East Pakistan the Endgame : An Onlooker's Journal 1969-1971/Abdul Rahman Siddiqi. Reprint. New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2005, xv, 260 p., photographs, ISBN 0-19-579993-3.

    Contents: Foreword. Preface. 1. Enter Yahya. 2. Yahya's five-point manifesto. 3. Pre-election fever and the Cyclone. 4. Assembly postponed: mutiny in East Pakistan. 5. Run-up to military crack down. 6. Towards a parting of ways. 7. Foreign newsmen's visit to East Pakistan. 8. A curtain raiser. 9. The Bitter Harvest. 10. India intensifies propaganda/military campaign. 11. Countdown to endgame. 12. The balloon goes up! Dhaka falls. 13. Epilogue. Appendices.

    "The East Pakistan tragedy was not just a failure of the military establishment of the day but also the abysmal collapse of civil society in West Pakistan. Launched at midnight, 25 March 1971, the military action went on for nine long months without eliciting any concerted protest from the West Pakistani public and political leadership. The few low voices raised against the military action were too feeble to make the army change the suicidal course it had set itself, leading to an ignominious military defeat and the breakup of the country.

    As chief of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and press advisor to the president and chief martial law administrator at that time, the author had the unique advantage of observing the tragedy as it unfolded. As the ISPR chief, he interacted with the national press and a cross-section of public and political leadership in both wings. In his description and appraisal of the various dramatis personae, he acts as an impartial observer. Apart from the fresh light the book sheds on the traumatic episode, the simplicity and candour of the narrative adds much to its readability. Thus, the book may well contribute towards the much-needed bridge building between Pakistan and Bangladesh."

Return to Books on Pakistan