Verbatim of Operation Searchlight: The Blueprint of Bengali Genocide in 1971

[Arnab]

Since it's bijoy dibosh, I think it is fitting to publish the blueprint of our genocide in 1971. Is it somewhere on the internet?

[Pundit]

Didn't know there was a BluePrint for the orchestrated 1971 genocide by the Pakistani Army forces. Always thought it was a fun game hastily put together by some Pindi loonies over wisky, just to fulfill an ancient tribal ritual of bloodfeast. Afterall, isn't that why the International Criminal courts never got its paw on them - they were, as they say in BD, "Pabna bound."

Anyway, I'm sure there are versions of this blueprint on Indian Propaganda websites....search for "Paki decimation of Dravidians" or stuff like that.

[Orpheus]

Operation Searchlight
(Effective 25 March Night)

OBJECTIVE

1. All Awami League activities are to be considered as rebellion. Those who support AL activities, oppose policies enforced by the martial law, are to be considered as traitors and necessary measures are to be taken against them.
2. Maximum cautions have to be taken as Awami League has a huge support among the people of various strata of society and not only among the East Pakistanis in the defense forces.

AIM

3. This OPS has to be simultaneously carried out all over the country
4. Maximum number of politicians, students' leaders, and progressive teachers and cultural activists has to be arrested
5. This OPS has to be 100% successful in Dacca. Dacca University has to be raided and thoroughly searched
6. Security in the Cantt area has to be ascertained. Anybody attempting attack on the Cantt has to be shot down
7. All communication, both internal and international, has to be disconnected. Telephone exchange, radio, TV, telex and transmitters in diplomatic missions have to be cut off.
8. West Pakistani troops are to take over the responsibility of patrol and arms depots and all East Pakistani members of the armed forces have to be disarmed. Same orders apply to both PAF and EPR.

STRATEGIES: SURPRISE AND DECEPTION

9. The president is requested to consider the necessity to keep the political dialogue ongoing at the highest level. The situation to be used to deceive Mujib. He is to be assured that despite Bhutto's disagreement, the president is to deliver a speech accepting all Awami League demands on 25 March.


10. TACTICS

A. As confidentiality is highest importance, hence the following are to be carried out by the troops deployed in different zones of the capital:
1. Raid Mujib's residence and arrest him storming through the main gate (this house is well protected and guarded)
2 Flush the university campus- specially Iqbal Hall (Dacca University), Liyaqat Hall (Technology University)
3.Close down Telephone Exchange
4. Identify those residences where arms are suspected to be stocked.
B No troops manoeuvring/ actions are to start until the telephone exchange is shut down.
C. None to be allowed to leave the Cantt after 2200 in the OPS night
D. More reinforcement has to be ascertained under any pretext in the following sites: president house, governor house, MNA hostel, radio station, TV and Telephone Exchange
E. A civil car can be used to raid Mujib's residence.

ACTION PLAN

11. A. H Hour: 0001 hrs
B. Schedule for Action
1. Commando (1PL) at Mujib's resident: 0100 hrs
2. Switch off Telephone Exchange: 0055 hrs
3.Raid university area: 0105
4.Troops to be sent to Rajarbagh Police HQ and other police stations: 0105 hrs
5. Raid residence of Mrs. Anwara Begum at 29 Dhanmondi rd: 0105 hrs
6. Curfew enforcement: to be enforced at 2300 hrs with sirens and loud speaker announcements. Initially for 30 minutes. No curfew pass to be issued. Only delivery and serious heart patients may be considered. It is to be announced that no newspapers to be published until further notice.
7. Troops to be sent on specific missions (flush Dacca university)-2300
8. Troops to be marched towards the university area; 0500
9. Search posts to be raised on roads and waterways: 0200

B. SCHEDULES FOR DAYTIME OPS

1. All suspected residences in Dhanmondi area has to be searched. So is Hindu residences in old Dacca areas.
2. all printing presses has to be closed. All the "cyclostyle" machines in university, colleges, physical trg instt and several other organizations and instt's including Technical instt has to be seized.
3. Tough curfew has to be enforced.
4. All political leaders has to be arrested

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ARMED FORCES

Respected BRG COMs are to do detail planning. But the following has to be done:

a. All East Bengalis serving in the Signals and other admin units has to be disarmed. Weapons can only be issued to West Pakistani troops. Explanation: We don't want to embarrass East Pakistani troops, at the same time we can't keep them on duty. They may not like it.
b. The Police forces have to be disarmed in all the police stations
c. The DG of the EPR has to take security measures about his forces
d. The Ansars have to hand over all weapons.

