Jhaur War of 1971

This documentary, a production of RAVA Documentary Films, provides a detailed account of the circumstances surrounding the events in East Pakistan (today’s Bangladesh) despite the passage of five decades. The three nations involved in the tragedy—India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh—cling to their own specific versions of what remains one of the most defining events in the history of South Asia.

The documentary underscores the need to examine these myths and reveal the truth about the events surrounding the war. It also seeks to revive memories with facts and objective analysis, as well as exposing previously unknown information, to give us all a better historical and accurate narrative.

The documentary also unravels the international political machinations played on the Pakistani soil, while portraying an impartial analysis of an unfortunate string of events well before the war, eventually leading to the separation of East Pakistan. It exposes some of the blatantly incorrect notions that have been propagated over time through manipulation and foul play on the part of the Indian press.

Through exclusive interviews of eyewitnesses, authors, politicians, war veterans and rare archival footage, the documentary series traces the first-account narratives outlining the reasons as well as events leading up to the Indian sponsored rebellion in East Pakistan, with the eventual creation of an independent state of Bangladesh. 

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Episode 1

The year 1970 was a watershed for East Pakistan in that the general elections were held for the first time in the country’s history. Ironically, these elections were not held by any so-called champion of democracy like a politician, a bureaucrat, or a minister but by then Chief Marshal Law Administrator Gen. Yahya Khan.

Episode 2

This episode highlights the gory anti-Bihari violence perpetrated by Bengalis, as well as the Pakistan Army’s subsequent military crackdown— 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 —launched in March 1971 in an attempt to quell the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan.

Episode 3

Battle of Hili —A defining moment that precipitated a string of events that weighed heavily against Pakistan. A body blow to an otherwise charged armed force that was all ready to turn India into smithereens. Indeed, a watershed that prompted analysts and war veterans to look within and admit the war could’ve taken a different course if Pakistan had a better plan and strategy in place.

Episode 4

Reality bites! This phrase fits perfectly when it comes to the denouement of the 1971 war. True, dice were loaded against us, but we lost it also due to our own shortcomings and miscalculations. The ground we ceded in that tragic war drove us to look within, helping us pull ourselves together to fight our enemy with more vigor and better strategy in the future.

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