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.
Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman leaves Dhaka today on a three-day tour to see the coastal embankment projects and arrangements for conservation of coastal forests.
An agreement has been reached by the sponsoring nations on a ‘compromise’ formula relating to the admission of Bangladesh into the UN.
Prime Minister Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and World Bank Vice-president Peter Cargil have a 45-minute talk at the Gono Bhaban
The governments of Bangladesh and India regretted Pakistan’s failure to comply with the joint Indo-Bangladesh proposal to repatriate all families of Bangladesh nationals in Pakistan purely on humanitarian grounds,
Nearly four lakh women have been sexually assaulted during the liberation struggle in Bangladesh. At least 20 percent of them are either social outcasts or have lost their property or their bread-earning male family members.
The 11-member congressional delegation from the Agriculture Committee of the United States House of Representatives holds talks for
British Foreign Secretary Sir Alex Douglas Hume has offered London as “neutral ground” for a peace meeting between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
No indication is available here today as to when the repatriation of women and children to and from Pakistan under the offer made by India and Bangladesh will take place. India and Bangladesh are in consultation with each other on Pakistan’s response to their offer.
Pakistan President ZA Bhutto announces at a jirga meeting today that 10,000 Bangalee women and children would be allowed to go back to their
Bangladesh and India have decided to repatriate to Pakistan members of the families of Pakistani civilian internees and prisoners of war as “a humanitarian gesture”, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry announces today.