13 INFO TO BE ACQUIRED
a. The whereabouts of the following persons:
01. Sk Mujib
02. Nazrul Islam
03. Tajuddin
04. Osmani
05. Sirajul Alam
06. Mannan
07.Ataur Rahman
08. Prof Mujaffar
09. Ali Ahad
10. Matia Chowdhury
11.barrister Maudood
12. Faizul Huq
13. Tofael Ahmed
14. NA Siddiqui
15. Rauf
16. Makhan and other Students leaders

b Situations of all the Police Stations and the total number of weapons.
c. Locations of the bases and arms depots
d. Locations of the training camps
e. Locations of the cultural organizations encouraging military training's among the Bengali youth
f. Names and addresses of ex officers of regular forces actively supporting the resistance forces.

14. COMMAND AND CONTROL: two com bases are to be established
a. Dacca area
Command: Major General Forman Ali
Staff: Eastern Command Staff/or, MLHQ
Troops: Already deployed in Dacca city

B. Other areas of the province
Command: Major General KH Raja
Staff: 14 Div HQ
Troops: All forces deployed in other areas except Dacca

15 SECURITY OF THE CANTONMENT
1st phase: Withdrawal of weapons from all forces including PAF
16. Provision of Info
a. Security affairs
b. Blue Print

ENTAILMENT OF DUTIES OF THE ARMED FORCES
Dacca Area
Command & Control: Major General Rao Forman Ali
Head Quarter: MLA Zone: B
Forces:
Troops of 57 Brig HQ deployed in Dacca i.e. 18 Punjab, 32 Punjab (CO in charge Lt Col Taj), 22 Beluch, 13 Frontier Force, 31 Field Reg, 13 Light AA Reg and 3 Commando Units from Comilla
uties:
1. To disarm 2 EBR, 10 EBR, EPR-HQ (2500) and Reserve Police forces in Rajarbagh
2. Take over the Radio, TV, State Bank and the Telephone Exchange
3. Arrest all Awami League leaders (list will be provided)
4. Take over the control of the Iqbal and Zagannath Halls of Dacca university and Liyakat Hall of Technology university
5.Take over the control of security of the ammo depot and factory at Gazipur and Rajendrapur
The rest of the troops and 14 Div HQ are to be under Major Gen Khadem Hossain Raja

JESSORE
Armed Forces
107 Brig HQ, 25 Beluch, 24 Fld Reg and 55 Fld Reg
Duty
1. Disarm 1 EB Reg, Sec HQ of EPR and Reserve Police and take over weapons from the Ansars
2. Take control of the Jessore town and arrest the leaders of Awami League and Students' League
3. Occupy Telephone and Telegraph exchanges
4. Specify security zone and guard them-Jessore Cantt, Jessore town, Khulna-Jessore road and airport.
5. Disband the Kustia telephone Exchange
6. reinforce troops in Khulna if needed

KHULNA
Armed Forces
22 FF
Duty
1. Town security
2. Occupy Tel Exchange and Radio Station
3. Disarm the Wing HQ of EPR, Res Coy and the Reserve Police
4. Arrest the leaders of Awami League, the communists and the students

RANGPUR/SYEDPUR
Armed Forces
23 Brig HQ, 29 Cavalry, 26 FF and 23 Fld reg
Duty
1. Security of Rangpur/Syedpur
2.Disarm 3 EBR
3. If possible disarm the Sec HQ of EPR at Dinajpur, Res Coys and send replacement troops to various border posts
4.Occupy Tel Exchange and Radio Station at Rangpur
5. Arrest the Awami League and the students' leaders
6. Take control of the arms depot in Bogra

RAJSHAHI
Armed Forces
25 Punjab
Duty
1. To send Safqat Beluch as the CO
2. To occupy Tel Exchange and Radio Station
3. To disarm the Sec HQ of EPR and the reserve police forces
4. To take control of Rajshahi Uni & medical college
5. To arrest the Awami League and the students' leaders

