1971
Submitted by nazirahmed on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 06:14.
- January 14: Plebiscite Front led by Sheikh Abdullah is banned by the Indian Home Ministry under Unlawful Activities Act to keep it out of State elections.
- January 30: Ganga, an Indian Airlines Fokker Friendship airliner with 30 passengers and crew on board is hijacked to Lahore while flying from Srinagar to Jammu by two young Kashmiris seeking release of 36 political prisoners in Indian-held Kashmir, asylum in Pakistan for them and their families' which are still in Srinagar.
- February 1: The hijackers release passengers and crew who cross over into India.
- February 2: Airliner set on fire and destroyed by hijackers before India can take decision on their demands. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, whose PPP has scored runaway victories in Punjab and Sindh in December 1970 elections, declares that the hijackers are "two brave men" and have shown that "no power on earth can stifle the Kashmiris' struggle for liberation.
- February 3: India holds Pakistan responsible for destruction of aircraft.
- February 4: India announces that it has suspended with immediate effect over flight of all Pakistani aircraft, both civil and military over Indian territory. It also demands that hijackers be surrendered by Pakistan. Pakistan replies that the hijacking is directly attributable to Indian repression in Kashmir and also protests against continuing hostile demonstrations outside its Delhi mission and burning of some of its property. Meanwhile, political crisis in Pakistan deepens every day with no chance of compromise between Sheikh Mujibur Rehman's Awami League and Z.A. Bhutto's PPP, with Gen Yahya Khan's military regime acting most dubiously.
- Meanwhile, G.M. Sadiq, Chief Minister of occupied Kashmir calls hijacking an Indian plot and one of the two hijackers is an Indian intelligence agent. This is confirmed by Sheikh Abdullah one week later. People in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, however, continue to view hijackers as Kashmiri heroes. Pakistan government believes entire episode has been staged to isolate East Pakistan and make it difficult for federal authority to ship arms and soldiers there.
- March 25: Yahya Khan cracks down on Awami League which has for weeks been defying federal authority and demanding transfer of power. Army units fan out all over East Pakistan and there is much wanton killing, some of it in revenge for atrocities committed by Bengalis against West Pakistanis and Biharis. Hundreds of thousands of refugees pour into West Bengal and situation goes from bad to worse each day. Indians arm and train East Pakistanis extensively in coming months and province is plunged into violence with no sign of a political settlement since Yahya Khan has declared Mujib traitor. Indian infiltration increases and Pakistani garrison is stretched out and finds itself beleaguered and short on resources.
- December 3: To relieve pressure on East Pakistan, Yahya Khan authorizes attack on India from West. This operation makes no headway, but gives India the excuse it has been looking for.
- December 16: Full-scale military invasion of East Pakistan by Indian army gets underway and after some fighting Pakistani commander Gen. A.K. Niazi surrenders. Cease-fire declared in West.
- December 20: Yahya Khan steps down and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto takes over as President of Pakistan. East Pakistan has meanwhile declared itself independent and is Bangladesh.
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