The second stage was a fairy-tale few weeks in which the Bengalis proclaimed and celebrated their independence. Some thousands of East Pakistan's non-Bengali minority were killed during this period, in which the army, perhaps overly cautious, remained in the capital and in a number of military camps, but the illusion of independence ended in mid-April when the army emerged to crush the revolution. Tens of thousands of Bengalis were slain as town after town was retaken, burned and looted. There was little military opposition. Some six million Bengalis, most of them from the Hindu minority group that became a special army target, began fleeing into India.
Now the third stage
The third and present stage is army occupation-a terrorized Bengali population being ruled by military force and crude police-state tactics. West Pakistan officials say everything is rapidly returning to normal. But the economy is woefully disrupted, factories are idle, school are closed, roads are mostly empty and towns are largely deserted. Millions of Bengalis, particularly Ilindus and middleclass Moslems, are still hiding in the countryside. About 50,000 refugees are still fleeing to India each day. And army rule is being challenged by Bengali guerrilla forces (the Mukti Bahini, or Liberation Army) that seem to have massive support among the Bengali population. The guerrillas are still lacking in training and organization, but supplies and border sanctuaries are being provided by India.
Ten days of traveling across Last Pakistan and talks with scores of diverse people here indicate that fourth stage eventually will be an independent East Pakistan. Bangladesh, or Bengal Nation. But clearly much more killing will take place before Bangladesh comes to pass.
No solution, including independence, holds any bright hopes for East Pakistans predominantly peasant society, which, in accordance with the Mohammed's Prophet Instruction to “go forth and multiply.” is propagating itself into starvation. Its 75 million people already are barely subsisting 1,600 to the square mile, and this population will double within 25 years. A half-million Bengalis were killed by a cyclone last fall. A half million more were born in 87 days. Perhaps only in East Pakistan could a disaster of the cyclones magnitude be overshadowed by a greater one-this civil war-only six months later.
Primitive conceptions of guilt
Poverty, ignorance, and frustration have turned this conflict into Congo as well as an Algeria. Men are killing each other not only in the name of politics but also over race and religion. The Moslem philosophy of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is made more terrible by primitive conceptions of collective guilt's.
The army kills Bengalis. The non-Bengali minority of about two million (commonly called Biharis) backs the army. So Bengalis kill Biharis. The army and the Biharis see this as ample reason to butcher more Bengalis. The Hindu minority of bout 10 million becomes a convenient army scapegoat and even some Bengali Moslems can be persuaded to join in their slaughter. Amid this chaos, various villages, gangs and individuals have been attacking each other for economic gain or to settle private scores.
