What motivated Mrs Gandhi to release the POWs? What went on behind the scenes? Were there any compelling circumstances at play that have remained unreported? If there were any, ideally they should be brought into the public domain, so that future generations may benefit from the lessons of history.
Indira Gandhi’s biggest worry after the surrender of Pakistan in 1971 was the safety of Mujibur Rahman. Her paramount concern at that moment of time was figuring out how to get Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman back to his country alive and well.
She was prepared to pay any price to save his life. This much the prime minister confided to at least one member of her so called ‘kitchen cabinet’. That person was Ram Nath Kao, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief.
The release of Pakistani POWs was the price Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (and the ISI) extracted for the safe return of the Bangladeshi leader.
Read the detailed piece at The Wire
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