Scene 1 – The City Under Siege
14 December 1971 – Dhaka
The morning was unnervingly quiet. From the roof of the Eastern Command headquarters on Bailey Road, Colonel Masood scanned the hazy horizon. The once-bustling city felt hollow—markets shuttered, streets half-empty, checkpoints manned by exhausted troops.
Then came the low, growing hum.
It started as a faint vibration underfoot, then the sound thickened into a roar.
> Masood: (grimacing) "They're coming again."
From the north, Indian Air Force Canberras and Hunters swept in, sunlight flashing off their fuselages. Sirens wailed across the city as anti-aircraft guns began firing. The sky erupted in black puffs of flak.
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Scene 2 – Fire from the Sky
Bombs struck key installations—the Governor's House, fuel depots, the railway yard. Massive plumes of smoke spiraled upward, mixing with dust and debris.
Inside the Intercontinental Hotel, where several foreign journalists were holed up, the ground shook with each detonation. Mark Reynolds, a British correspondent, scribbled frantically in his notebook.
> Reynolds: (to his cameraman) "Get the shot of the Governor's House… This is the final act."
Cameraman: "It's chaos out there. The city's collapsing in front of us."
Near the Tejgaon airfield, an Indian strike destroyed the last operational Pakistani Sabre jets in the East, ending any chance of air defense.
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Scene 3 – The Leaflets
By afternoon, the bombings eased. But then the second wave of assault began—not with bullets, but with words.
Pakistani troops at the outer defenses reported Indian helicopters circling, dropping thousands of leaflets that fluttered down like a strange snowfall. Civilians and soldiers alike bent to pick them up.
The message, printed in Urdu and Bengali, was blunt:
> "Pakistani soldiers—lay down your arms. Your Western Command cannot save you. Your families are safe in our custody. Surrender now to avoid further bloodshed."
At a checkpoint near Farmgate, Lance Naik Tariq read the leaflet aloud to his comrades.
> Tariq: "They think we'll give up because of a piece of paper?"
Sepoy Altaf: (quietly) "We haven't heard from the West in days… maybe they're right."
The words were seeds planted in weary minds.
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Scene 4 – Eastern Command's Fracture
Eastern Command Headquarters – Bailey Road
Inside the operations room, the atmosphere was tense. General A. A. K. Niazi sat at the head of the table, chain-smoking, while staff officers shuffled through incoming reports.
> Signals Officer: "Sir, we've lost contact with the 93rd Brigade in the north. Radio silence for over 24 hours."
Niazi: "What about Bogra? Hilli?"
Masood: "Both overrun, sir."
A young liaison officer entered with a message slip.
> Officer: "Sir… Rawalpindi says they're… attempting to negotiate through the UN."
Niazi: (bitterly) "Negotiate? With what? We've no supply lines, no reinforcements, no air cover."
Maps on the table showed a tightening ring—Indian forces advancing from Jessore in the west, from Sylhet in the northeast, and from the south along the Meghna River.
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Scene 5 – Morale in the Trenches
Perimeter Defense Line – Near Tongi Bridge
At the sandbagged position overlooking the river, Captain Rashid sat with his platoon. The men were covered in dust, their uniforms stiff with sweat and grime. Rations had been halved; ammunition was counted bullet by bullet.
> Rashid: "Hold the bridge as long as you can. That's all Command wants from us."
Sepoy Javed: "Sir… will the West send help?"
Rashid: (hesitating) "They're… trying. But we have to rely on ourselves now."
From the far bank, distant explosions marked the Indian advance. Some soldiers fingered the surrender leaflets, folding them into their pockets like quiet talismans.
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Scene 6 – Psychological Pressure
That night, the Indians escalated their psychological warfare. Powerful loudspeakers mounted on vehicles broadcast messages across the river.
> "Pakistani soldiers, you are surrounded. Any further resistance is useless. Come forward with a white cloth and you will be treated with honor."
The voice, calm and repetitive, drifted over the water, mingling with the night insects and the occasional burst of gunfire. Some men cursed and turned away; others listened in silence.
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Scene 7 – The Governor Resigns
15 December – Governor's House
After another day of bombings, Governor A. M. Malik called an emergency meeting. The building's windows had been blown out; the air smelled of smoke and charred wood.
> Malik: "Gentlemen, I cannot perform my duties when the city itself is being reduced to rubble. I will tender my resignation immediately."
His departure left Niazi as the de facto sole authority in East Pakistan, military and civil. Foreign journalists noted the shift—it was another sign the end was near.
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Scene 8 – The Last Messages
By 16 December's eve, all major positions outside Dhaka had fallen. The 14th Division at the city's outskirts reported being down to their last mortar shells.
At HQ, the signals team managed to patch a faint connection to GHQ in Rawalpindi. The message from the West was brief:
> "You have done your duty. Any further loss of life will not change the outcome."
Niazi stared at the paper for a long moment, then crushed it in his fist.
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Scene 9 – The Encirclement Complete
Indian armored columns reached the outskirts of Dhaka, their engines rumbling in the humid air. From rooftops, civilians watched in wary silence. The sound of distant artillery became the constant backdrop to life.
In the trenches, soldiers looked toward the city behind them and the Indian lines ahead, realizing there was nowhere left to fall back.
> Tariq: "So this is it."
Altaf: "Yes. This is it."
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Scene 10 – Eve of the End
As darkness fell, leaflets fell again over the city—this time with the image of General Aurora's signature, guaranteeing humane treatment to surrendered troops.
At HQ, Niazi met with his senior officers in the dimly lit war room.
> Niazi: "We can fight another day if we live to fight. But if we die here, Dhaka dies with us."
Masood: "Sir, the men will follow your order."
Niazi: "Then be ready for tomorrow."
Outside, the night was filled with the faint crackle of Indian loudspeakers, repeating their promise of safe conduct.
Dhaka was surrounded. The final chapter was about to be written.
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