On March 31, 1971, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi moved a resolution in parliament strongly criticising the military action in Bangladesh.
At 4:00am on March 30, 1971, Bangladeshi forces, comprising East Pakistan Rifles (EPR), police and civilians under the leadership of Abu Osman Chowdhury, then a major and commander of the fourth wing of EPR, attacked the Pakistan occupation army in Kushtia from three sides.
In the evening, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was flown via helicopter from the cantonment, where he was detained, to the Tejgaon Airport. Afterwards, he was flown to Karachi by a special military aircraft.
On March 28, 1971, American Consul General in Dhaka, Archer K Blood, sent a telegram to Islamabad and Washington captioned “selective genocide”. He reported that they were “mute and horrified by a reign of terror by the Pakistan military” in East Pakistan. Pointing towards various pieces of evidence, Blood suggested that Awami League supporters and Hindus were being systematically targeted by the martial law administrators.
American Consul General Archer K Blood in a situation report submitted on March 27, 1971, wrote that according to numerous accounts, including eye witness reports, the Pak military crackdown on Bangalee nationalists has been carried out throughout Dacca swiftly, efficiently (despite heavy resistance from some quarters, including pro-Awami League police and East Pak Rifles), and often with ruthless brutality.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a press statement issued today, called for a general strike throughout Bangladesh on March 27 against the army’s action in certain places in East Pakistan including Saidpur, Rangpur and Joydevpur.
There was a final meeting between Awami League’s team and Yahya’s advisers on March 24, 1971, at 6:00pm.
The representatives of president Yahya Khan and an Awami League team met twice today.
Pakistan is now dead and two countries have been born in its place, said Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury, speaking today at the inaugural function of the Bangladesh Mission in London. Justice Chowdhury was the overseas representative of the Bangladesh government.
Citing what he termed as a “cruel policy of repression”, Senator Edward Kennedy today called on US President Richard Nixon to cut off all American aid to West Pakistan.
The Bangladesh government decided today to grant 350 rupees as monthly allowance to Rebel Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, now ailing in Kolkata.
Indira Gandhi made yet another important breakthrough by writing directly to her counterpart in China, Premier Chou En-lai, on Bangladesh affairs.
India has been consulting the leaders of the Bangladesh government to find out how, if at all, the issue of Bangladesh could be raised before the world’s highest forum -- the United Nations General Assembly beginning next month in New York.
The Daily Telegraph reported that no candidates could be found for the 79 constituencies which had been declared vacant by the Martial Law Authority in East Pakistan.
In a telegram sent today to the US Department of State, Joseph Farland, the US ambassador to Pakistan, provided an interesting detail of his discussion with Pakistan President Yahya Khan about the trial of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The one-on-one meeting took place on August 19, 1971.
The Pakistan government today disqualified 195 of the 288 Awami League members elected to the 310’seat East Pakistani Provincial Assembly. They were charged with “incitement to murder, rape, kidnapping, attacks on police posts and banks, armed robbery, rebellion and conspiring with the enemy”.
Henry Kissinger, the US president’s assistant for national security affairs, today sent a memorandum to President Richard Nixon discussing implications of the situation in South Asia.
Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin was said to have told Pakistan President Yahya Khan that any war with India will be suicidal for Pakistan. Kosygin conveyed this in a message which the new Soviet Ambassador to Pakistan AA Rodinov delivered at Rawalpindi today.