SYLHET
Armed Forces
31 Punjab excluding 1 COY
Duty
1. Occupy Tel Exchange and Radio Station
2. Disarm the Sec HQ of EPR and the reserve police forces
3. Occupy airport
4. Arrest the Awami League and students' leaders

COMILLA
Forces
53 Fld Reg, 1 1/2 Morter Battaeries, Station Troops, 3 Commando BN (excluding 1 coy)
Duty
1. Disarm 4 EBR, Sec HQ of EPR and reserve police forces
2. Occupy Tel Exchange
3. Take control over Comilla town
4. Arrest the Awami League and the students' leaders

CHITTAGONG
Armed Forces
20 Beluch, 1 COY of 31 Punjab, 24 FF, Heavy Guns and Fld COY ENGRS. Moreover, at 0000 hrs, i.e. on the commencement of the OPS, Brg Iqbal is to reach Chittagong on road from Comilla with his COM & TAC HQ and BBL forces
Duty
1. Disarm EBR, Sec HQ, EPR, EBRC and reserve police forces
2. Occupy the central arms depot of the Police forces (20,000 weapons)
3. Occupy Radio station and Tel Exchange
4. Establish contact with Pakistan Navy (COMDR Momtaz)
5. Establish contact with CO 8 EB, Zhanzhua and Saigree. They are to command until Brg Iqbal shafi arrives in Chittagong
6. Attempts at disarm to be withheld if CO Zhanzhua and Saigree appears confident of their authority in command. In that case, the main road leading to the city has to be blocked with a company in "defensive Position".
7. I am taking Brig Majumder with me. CI Chowdhury of EBRC has to be arrested on the OPS night.
8. After carrying out all the above arrest the Awami League and the students' leaders

[Arnab]

Ah yes there it is.

Orph, where did you get it? I know it's documented in Bangladesh War Museums and similar places but couldn't find a comprehensive version such as this one on the net.

Pundit, I don't know which particular brainwash method you were subjected to by (I'm guessing) your elders/history educators, but I believe the blueprint easily shows how cold and calculated this genocide was. Hitler would have been proud. In fact, in terms of efficiency in killing so many innocent people in such a short amount of time and in causing such a large mass deportation of refugees, I think the Pakistanis easily put the Nazis to shame.

[Edited on 16-12-2003 by Arnab]

[Orpheus]

Hitler would have been proud

HAHA

I got that copy from a personal webpage.. here is the address..

http://members.tripod.com/scohel/page35.html

they got some nasty pictures there... so be ready!

[Pundit]

Just to clarify, Arnab -

surely you did not think that I am in a state of denial, did you ? All I was trying to fathom is that if there was such a document, why should it be so elusive (internet or not) to the point that a person with your search abilities is needing to query?

Anyway, the document seems to merely elaborate details on military methods to squelch rebellion/resistance from what is perceived by them as a civil disorder on a grand scale to undermine the independence of their country i.e, Pakistan !! Surely, on the 25th, no country had acknowledged the separation of East Pakistan from West Pakistan. No formal declaration of INDEPENDANCE had even been made (was one ever made ?).

Ofcourse however, the crime lies in the manner with which it was executed - the human rights violation (to put it very mildly), and the ensuing genocide.

Pakistan's mass murders in BD are certainly 2nd or close to it, in the history of genocide making (whether one assumes that 300,000 people perished, or about 150,000, as the Newsweek magazine had put it, in its last estimate).

Surely, the master of all genocide planning would be that of Reinhard Heydrich at the Wannsee conference ?

Requesting your further illumination on these matters.

[Pundit]

Just to clarify, Arnab -

surely you did not think that I am in a state of denial, did you ? All I was trying to fathom is that if there was such a document, why should it be so elusive (internet or not) to the point that a person with your search abilities is needing to query?

Anyway, the document seems to merely elaborate details on military methods to squelch rebellion/resistance from what is perceived by them as a civil disorder on a grand scale to undermine the independence of their country i.e, Pakistan !! Surely, on the 25th, no country had acknowledged the separation of East Pakistan from West Pakistan. No formal declaration of INDEPENDANCE had even been made (was one ever made ?).

Ofcourse however, the crime lies in the manner with which it was executed - the human rights violation (to put it very mildly), and the ensuing genocide.

