In one of the darkest chapters of the subcontinent's history, Pakistan Army unleashed Operation Searchlight - a planned pogrom of terror and violence unleashed on a section of its own population. The people of East Pakistan took refuge in India in millions, and the stage was set for an epic showdown.

Sources -

Official History of the 1971 India Pakistan War - MoD History Division

De-classified CIA and US State Department Documents

A Stranger in my own Country - Maj General Khadim Hussain Raja

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto - Six Steps to Summit - Kamaleshwar Sinha

The Betrayal of East Pakistan -- Lt Gen A.A.K. Niazi

Through the 1971 Crisis- An Eyewitness Account by a Soldier - Hakeen Arshad Qureshi

We've Learnt Nothing from History - Air Marshal Asghanr Khan

The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide - Gary J Bass

The collision course set by Pakistan's historic 1970 elections, where a massive democratic verdict was violently rejected by the West Pakistan. A devastating cyclone and cynical political manoeuvring led to the eventual launch of the brutal 'Operation Searchlight'.

This episode uncovers how a nation was torn apart by its own leaders.

Sources -

Official History of the 1971 India Pakistan War -- History Division

Memoirs of Lt. Gen. Gul Hassan Khan - Lt Gen Gul Hasan Khan

Pakistan’s Foreign Policy 1947-2019 - Abdul Sattar

A Stranger in my own Country - Maj General Khadim Hussain Raja

Memories & Reflections Of A Pakistani Diplomat - Sulltan Muhammad Khan

India-Pakistan in War & Peace - JN Dixit

We've Learnt Nothing from History - Asghanr Khan

The Struggle for Pakistan - Ayesha Jalal

Bhutto - a political biography - Salmaan Taseer

In the first of several episodes covering the 1971 India Pakistan War, we look at the key personalities who shaped the destinies of their respective countries through this conflict.

Sources -

A History of the Pakistan Army - Brian Cloughley

Official History of the 1971 India Pakistan War - History Division Ministry of Defence

The origins of war in South Asia- Indo-Pakistani conflicts - Sumit Ganguly

Interview with History - Oriana Fallaci

Declassified CIA and US State Department Document

A stalemate at the battle front and a summit in a distant Russian city led to 'Tashkent Declaration'. Was it one step forward, or two steps back? Listen to find out.

Sources -

Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan- His Life & Times - Stanley Wolpert

Bhutto - a political biography - Salmaan Taseer

From Kutch to Tashkent - the Indo Pakistan War of 1965 - Farooq Bajwa

The Struggle for Pakistan - Ayesha Jalal.

India-Pakistan in War & Peace - J. N Dixit

Pakistan's Drift into Extremism - Hassan Abbas

Declassified CIA and US State Department Documents

A daring misadventure in the desolate Rann of Kutch emboldened Pakistan to try a similar tactic in the North. This led to the 1965 war. Listen to the mistaken assumptions that Pakistan made and what happened when they turned out to be false.

Sources -

India-Pakistan in War & Peace - Dixit, J. N_

Pakistan’s Foreign Policy 1947-2019 - Abdul Sattar

Genesis of Indo-Pakistan conflict on Kashmir - V. D. Chopra, P.N. Haksar

South Asian Insecurity and the Great Powers - Barry Buzan

A History of the Pakistan Army - Brian Cloughley

The First Round - Indo Pakistan War 1965 - Air Marshal Asghar Khan

Memoirs of a Bystander - A Life in Diplomacy - Iqbal Akhund

The subcontinent became a playground for the Cold War rivalry, which further fuelled the conflict between India and Pakistan. With China's wildcard entry, the complexity increased.

Sources -

https://archive.thedailystar.net/forum/2011/December/revolution.htm

Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan- His Life & Times - Stanley Wolpert

South Asian Insecurity and the Great Powers - Barry Buzan

Explaining Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: Escaping India, author Aparna Pande

Jinnah- His Successes, Failures and Role in History - Ishtiaq Ahmed

Pakistan's Drift into Extremism - Hassan Abbas

TINDERBOX The past and Future of Pakistan - M.J. Akbar

Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954 Volume XI, Part 2 Africa and South Asia - US State DepartmentArchives

A History of the Pakistan Army - Brian Cloughley

The Wailing Vale - Aziz Beg.

The first decade after independence saw India and Pakistan set upon divergent paths that defines them who they are as nations even today. India strengthened its institutions and democracy, while Pakistan drifted into political vacuum leading to military dictatorship.In this episode we look at the circumstances, choices and decisions that led to this.

Sources -

Declassified CIA Documents - https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/historical-collections

Army and nation - Steven Wilkinson

Memoirs of Lt Gen Gul Hasan Khan - Lt Gen Gul Hasan Khan

The Struggle for Pakistan - Ayesha Jalal

The role of the United Nations in the Indo-Pak Conflict - Mohinder Singh Randhawa

Jinnah- His Successes, Failures and Role in History - Ishtiaq Ahmed

Pakistan Faces India - Aziz Beg

Declassified documents throw new light on the circumstances and reasons for partition of India.

Sources -

The Shadow of the Great Game - The Untold Story of India's Partition - Narendra Singh Sarila

War and Diplomacy in Kashmir, 1947-48 - C Dasgupta

Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1945, The British Commonwealth, The Far East, Volume VI

( https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1945v06 )

Jinnah - His Successes, Failures and Role in History - Ishtiaq Ahmed

Pakistan's Foreign Policy 1947-2019 - Abdul Sattar

The Struggle for Pakistan - Ayesha Jalal

Pakistan Faces India - Aziz Beg

Islam, Politics and The State - Asghar Khan

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto - Six Steps to Summit - Kamaleshwar Sinha

South Asian Insecurity and the Great Powers - Barry Buzan, Gowher Rizvi, Rosemary Foot, Nancy Jetly