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Operation Search Light: The crackdown

26 Mar 2023 00:00:00 | Update: 25 Mar 2023 22:22:18
Operation Search Light: The crackdown

Operation Search Light was a military carried by the Pakistan Army on March 25, 1971, marked the beginning of a brutal crackdown on the Bengali population of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The operation was aimed at crushing the Bengali nationalist movement, which had been calling for greater autonomy and political rights for the Bengali people.

The operation began with the arrest of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the Awami League and the elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. Within hours of his arrest, the Pakistan Army began a brutal crackdown on the Bengali population. Troops were deployed across the province, and a curfew was imposed. Communications and transportation networks were disrupted, and journalists and foreign observers were expelled.

The scale and intensity of the operation were unprecedented. Villages and towns were targeted, and civilians were rounded up, tortured, and killed. Women were subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence, and homes and businesses were looted and destroyed.

The Pakistani military launched a massive offensive against Bengali nationalist forces, which were largely unarmed civilians. The operation was characterized by the indiscriminate use of heavy artillery, tanks, and infantry, and the targeting of civilians. The Pakistan Army targeted academic institutions, including the University of Dhaka, killing and arresting students and teachers.

As the operation continued, the number of casualties grew exponentially. The Bengali population suffered enormously, with an estimated 300,000 to 3 million people killed, and hundreds of thousands of people displaced. The operation also created a massive refugee crisis, with millions of Bengalis fleeing to India to escape the violence.

The international community, including the United Nations, condemned the operation and called for an end to the violence. However, Pakistan continued the operation for several months, despite mounting international pressure.

India eventually intervened in the conflict, and after a nine-month-long war, Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation on December 16, 1971. The legacy of Operation Search Light is still felt in Bangladesh today, and the operation remains a traumatic chapter in the country’s history.

The scale of the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army during Operation Search Light is regarded as one of the worst instances of genocide in modern history. The operation sparked a mass exodus of Bengali refugees into neighboring India, leading to a humanitarian crisis. The operation was a defining moment in the history of Bangladesh, and its legacy continues to shape the country’s political and social landscape.

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