On March 1, 1971 Pakistani military dictator Yahya Khan postponed the National Assembly session that was to be held after the December 1970 elections. In doing so he had crossed the Rubicon. In the first 25 days of March 1971, while Yahya Khan negotiated with the Awami League (which won an absolute majority in the elections) and its leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Yahya’s military steadily moved arms and soldiers into East Pakistan. On March 25, 1971 Yahya Khan abruptly left East Pakistan and returned to West Pakistan. A few hours later the Pakistan army launched its campaign of genocide against the Bengali population of East Pakistan.

The following are newspaper reports from Dawn, the West Pakistani newspaper published from Karachi. The reports cover the period from March 1, 1971 to March 26, 1971. They chronicle the last days of united Pakistan, from a West Pakistani perspective.

[Note: This page will be updated as I am able to scan and upload the remaining articles. I will remove this note once the uploads are complete.]

March 1971
3/2/1971

HEADLINE: National Assembly session postponed
3/2/1971 Mujib deplores postponement
3/2/1971 Dacca protest rallies
3/3/1971 Mujib’s call to observe hartal peacefully
3/3/1971 Dacca placed under 10-hour curfew
3/4/1971 Complete hartal paralyses life in East wing
3/4/1971 Withdraw forces and transfer power, demands Mujib
3/4/1971 Mujib’s press statement: full text
3/5/1971 Mujib congratulates people for stirring response to his call
3/5/1971 Transfer power to AL now
3/5/1971 Chittagong clash takes many lives on Wednesday
3/5/1971 ‘Postponement undemocratic’: NAP
3/5/1971 RTC: Hazarvi backs Mujib’s decision; Bhutto criticized
3/5/1971 Daultana calls for firm NA date in March
3/5/1971 Bhutto’s ‘mad game of power politics’
3/5/1971 Bhutto says East wing reaction unwarranted
3/5/1971 EDITORIAL: On the brink
3/6/1971 East wing protest continues
3/7/1971 Meetings, rallies on final day of hartal
3/7/1971 Casualties in Dacca
3/8/1971 Withdrawal of ML troops: transfer of power: enquiry
3/8/1971 Minority group obstructing transfer of power
3/8/1971 Many leaders support Mujib’s four demands
3/11/1971 AL non-cooperation movement continues
3/11/1971 Lahore meeting endorses Sheikh Mujib’s demands
3/13/1971 Leaders deplore Bhutto’s stand
3/14/1971 Early transfer of power urged
3/14/1971 NA minority groups back AL’s four-point demand
3/15/1971 Bhutto blamed for crisis
3/15/1971 Mujib says he is ready to meet Yahya
3/15/1971 President urged to visit E. wing
3/15/1971 Shock expressed over Bhutto’s demand
3/15/1971 Transfer of power to AL and PPP in the two wings
3/16/1971 Non-cooperation movement to go on, says Mujib
3/17/1971 Latest political situation in country discussed
3/18/1971 Mujib always champions cause of democracy
3/18/1971 Mujib ready to shed last drop of blood