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Siddiq Salik
ISBN # : 0195772644
Publisher: Oxford
(1 Reviews)
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Siddiq Salik spent 1971 in Dhaka as a uniquely privileged observer and participant in the political and human drama that culminated in the Indo-Pakistan war and the creation of Bangladesh. Salik was taken prisoner by the Indian forces after the fall of Dhaka and remained a prisoner of war until 1973. His was the first detailed account of the war to appear from Pakistan after the separation of the eastern wing. This authoritative, dispassionate narrative, firmly anchored in fact, sets the scene with a comprehensive overview of the political turbulence of the period and goes on to offer a detailed account of the war.

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Asif Dewani

It could be one of the detailed accounts of how Dacca fell but it ensures that version is censored to suit Pakistani audience largely. At many of the places, one will find contradictions in writer's own views. Though, it admits wrong doings on part of Pakistani army but at first place it does not mention the whole lot of atrocities that army is alleged of. Hence, writer's job in justifying what he reported, was made much easier. India is to be blamed for a lot of it - as writer goes but it seldom touches the subtle topics like treatment of East Pakistanis by western leadership since the dawn of independence which led them to six points agenda. I had also read, A. R. Siddiqui's Chronicles of War and when both the write-ups are compared it gives an impression that despite sharing possibly many of the details - both the army men have shared merely half of the story or even less then that. The condemn-able thing was the massacre committed by both the sides i.e. from freedom fighters as well as from army but from neutral standpoint - army was considered as an oppression army and once such a belief penetrates, freedom fighters may have found easy justifications for their actions. It also raises a lot of questions on army's strength to govern the state politically. It failed on all fronts, and did not lose the war to India only but it failed to muster international community to see the alleged wrong-doings by forces from other side of the border. The book is a good read though but should not solely be relied on to understand what happened in 1971 and the years leading to that.

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