Operation Spotlight is the code name for the operation of the Pakistani Armed Forces in a pre-emptive strike against Bangladeshi rebel units, Mukti Bahini . The fighting was accompanied by extreme brutality of Pakistani soldiers against the civilian population of the province .
| Operation Spotlight | |||
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| Main Conflict: Bangladesh War of Independence | |||
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| date | March 26 - May 25, 1971 | ||
| A place | East Pakistan | ||
| Total | The beginning of a large-scale war | ||
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Event
On the night of March 25, 1971, a large-scale offensive by the Pakistani army began. The idea to launch this operation belonged to several generals, they thus decided to put an end to the mass demonstrations in East Pakistan (which have not stopped since February 21, 1971 ). This military action was originally aimed at the civilian population of the province, its purpose was to destroy as many protesters as possible in order to intimidate all survivors.
The operation plan was drawn up in March 1971 by Major General Hadim Hussein Reza and Rao Farman Ali. Senior Pakistani officers in East Pakistan ( Sahabzad Governor Yakub Khan and Vice Governor Saed Mohammad Ahsan ) refused to participate in the massacre of civilians and were removed from their posts. Instead, Pakistani President Yahya Khan appointed Lieutenant General Tikka Khan as Governor of East Pakistan .
The Pakistani generals took into account that Bengal officers and soldiers of paramilitary units are likely to raise a riot at the very beginning of the operation. To minimize this risk, it was proposed to disarm all Bengal armed groups, including the police, during President Yahya Khan's visit. According to this plan, thousands of disarmed local police officers were to be shot in Pakistan by Pakistani army units. However, General Hamid objected to the immediate withdrawal of regular Bengal army units, but supported the disarmament of Bangladeshi riflemen , police and other local militias. On the afternoon of March 25, several Pakistani generals visited the main military garrisons by helicopter and personally informed the garrison commanders about the plans for the offensive. General Mitha took command of the Pakistani commandos . Special forces played a key role in the arrest of Mujibur Rahman .
The operation was in extreme secrecy, only a few junior officers learned about the plan in advance because of official necessity. Some Bengal officers have become suspicious of briefings by Pakistani colleagues from West Pakistan. As time has shown, some of the Bengal officers, suspecting something was wrong, began an uprising immediately after the start of Operation Spotlight.
The operation began on the night of March 25, 1971 in Dhaka and other major cities . General Farman Ali commanded an offensive in Dhaka, while the cleansing of the homonymous area was carried out under the command of General Hadim. Lieutenant General Tikka Khan and his assistants were in the 31st Field Command Center to coordinate the offensive and support the command of the 14th Division in the Dhaka garrison. Before flying from Dhaka to Karachi , Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was at the headquarters of Tikki Khan inside the garrison. Watching the massacre called Operation Spotlight, Zulfikar Ali asked Tikku Khan to give him a soldier to escort to Dhaka to see for himself what was happening in the city. General Tikka, without explanation, refused to Zulfikar.
See also
- Genocide in Bangladesh (1971)
- Massacre at Dhaka University
Notes
- ↑ Shafiullah, Maj. Gen. KM, Bangladesh at War, p33 ISBN 984-401-322-4
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Islam, Major Rafiqul, A Tale of Millions, p66, ISBN 984-412-033-0
- ↑ Qureshi, Maj. Gen. Kakeem Arshad, The 1971 Indo-Pak War: A Soldier's Narrative, p20, Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-579778-7
- ↑ Hamdoor Rahman Commission Report, Chapter IV, paragraph II
- ↑ Islam, Major Rafiqul, A Tale of Millions, p274, ISBN 984-412-033-0