The Indo-Pak war of 1971 resulted in creation of a new nation Bangladesh. India bifurcated Pakistan into two, carving Bangladesh out of East Pakistan. In the Bangladesh war of liberation from Pakistan, over 3 lakh women in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) were raped. Lakhs of men lost their lives. It was India’s foray into the war that changed the scenario and Pakistan lost the war with their military commander Gen Niazi surrendering to India. A record 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to India on defeat.
Smt. Indira Gandhi was India’s prime minister then who was mocked by Henry Kissinger and Nixon. India cut Pakistan neatly into 2 pieces as America watched. India has still not forgotten 1971 Indo-Pak war in which America was siding with Pakistan and was ready to wage a war against India. It was Russia’s warnings that dissuaded America from attacking India on behalf of Pakistan, where our American brothers later on found a hiding Laden! Since then the world has come a long way. America now knows who is who and India too knows who is who. Things have since cooled down and there is a lot of goodwill today between India and the US. But strangely the equation with the US is of equal strategic importance to India today as with Russia. We live in an age where its in the best interests of India to have the goodwill of every nation on earth and no adversaries. We want peace.
Well, we have this adage that goes like, ‘if you live long enough, you will see even your monumental success turn into abject failure.’ In case of India-Bangladesh relationship, this is what has happened for India. Just see the plight of the Bangladeshi Hindus today. If the world media is going to suppress or bypass the Hindu genocide news, then be ready to live the same brutal reality when it happens to you someday.
vijiravindran's 