Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan in
1971. Pakistan had been formed as an independent state from British India in
1947, allowing Muslim interests to dominate within its borders. Pakistan was
divided into an eastern and western state separated by the larger nation of
India. Although both East and West Pakistan considered themselves an Islamic
republic, they still had distinct differences. They had cultural, economical
and geographical differences, and spoke different languages. East Pakistan had
a larger population in a smaller geographical area, yet West Pakistan had the
political and economical power. It came as a surprise to all of Pakistan when
East Pakistan secured the majority of seats in the 1970 election. West Pakistan chose to use force to protect
its own political interests rather than accept the results of the vote, and
attacked East Pakistan with “Operation Searchlight” in March, 1971. The plan
was to eliminate all of their opposition within one month. They started with
the killing of hundreds of university students and professors and continued the
bloodshed with the killing of political and intellectual leadership in East
Pakistan. General Tika Khan, in charge of this operation earned the title
‘Butcher of Bengal.’ Accurate estimates
are hard to come by, but some sources say that possibly up to 3 million
Bengalis were killed, although the actual number is in dispute. Another ten
million fled to India and other neighbouring nations. The situation was brutal
and India finally took notice sending in military assistance for the Bengalis. The
rest of the world didn’t sit up and take notice until a first-hand account from
Anthony Mascarenhas was published in the UK’s Sunday Times on June 13, 1971.
Anthony Mascarenhas was a journalist from
West Pakistan. He was one of the journalists chosen by the Pakistan military to
observe and report the positive aspects of the war against East Pakistan. It
was obvious that Pakistan’s intention was that the reporters provide propaganda
that would vilify the Bengalis, who also had done their share of brutality, and
give credence to the Pakistan army’s annihilation. Mascarenhas couldn’t do it.
The horrors he observed couldn’t be reported in a positive light. As he
traveled with the army and observed the senseless killings, sometimes
attempting to stop them, his horror grew and he knew that he needed to share
the true story with the rest of the world. He was observing first-hand one of
the worst cases of genocide in the twentieth century. The Pakistan army’s
intention was to “cleanse east Pakistan
once and for all of the threat of secession, even if it means killing 2 million
people and ruling the province as a colony for 30 years,” as a senior officer
told Mascarenhas. He knew that these words needed to be reported and his story
needed to be published for all the world to read. His account would obviously
not be allowed to be published in the newspaper that employed him or in any
other paper in Pakistan. Mascarenhas took his family and made a bold move. He
evacuated the entire family from Pakistan knowing they would never be able to
return after his story came out. He moved his family to Great Britain and it
was here in the Sunday Times, on June 13, 1971, that his article was published
under the heading “Genocide”. It was a long article by today’s standards. The
story ran across two pages and his testimony was riveting.
The article was written as a first-hand
account describing in great detail the author’s personal experience and
observations. His article read almost like a story or a series of stories. He
used simple language so that everyone would be able to read and understand the stories.
His intent was to open the eyes of the world to the atrocities committed by his
own country of Pakistan. He was seen as sincere and credible; a Pakistani
national who could not help but expose the truth even at the expense of his own
national loss, being forced into exile. His story touched the hearts of people,
including world leaders, creating compassion and change towards a future better
hope for the people of Bengali.
The story was not only fascinating to
read. It introduced the world to atrocities of Pakistan that they hadn’t been
aware of. It affected world leaders such as Indira Gandhi, India’s prime
minister, who strengthened her resolve to put a stop to this, using the
military backing she had at her disposal. US leadership put to a halt any
assistance they were considering for Pakistan. Pakistan was defeated shortly
after the article’s publication. By year’s end East Pakistan was an independent
state with the name of Bangladesh.
The country of Pakistan has never shown
genuine regret or even acceptance of the act of genocide that they perpetrated.
Once India got involved in the war, Pakistan lost territory to India which is
Pakistan’s biggest regret. India’s military intervention was key in Bangladesh
becoming a sovereign nation-state. By year’s end newspapers were reporting the
story of Bangladesh’s struggles and new birth. The story made the cover of Time
magazine – “The Bloody Birth of Bangladesh” - and many other publications in
December. The Winnipeg Free Press wrote a number of articles in early 1972,
about the story Mascarenhas brought to the world’s attention.
Mascarenhas went on to win numerous
journalism awards for his reporting on the Bangladesh Liberation War, as it
came to be called. It is accepted that his writing exposed the Pakistan army’s
brutal campaign and helped to end the war and change world opinion against Pakistan.
He is an example of courageous, bold journalism that swayed public opinion and
helped to create a new nation. Mascarenhas is an example of why journalism is
so very important, and how it can be a catalyst in bringing change when needed.
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