Pakistan's mass murders in BD are certainly 2nd or close to it, in the history of genocide making (whether one assumes that 300,000 people perished, or about 150,000, as the Newsweek magazine had put it, in its last estimate).

Surely, the master of all genocide planning would be that of Reinhard Heydrich at the Wannsee conference ?

Requesting your further illumination on these matters.

[Arnab]

Anyway, the document seems to merely elaborate details on military methods to squelch rebellion/resistance from what is perceived by them as a civil disorder on a grand scale to undermine the independence of their country i.e, Pakistan !!

I am sure you didn't read the blueprint carefully.

Let's recap the situation. The operation is about arresting ALL Awami Leaguers and killing every one who resists such arrest. Now Awami League is not a small political party. It just won ALL but one seat in East Pakistan. And supported by all strata in East Pakistan Bengali society. Since almost EVERYONE in Bangladesh voted for Awami League and supported the party, the blueprint basically suggests "Arrest/Kill all Bengalis." Is it truly so unfathomable?

Think of the logic in your reasoning. The people in the country democratically VOTED a party to power, and the then ruling faction was going to deny it through firstly deception and then killing/arresting ALL the supporters of the party. And you are trying to portray the people's call for legitimate transfer of power as a "civil disorder in a grand scale" !!! Plotting up a cold blooded scheme to decieve before arresting the supporters (basically the whole country) of a democratically victorious party and killing those who dissent is a mere case of "squelching the rebellion"!!!

That's rich.

[Zobair]

Aah the blueprint....


I don't think the west Pakistani army came with the intention of killing one and all. The intention was to be as forceful as decisive as possible. When they talk about the Awami league people they talk about party activists. People vote for parties (often because they identify strongly with an issue- in this case their rights!) but that doesn't make them activists nor do they identify themselves as such. The scale of the resistance and the ensuing frustration, and some seriously rotten apples in the west pakistani army (one rotten apple can eventually get a whole lot rotten if you know what I mean) took advantage of the usual lawlessness associated with the civil war and perpetrated some heinous crimes (rapes and murder of innocent people). Unfortunately thats part of human nature. Nevertheless the crimes that were comitted were often in cold blood and with the knowledge that they won't be persecuted.

The blueprint above is for forcefully and decisively and quickly ending what they perceive as a civil war problem not for a large scale genocide. Please don't let your emotions cloud your judgement. The blueprint was to arrest the troublemakers quickly calm things down as soon as possible and move on before things got too hot. No one wanted a genocide. Not in the beginning. Not when the blueprint was written. I can so see a military planner coming up with such a plan. No emotions. No good. No bad. Just get the job done.

It even offers an explanation as to why the east pakistan army has to be disarmed.....

Explanation: We don't want to embarrass East Pakistani troops, at the same time we can't keep them on duty. They may not like it.

It is a very rational explanation. The civil war was by its nature a very nationalistic one and they were not taking any chances.

Anyways, the thing I find very shocking about this blueprint is that whoever prepared it had already decided the 'fate' of the 'disagreement' in favour of bhutto. It smacks to me of a 'we' versus 'us'. It is obvious they didnot care about our opinion or will. Arrogance! they thought they had it all figured out! Arrest a few people, kill a couple if necessary and all will be hunky dory! HAH!

[Edited on 17-12-2003 by pompous]

[Pundit]

Arnab -

Thanks for your additional comments.

But obviously, your judgement is driven here by hindsight, and with much emphasis on the effect portion of this "cause and effect" binding relationship that you are dilligently establishing.

Ofcourse, no matter what I argue here will by any means understate the sequel of monstrosity that was to take place in the following months. I hope you factor that into your thought process.

Maybe what I am trying to understand here is whether this document was established to derail efforts to establish East Pakistan as an independent country, or was it to prohibit the majority representation from acquiring its due legitimate power ?

Anyway, neither of us are by any means lesser of a Bangladeshi than the other -so to insinuate that ones interpretation of facts revolving around an event is more correct than the other simply on the basis of the side taken or opinion established, is exactly a reason why political parties now in BD are so screwed up !

Ok, before I begin incurring the wrath of Arnab's teutonic level of intelligent response once again, I admit my subjugation to it.

[Pundit]

Ooops, it looks like Pompous beat to me in posting a response !

