biggest internal crisis. The military dictator of Pakistan, General Yahya Khan, promised a democratic government and ordered elections. The election produced a split verdict-West Pakistan was won by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto while Awami league led by Sheik Mujib-urRahman swept the polls in East Pakistan. But the government of Pakistan refused to accept the verdict as well as the demand of Awami League for a greater autonomy for East Pakistan. Instead, they arrested Mujib-urRahman and unleashed a reign of terror. India was faced with an influx of refugees from East Pakistan. Supporters of Mujibur Rahman organised a liberation struggle in the form of ‘Mukti Bahini’. India under its Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, began to provide support to it and tried to win international support for its cause. India also signed a treaty of friendship with the USSR which promised support to India.
Lal Bahadur Shastri, in a rally in Delhi after the end of the war, decried the attempt of Pakistan to use religious symbolism in the war claiming it to be a war of Muslims against Hindus. He proudly stated that India was a secular country. “The unique thing about our country is that we have Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis and people of all other religions. We have temples and mosques, gurudwaras and churches. But we do not bring this all into politics… This is the difference between India and Pakistan. Whereas Pakistan proclaims herself to be an Islamic State and uses religion as a political factor, we Indians have freedom to follow whatever religion we may choose [and] worship in any way we please. So far as politics is concerned, each of us is as much as Indian as the other.” |
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A full-scale war broke out with Pakistan in December 1971. The war ended only after the liberation of East Pakistan leading to the creation of Bangladesh and declaration of ceasefire by India. Later, the Shimla agreement was signed between the countries under the leadership of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Since the 1971 war, there has been no open war, but innumerable border skirmishes and battles over respective positions across the border. You may have heard of the ‘Kargil War’ in which anti-Indian militants had occupied portions of Indian territory with the backing of Pakistani army and had to be repelled through a major military operation in 1999.
Pakistan has, over the years, encouraged separatist movements in the border states of India like Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir. India has often accused Pakistan of not only supporting such movements but actively training and sending religious extremists to foment trouble in India. Pakistan, in turn, has been accusing India of trying to destabilise it and constantly threatening it with military action and stockpiling of nuclear arms and missiles. This has also led to the two countries spending inordinate amounts of scarce funds on arming themselves against each other. Both the countries have nuclear weapons and believe that this would act as a deterrent.
At the same time, given the long history of shared culture and civilisation, the people of India and Pakistan have often tried to overcome the hatred nurtured by