DHAKA, Bangladesh — It was 50 years ago on the night of March 25, 1971, that Pakistan’s military launched a violent crackdown on the city of Dhaka, then part of East Pakistan, to quell a rising nationalist movement seeking independence for what is today known as Bangladesh.
Soldiers stormed the dormitories of students and teachers at Dhaka University, dragging them out and blindfolding them before killing them. Elsewhere in the city, soldiers attacked a police barracks and shot civilians on the streets.
Just hours later amid the violence and chaos — early on March 26 — the Bengali nationalist politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared independence for Bangladesh, sparking a nine-month war.
The fight for independence can be traced back to Britain’s colonial rule of the Indian subcontinent and the new nations that were carved out after its end in 1947. There was India and Pakistan, the latter split into West Pakistan and East Pakistan.
While most in West Pakistan and East Pakistan shared a common religion — Islam — there were key differences, including language, with Bengali being widely spoken in East Pakistan and Urdu in West Pakistan. That became a point of tension in East Pakistan as the West’s Urdu-speaking elite rose to power.
For years, hostilities and strikes dominated East Pakistan as calls for independence grew louder. A watershed moment occurred in 1970, when Rahman’s Awami League swept the polls in a national election. The military rejected the results, leading to a civil disobedience movement and more calls for independence.
The military responded with Operation Searchlight, the crackdown launched that March night in 1971.
The war would rage until December, when India joined on the side of Bangladesh. Finally on Dec. 16, 1971, Pakistan forces surrendered and Bangladesh celebrated its freedom.
(File Photo/AP)
Armed East Pakistan fighters head for the battle front by pedicab April 2, 1971, in Jessore, East Pakistan. The town, near the border with India, was the scene of fierce fighting between East Pakistan followers of Bengali nationalist leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Pakistan Army forces.
(File Photo/AP/Horst Faas)
Soldiers of the Mukti Bahini (standing), the military arm of Bangladesh, and three among four men who were to be executed (sitting) raise their palms Dec. 18, 1971, in Islamic prayer in Dacca, Bangladesh. The four men were executed publicly, witnessed by some five thousand people including children.
(File Photo/AP)
An East Pakistan refugee group seeking safety in India leaves Meherpur, East Pakistan, on April 19, 1971. The group had to seek safety after Bangladesh fighters were forced to retreat by Pakistani government troops.
(File Photo/AP)
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (right) welcomes Rahman on Feb. 6, 1972, as he arrives on a two-day visit to India at the Calcutta airport in India.
(File Photo/AP)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, East Pakistan’s Awami League party leader, addresses a mass gathering March 7, 1971, beneath the flag proposed for for a new country. At the time this photo was taken, the government in the Bengali-speaking Eastern province of Pakistan was running on an informal basis under Rahman’s leadership. On the day Rahman declared: “The struggle this time is for emancipation! The struggle this time is for independence!”
(File Photo/AP)
Evacuees stand beside a British transport plane Dec. 12, 1971, as it arrives at an airstrip to evacuate foreigners from the East Pakistani capital in Dacca. The evacuation took place during a six-hour truce after three attempts were turned back by gunfire.
(File Photo/AP/Horst Faas, Michel Laurent)
Bangladeshi guerrillas beat a victim Dec. 18, 1971, as they torture and execute four men suspected of collaborating with Pakistani militiamen accused of murder, rape and looting during months of civil war in Dacca, Bangladesh.
(File Photo/AP/Michel Laurent)
People of Pangsa village, East Pakistan chant “Joy Bangla” slogans April 9, 1971, to express support for Bengali nationalist leader Rahman and his Liberation Fighters.
(File Photo/AP)
Indian troops stand guard Dec. 8, 1971, at a road crossing to Dacca after capturing Jessore town, East Pakistan.