Bangladesh: Towards East Pakistan?
I remember a book “India’s Troubled Neighbours and Troubling India”. The title itself depicts today’s reality. Right now, Bangladesh is making all the wrong news headlines. Following her recent overthrow, Sheikh Hasina, the country's longtime leader, departed. Such violent political incidents are not new to the nation. During its brief history, it has witnessed everything from assassinations to army dictatorship and abundant political excess. The Awami League took over the National Assembly in 1970 after winning 167 of the 169 East Pakistani seats in the election. Despite this, Yahya Khan called off the meeting and gave the order for the army to strike the center of the autonomy movement while in negotiations with Mujibur Rahman. The 1971 East Pakistani Liberation War broke out amid targeted killings. India officially entered the war in 1971, portraying itself as a supporter of Bangladesh's right to self-determination. Pakistan saw India's military training of the inde...