But I think I am more leaning towards his explanation here.

Who needs to debate on the objective of a document, when the fact is out their in the open, and by the millions !!!

[Arnab]

Pundit, "teutonic"? I don't even know what that means.

But please, don't play the victim before I even reply to your posts. Show a little chuttzpah at least. Come on.

I will try to respond rationally, only after I erase the incredulous look on my face that I managed after reading both of your posts. It's tough to 'hojom' such naivete and implicit sympathy (I hope uninteneded) for the Pak Army in your "interpretations."

[rafiq]

Pompous:

What makes you think the military plan didn't consider worst case scenarios? I know you have to be somewhat familiar with millitary plans and the multiple scenarios that are run, even back then. I can see that you may think there was no pre-planned genocide, but isn't that a moot point since there was one, whether pre-planned or accidental?

Do you really think the Pak Army was so dumb that they thought they would waltz over, dismantle the entire country and only have to kill "a couple of people"? That, as they were rounding up people - politicians, intellectuals, students, journalists, artists, "troublemakers" et al - no one would resist, no one would get hurt, not a shot would be fired?

How is it possible to "take control" with troops, tanks, bulldozers etc without harming those you are taking control of?

I don't know why you and Arnab are debating whether this Blueprint was for a genocide or something milder such as a crackdown. There is a lot of documentation elsewhere on how Bengalis (not necessarily only Awami Leaguers, please note) were going to be taught a lesson. And a lesson we were surely taught, weren't we? So what does it matter whether this blueprint or some other genocide project plan was ever created or not for that purpose? How do you say "no one wanted a genocide.. not in the beginning". How do you come to this conclusion - by reading this one document?

Before engaging, a military force comes up with rules of engagement, especially when engaging a civilian population. What do you think the rules of engagement were for the Pak army? What do you think the upper limits and boundaries were?

Genocide doesn't need a blueprint. Ours didn't. We're all on the same side, let's stop apologising and trying to find some good in what was pure evil.

[Arnab]

I don't know why you and Arnab are debating whether this Blueprint was for a genocide or something milder such as a crackdown.

Come on Rafiq bhai. Nobody's claiming that the Pakistani Army had a document titled "The Step-by-Step Manual for Commiting a Genocide." It is NOW called a "blueprint" (in hindsight, of course) because that's what it was, de-facto.

Operation Searchlight was effective on the 25th of March, and we only need to remember what happened on that VERY night how the objectives of that operation were interpreted by the Pakistani military personnels. When you kill an excess of 25 thousand helpless civilians on the VERY FIRST NIGHT of your so-called "operation," only someone with a malfunctioning brain/someone under severe denial/someone trying to pretend to be politically correct or whatever (yeah, spare me the accusations of personal attacks ok, I will call a spade a spade) will argue that it was not a de-facto blueprint of indiscriminate mass-killing.

I am not trying to portray anyone as less "Bangladeshi" or whatever. I don't care much for "patriotism" anyway. But, the line of thinking of some of you guys is very interesting, to say the least.

[Edited on 17-12-2003 by Arnab]

[Zobair]

Ok fine...I admit it! The blueprint is that of a genocide, as the outcome so clearly showed, and they had already decided to wipe as many of us out as possible right from the word go. It was not an army made up of individuals, of humans like us, it was the army of darkness (much like in the Lord of the rings :P), killing machines made in a factory one and all, pure evil.
Ok I think I went too far, I am sorry. Rafiq bhai, you don't deserve this from a young good-fer-nothin kiddo like me who doesn't know what he is talking about :P

[rafiq]

Do smileys somehow make a point in this conversation. If so, what?

[chinaman]

Bhooooooo, I think.

Easy go on him, will ya?

[Zobair]

To keep what can get an ugly intense emotional exchange somewhat friendly...

