By- Nava Thakuria
In the decisive war against Pakistan in 1971, India won and a new nation was born, but a small State in eastern part of Bharat had to pay a heavy price with millions of East Pakistan refugees, for which Assam still cries but nobody cares. With an absorbent border with Bangladesh and unconvincing political will from the government, augmented by continued callous attitude of majority Asomiya people, the situation remains grim even today. New Delhi supported the Mukti Bahini (the freedom aspiring Bengalis of East Pakistan) in their movement against West Pakistan and finally the atrocious Pakistan forces had to surrender on 16 December 1971. But the newly born sovereign country was not approached to return back its millions of refugees and migrants from the eastern Indian localities.
The situation turned so complicated that when a kind of accord was signed in 1985 to address the historic Assam agitation, the cut-off year for detecting illegal migrants in the State had to be compromised (slipping to 25 March 1971 from the national base year). The argument was that the Bangladesh government in Dhaka was not ready to accept East Pakistani nationals. Hence it was not possible to deport those illegal migrants (mostly Muslims) from India. Pressure was mounted on the young agitators to accept all those illegal migrants as Indians. But the question remains why the agitators (members of All Assam Students Union and Asom Gana Sangram Parishad) did not ask the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (who was present on the occasion) to sign the memorandum of settlement (drifted as Assam Accord). Nobody in Assam questioned the central government why Assam was dumped with all the migrants (logically turned Indians) and no other States were asked to share the burden.
As any Union minister did not sign the so-called accord, it was not necessary to debate in the Parliament. No Parliamentarian even raised the issue, why a tiny State was left to accept nearly 2.5 millions of new-found Indians. Precisely little was written in the mainstream media and also the intellectuals avoided talking about the injustice to the Asomiya community by imposing the huge burden. Probably it was not realized, if all the refugees/migrants were dumped in Assam, its negative implications would surface some day for the entire nation. Not to blame others, the very Assamese political analysts, journalist-writers and social activists did not highlight the menace properly at that time and almost everybody turned ‘happier than ever’ with a new government of Asom Gana Parishad (led by mostly former AASU leaders) in Dispur.
You can say everyone emerged a ‘winner in the anti-foreigner movement and post-agitation era’ except the common dwellers of Assam, who continued crying for justice. The water in Brahmaputra kept flowing and soon the menace of demographic changes hit the State severely to wake up those ‘happy’ individuals. Not only Assam, many other parts of the country also faced the music of hazardous illegal Bangladeshi migrants in recent times. Strong observations by the apex court and subsequent actions (may not be sufficient) by the government become now visible. The growing anti-Pakistani wave among the countrymen after the Pahalgam terror attack in the Kashmir valley made the situation more charged and suddenly the illegal migrants from Bangladesh became a national concern (even though it should/could have taken place a few decades back).
The issue of India’s role in Bangladesh Liberation War came alive with a commanding message from Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, where he categorically stated that the then Congress government led by Indira Gandhi lost a historic opportunity in the process. India’s military victory was decisive and historic that broke Pakistan in two parts (creating Bangladesh), but it was only a part of the primary goal. The soldiers delivered a stunning battlefield success, however India’s political leadership failed to secure lasting strategic gains out of the situation, asserted the saffron leader. What could have been a new regional order was reduced to a one-sided act of generosity, said CM Sarma, adding, had Mrs Gandhi been alive today, the nation would have questioned her for mishandling the decisive military victory materialized by the Indian armed forces!
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader pointed out that no agreement was signed with Dhaka for sending back those illegal migrants and as a result Assam as well as other north-eastern States and West Bengal have to face unchecked population pressure instigating political instability and social unrest. Moreover, India supported a secular Bangladesh, but in 1988 Islam was declared their state religion, and now the political Islam thrives in the populous country undermining the very values New Delhi fought to protect, stated Sarma, adding that Hindus, once over 20% of Bangladesh’s population have currently dwindled to below 8% ‘due to systematic discrimination and violence’.
Reacting to the recent Congress outbursts over the ‘abrupt ceasefire’ of aggression against Pakistan (generated after the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam massacre of 26 innocent civilians by the Pakistan sponsored Islamist terrorists), where it was tried to establish that Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned soft unlike his predecessor Mrs Gandhi during the Bangladesh Mukti Juddho, the outspoken Assamese politician reiterated that New Delhi lost an opportunity to negotiate on Siliguri corridor (Chicken’s Neck, the narrow strip of land connecting North-east with the rest of India). Sarma also questioned why the Gandhi-led government did not secure access to the strategic Chittagong port in Bangladesh and also reclaim the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Mentionable is that the opposition Congress, which made a hue and cry after the government agreed to cease the military escalation against Pakistan, opined that the former premier defeated Pakistani forces led by General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi in Bangladesh to divide the Islamic Republic. The country’s oldest political party also raised a serious question, if PM Modi accepted the ceasefire proposal from Islamabad on 10 May following the direction of US President Donald J. Trump, who incidentally made a series of astonishing comments on social media about the de-escalation between the two neighbouring nuclear-armed south Asian nations taking some credits for himself over the resolution.
Lately, a large number of Indians come out wishing to divide Pakistan again (repeating Bangladesh episode in Balochistan) and indirectly expressed unhappiness over the cessation of armed confrontations against Islamabad even though they admit Operation Sindoor and follow-up aggressions achieved success. Meanwhile, the Baloch community of India came asking New Delhi to extend support to their causes by raising the issue of Balochistan at the national and international levels. They also appealed to the lawmakers for adopting a resolution in the Parliament recognizing the legitimate freedom struggle of Balochs and facilitate entry of Baloch political activists in exile granting asylum. Under the banner of Baloch Welfare Association, they sought permission to establish a Balochistan Representative Office (or Embassy) in India. They also pleaded to “The Baloch people have lived in India for centuries. We proudly call this land our home. Our ancestors stood shoulder to shoulder with Indian revolutionaries, sacrificing their lives in the fight for independence from British colonialism. Our Love for India is not recent, but inherited, lived, and cherished through generations,” said a letter of Baloch Welfare Association to the PMO, adding that ‘a free and democratic Balochistan will not only bring peace to Balochs but also serve India’s long-term strategic, security, and geopolitical interest in south Asia. The people of Balochistan always look for India with hope and the Indian Balochs wish to see this historic connection transformed into a reality. Days back, Free Balochistan Movement chief Hyrbyair Marri requested New Delhi to hand over Jinnah’s House in Mumbai to the Baloch people. From the iconic bungalow, where Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah made plans to divide Bharat, the Balochs should be allowed to plan for the independence of Balochistan, stated Marri.
New Delhi remains silent on supporting the independence of Balochistan, even though the Baloch freedom fighters mentioned about the birth of Bangladesh with the help of Indian armed forces. The Baloch leaders based in different parts of the globe continue urging New Delhi for the necessary support and recognition for Balochistan. However it will be a matter of observation, if New Delhi gives consent to their wish, as the development will disappoint the Communist regime of China, which has launched a series of economic activities in Pakistan comprising the Balochistan localities. Even Iran and Afghanistan will get entangled with the independence of Balochistan, as both the neighboring countries support a sizable Baloch population in their territories.
Nonetheless, the emergence of Balochistan may hardly affect any Indian State as the prerequisite (primarily no border sharing) is missing here unlike that of Bangladesh.
