The last days of united Pakistan

by G.W. Choudhury

The disintegration of Pakistan and the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971 is the sad story of the Pakistan Army generals' misconception about their role as 'guardians of national interests', and the dubious role played by the two leading politicians of the day - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Mujibur Rahman. Could the tragedy of 1971 have been avoided by statemanship and moderation on the part of the three parties (Yahya, Mujib and Bhutto) involved in the final dialogue for a political solution Was Indian involvement guided solely by humanitarian considerations or was it seeking an opportunity to destroy its enemy number one' What were the international implications of the crisis These and similar questions are discussed and analysed by Dr Choudhury in this thought-provoking account of the great tragedy of 1971.

Genres: History, War, Pakistan

239 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Asif Akash]

The book reveals a lot about the political developments in East and West Pakistan at the then time of 1965 to 1971. The writer had the opportunity to work closely with President Ayub Khan as well as President Yahya Khan since he was in their cabinet and that enabled him to lucidly describe their actions and the related contexts on which their actions were based. He didn't deny the fact that East Pakistan was seriously exploited by their counterpart in the west but he failed to appreciate the magnitude of the frustration of the mass East Pakistanis. After reading his book, I'd rather say that the writer's ideological devotion towards the unity of Pakistan was so strong that the economic and political exploitation of East Pakistan did not get the proper focus in his writings. Even the genocide of 1971 in Bangladesh did not get the importance in his writing which it deserves. I felt sometimes that the writer somewhat tried to justify the actions of the military regime under Yahya and the atrocities of the Pakistan Army that took place in cold blood from March to December 1971. The writer possesses a large amount of hatred against India as well as Sheikh Mujib. He always treated the Six Point Program as a veiled scheme of secession and never appreciated the fact that this was of course the charter of economic and political emancipation of the Bengalis living in East Pakistan. It can easily be sensed from his writing that he always treated Sheikh Mujib as an 'Indian Agent' instead of the ‘Leader’ of the province East Pakistan on who 75 million people relied on without any question.

There is no reservation regarding the writer’s scholarship and talent in constitutional matters; yet in my opinion, on reading the book, he was more of a Pakistani rather than a Bengali or Bangladeshi whatever. But he was born in East Bengal in 1926. However, this book is of course relevant to those who have immense interest in knowing the political history of Pakistan for the period of 1965 to 1971. However, I would request the readers not to jump to any conclusion about anything after reading this book. Political history should be read with an open mind. After only reading a series of books, articles, research papers written by scholars from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and from the rest of the world can only enable you to form an objective opinion regarding the history of Pakistan in that particular period.

[S M Shahrukh]

G W Choudhury, an Islamist and a life-long believer in a 'United Pakistan', brazenly shows his bias for Pakistan even after what went on in East Bengal, his home province, March 25, 1971, onwards. In spite of being a scholar and a researcher of repute, he has used subterfuge to shade General Yahya Khan's atrocities, while his attack on Sheikh Mujib and the Bengali intelligentsia for seeking secession is relentless. His anti-India rhetoric is tiresome, at times.

A mendacious telling of 'history', this is a book written by a Pakistan-lover who is willing to believe that after the 1970 elections, the 'ruling elite', wholly belonging to West Pakistan, would have started 'loving' Bengalis.

He was rightly declared a traitor after the birth of Bangladesh, in my opinion, at least, while others may differ in present-day Bangladesh.

[Zahedul]

This book sheds light on the views from the 'other side'. Although the author is a Bengali, he had been a part of the Ayub khan led government and subsequently the Yahya Khan government in the sixties, initially as an adviser and then a cabinet member. Although his sympathies lie with Pakistan, his views are candid providing a very up close look at the flow of events leading up to the violent civil war and consequent break up of East Pakistan into Bangladesh. You might not agree with everything he says, but you'll definitely get to learn interesting nuggets of information on Bangladesh's liberation war.

[Riaz Ujjan]

A balance account of secession of Bangladesh from Pakistan. Author witnessed the events closely being part of the two cabinest.

[Tahir Khattak]

An engrossing account supported by concurrent analysis of the unfortunate events that ultimately led to the dismemberment of Pakistan. The author being an ethnic Bengali and professionally a cabinet member during the peak tension days of 1967-71 must be given the credit of impartiality as he calls a spade a spade. A emphatic 5 star to this highly underrated book.