PREPARING MILITARY SOLUTION
On the morning of March, 18, 1971, Major General Khadim Hussain Raja, then general officer commanding of 14 Division in East Pakistan, and Major General Rao Farman Ali, then military adviser to the governor of East Pakistan, assembled at the former s office to work on the plan for military action, the infamous Operation Searchlight. Khadim asked his wife to keep his Bengali ADC busy and away from his office. I did not want to arouse his suspicions about Farman working with me in my office the whole morning as it was a very unusual get-together in that environment, writes Khadim in his memoir. The two generals agreed on broad details and decided to write their respective pieces: Farman was to supervise the operations of the Dhaka garrison while Khadim was responsible for the rest of the province. They met again at the Command House on the same evening. The plan was presented before the top generals and it was passed without any discussion except the de
MUJIB-YAHYA TALK CONTINUES
On the morning of March 17, the Mujib-Yahya talks resumed. Today was Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman s 51st birthday. Bangabandhu reiterated his demand for the withdrawal of martial law and the immediate transfer of power to elected representatives. Yahya put forth the same excuse of legal difficulties and stated that Justice Cornelius, then Yahya s legal adviser, had been entrusted with the task to consider the legal aspects.
A meeting between the advisers on both sides was proposed, which took place the same evening. Lt Gen Peerzada started off with the observation that the discussions between Bangabandhu and Yahya that morning had proceeded on the basis that Yahya would make a proclamation.
Air raid on Governor House had marked Pak admin collapse
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By Anisur Rahman
DHAKA, Dec 14, 2020 (BSS) – Dhaka emerged as the free capital of independent Bangladesh on December 16, 1971 but records suggest, two days ahead of ceremonial enemy surrender, an air raid on the then Governor House marked the dissolution of the Pakistani administration, in a dramatic manner.
“All morning, (Governor) Dr. Malik and his regional cabinet had been unable to decide to resign or hang on. The Indian air raids finally resolved the issue,” read a Reuters report on December 14, 1971 from Dhaka.
The UK-based global news agency sketched the scene on that day at the highest seat of the then civil administration when the Indian air attack prompted so-called East Pakistan’s last Governor to hurriedly draft and sign his resignation.