Dynamics of Pakistan’s Disintegration: The Case of East Pakistan 1947–1971

Abstract

This article attempts to answer two questions: (a) what led to the psychological fissure of the East Pakistanis? And (b) how did the psychological fissure culminate into their physical separation? To answer the first question, the study examines six variables of perpetual antagonism between East and West Pakistan, that is, geographical absurdity, constitutional confusions and military takeover, economic disparity, language issues, political factionalism and military dynamics, and establishes that the conjuncture of all these factors (rather than the role of India or outside actors which have often been exaggerated ignoring the internal dynamics) constituted the dynamics of Pakistan’s disintegration in 1971. Then it discusses West Pakistan’s genocide against the East Pakistanis and the Indian intervention as immediate factors for Pakistan’s physical separation. The study finds that the Indian action reinforced the existing variables, accelerated the creation of Bangladesh and ended civil strife. Paradoxically, outside actors such as the United States, Soviet Union and China had only a limited impact on the sources and escalation of the East–West divide. The lessons of 1971 are relevant for the inner workings of federalism, especially with disconnected geographical boundaries.