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.
Delegates of western industrial powers and Japan today postponed discussion of fresh aid for Pakistan until a political settlement of the conflict between East and West Pakistan is in sight.
Intellectuals and academicians of Bangladesh held that the only political solution with Pakistan was the emergence of a sovereign and an independent Bangladesh, according to Dr AR Mallick, founding vice-chancellor of Chittagong University.
Pakistan President Yahya Khan, in a letter dated June 18, 1971, drew attention of American President Richard Nixon to the “rapidly mounting threat to peace and security in the sub-continent”.
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi today reiterated that she would send back Bangladesh refugees as soon as normalcy was restored.
Indian Foreign Minister Sardar Swaran Singh carried to US President Richard Nixon today an urgent plea for help to achieve a political settlement in East Pakistan and enable the return of six million Bangladeshi refugees to their homes.
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi said in parliament today that the possibility of a political settlement in East Pakistan was “becoming more remote” every day.
Pakistan President Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan postponed the announcement of his plan for the transfer of power to a civilian government. The president, who rules by martial authority, said May 24 that he would announce the plan in two to three weeks’ time.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad said today that the refugees now in India were keen on coming back home.
The United States appealed today to India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and urged the Pakistanis to restore normalcy in East Pakistan through “peaceful political accommodation”.
Mukti Fouj guerillas made a series of attacks on Pakistani positions in Cumilla sector in the last few days, killing at least 28 Pakistani soldiers, according to Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. Twenty soldiers were killed when guerillas ambushed a Pakistani army column near Fakirhat on June 10, 1971.
