
Situation analysis by US officials
Overnight reports from Pakistan indicated that the situation in East Pakistan was deteriorating.
“At least one Pakistani air force C–130 has been seen flying into Dacca (Dhaka) and there are recurrent reports of forces being flown into Dacca via the Pakistani commercial airline and of the movement of troops from the West via ship.
“These reports cannot be confirmed but it is known that there is pressure from some elements in the military to make a quick repressive strike against the East Pakistani leaders in hopes of cowing them and the rest of the province,” said the memorandum.
Earlier, the US had assessed that military intervention was unlikely. “This seems less and less true. CIA working-level judges that the East would respond with further violence rather than surrender,” said the memorandum.
It added that if Sheikh Mujib declared independence on March 7, it would leave the door open to some sort of confederal relationship.
“The East Pakistanis in the embassy here have approached State concerning their relations with the Department following a declaration of independence. They expect to be expelled from the chancery and the current DCM, who is an East Pakistani, would then become the Chargé of a new embassy,” said the memorandum, adding that the State Department had not given this issue the attention it deserved.
“As for the notion that this is not a policy issue, I cannot believe that the repartition of South Asia after 23 years is not a policy issue of major proportions,” said the memorandum.
