by Hasan Ehtisham and Usman Ali Khan
As a result of the partition of British India in 1947, Pakistan and India became two sovereign countries. The newly emerged nation states, India and Pakistan, served as a refuge for their respective religious majority, the Hindus and Muslims. The Muslim majority state of nascent Pakistan was detached geographically – East and West Pakistan – by more than 2,204 km of Indian hostile territory. Therefore, when political dissent surfaced in East Pakistan, India started swift manoeuvring on both political and military fronts. Amid fog of military crisis in East Pakistan, Pakistan launched “Operation Searchlight,” to secure the lives and assets of citizens of East Pakistan while establishing the state’s writ to pacify ongoing India-backed rebellion. This operation became the foundation of Indian propaganda against Pakistan.