[Zobair]

Not that there is anything wrong in being emotional...the events as they happened, anyone who has a heart will get emotional. I am just suspicious of the obssessive mentality. That is more dangerous than any one realises. You see, the way i look at things, the main reason we have wars and conflicts is because we tend to dehumanise the opposition. It makes it easier to kill and plunder, easier for your conscience, when the time comes! Bush calls Syria, Iraq and North Korea pure evil. Bin Laden calls(ed!) America and the West pure evil. Serbs thought Muslims were evil. Hitler thought Jews were evil. Hutus thought tutsis were evil. I bet the west Pakistani army personnel who committed the atrocities thought Bengali Hindus and their 'muslim' 'sustainers' were evil. We have to be careful what sort of mentality we have because someday if we are in a position to inflict harm on others it will make it a whole lot easier if we think they are evil anyways and its ok to rape their women and kill their men. On the otherhand, if we know that they are humans like us, fallible like us, good and bad like us, then we will think at least before we repeat history. Unfortunately, education doesnot breed that kind of understanding. Communication between people. Not just communication but living day in and day out does. I was fortunate enough to live with a serb, a rwandan Hutu, an ethiopian and an Indian for two years when I was in high school. I am not talking about breeding a common global culture. Alternative perspectives are refreshing but life would be whole lot more pleasant if people just listened to other people and knew where they were coming from before making up their minds. We would avoid a lot of crap that happens these days. Not that you didn't know that already!

[Edited on 17-12-2003 by pompous]

[Pundit]

Just let go, Pompous !!

No matter how objectively you present your thought process, some will simply not budge. This is their nature - they have to have the last word !!

Arnab - yes, we the disfranchised individuals in this argument submit to your desire to display this piece of document next to your degree certifications. We know it is exactly that important to you.

Ciao.

[rafiq]

Well I agree with all that of course.

Take obsession, however. Some people want to guard against obsession over 1971 events, supposedly so everyone can be even-handed and fair and, to use terminology from this thread, not denounce whole groups of people as "evil". Also to "look forward", "move on", "solve today's problems" etc.

All of that is fair game, we should definitely be forward looking and not stuck in the past. But I think too many of our compatriots have swung the pendulum too far to the other side, where now they obsess over how to stop people from obsessing over 1971. And that leads to questions and doubts over this and that aspect of 1971. And in time questions and doubts become the truth because "that's my opinion". Pretty soon no one really knows what actually happened, it's all debatable and "emotional". You have to go dig up manifestos and blueprints on the Internet to read about it, analyze it and ultimately come to your conclusions. (And that is if you are interested in the first place, most people couldn't even be bothered about history.)

There are some high quality articles in the Daily Star over the last couple of days. What struck me in particular is the argument that Bangladesh was founded on a people's search for freedom and self-determination (as was the US for one). Yet the net result of 3 decades of political and social division is that those founding principles hardly matter any more and can no longer be applied. So one can ask in hindsight, why did they bother with the freedom struggle in the first place? Is that obsession?

[chinaman]

Oneday I might kill someone is excuse only for naive to say killing is lesser evil.

It's not about calling evil but acting evil. The truth is we don't know the whole truth. We all know what happened but we might not know everything about how it happened. And that haunts us, even after that many years, from personal scale to a national one and even more so in this month, wheather some people appreciate it or not.

[Shubho]

Honestly speaking, I too have my doubts as to the "pre-planned" nature of the genocide. This blueprint seems a little concocted.

Anyway, none of that is important. The bottom line is, those illiterate necrophiliacs came to our country, killed our people, raped our women, plundered our wealth, slaughtered our intellectuals...and all in a cold and calculated manner. To this day we haven't heard an apology. To this day no Pakistani has ever admitted the TRUE history of their failed nation state. May the majority of them burn in hell. And while they are alive, may the Taliban set up shop there, so that the Americans have yet another country to invade.

[Arnab]

I am pretty sure the verbatim of the operation searchlight is NOT concocted. Whether you call it a "blueprint" for mass genocide or not depends on your line of thinking.

I, sharing a view of many other historians, call it a "blueprint" of our genocide.

-------

But I don't understand why calling it a 'blueprint" gets under your guys skin. Exactly what bothers you so much about it? Is it because it demonizes the then Pak authority by showing its calculated, cold-blooded schemes?

Does it bother you that somehow this so-called "blueprint" can be used as arguments against those depraved monsters to prove them guilty, had there been a trial to judge their atrocities, a la nuremburg?

Maybe that thought didn't even cross your mind, I guess?

Do you have relatives who are actually related to these thugs? Why such outpourings "benefits of the doubt" regarding their cold-blooded calcualtions?

I find these reactions VERY interesting.

[Edited on 18-12-2003 by Arnab]

[Shubho]

...no misrepresentations, please.