At around 01:30 on 26 March 1971 (UTC+6), Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the president of the All-Pakistan Awami League (AL) and the premier-elect in the 1970 Pakistani general election, was arrested by the Pakistan Army's Special Service Group from his private residence in Dacca, East Pakistan, Pakistan (present-day Dhaka, Bangladesh). The arrest operation was codenamed Operation Big Bird and occurred with Operation Searchlight. Following his arrest, Mujib was incarcerated in Lyallpur, and on 2 August, it was announced that he would be tried in a military tribunal behind closed doors. The tribunal brought charges of treason against him.
Immediately after Mujib's arrest, following a month-long non-cooperation movement, the Bangladesh Liberation War began, and the Provisional Government of Bangladesh was formed, declaring Mujib as its president. On 4 December, the military tribunal sentenced him to death, although the verdict was kept secret. However, before the sentence could be carried out, Bangladesh and India's joint Allied Forces launched an offensive into East Pakistan, leading to the surrender of the Pakistan Army in Dacca on 16 December. After the surrender, the government of Yahya Khan collapsed, and following the rise of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as the new Pakistani president, Mujib was released on 8 January 1972.
Background
Rise of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Born in 1920 in Faridpur District, Bengal Presidency, British India, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became a member of the Bengal Muslim Students' League in 1938 and joined the Bengal Provincial Muslim League in 1943. In 1947, British India's Bengal Province was divided into West Bengal and East Bengal, with East Bengal (later East Pakistan) becoming a province of Pakistan. During that time, Mujib was a student leader involved in the Pakistan Movement. He later joined the East Pakistan Awami League (EPAL) in 1949. After a split in 1957, party president Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani left the party to form the National Awami Party (NAP), which led to Mujib emerging as the sole leader of the EPAL. Toward the end of the 1950s, he shifted his focus from national to provincial politics. In the early 1960s, he traveled to Agartala, capital of the Indian state of Tripura, with the intention of seeking independence for East Pakistan, though the mission was unsuccessful.
In 1966, at a political conference in West Pakistani capital Lahore, he presented the Six-point Resolution, which was met with strong opposition from the government, right-wing and left-wing parties, as well as China. The proposal called for restructuring Pakistan based on the Lahore Resolution, delegating all responsibilities except defense and foreign affairs to East and West Pakistan separately. In response, the a political movement gained momentum for Six-point Resolution in East Pakistan. However, in 1968, Mujib was arrested by the government of Pakistan on charges of conspiring to secede with Indian support and establish an independent state named Bangladesh. He was tried for treason in what became known as the Agartala Conspiracy Case. But due to massive public opposition in East Pakistan, the government was forced to withdraw the case. Following this, Mujib's party experienced a dramatic surge in popularity. According to declassified documents of British government, by 1969, they regarded Mujib as a promising political leader who could potentially become the next prime minister of Pakistan.
Elections and subsequent events
In 1969, president Ayub Khan was forced to resign and handed over power to Yahya Khan. Upon assuming office, the new president Khan decided to hold national and provincial elections. Mujib became leader of the All-Pakistan Awami League (AL), who participated the election in the promise to implement Six-point Resolution. In the 1970 Pakistani general election, the AL secured an overwhelming majority. Almost all West Pakistan-based political parties were afraid to realize that the implementation of the six points was inevitable. Following the election results, political tensions intensified. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), opposed transferring power to the AL. In such a situation, in February 1971, when Mujib sent a message through the regional general manager of Esso to Archer Blood, the U.S. Consul General in Dacca, East Pakistan (present-day Dhaka, Bangladesh), asking whether the United States would assist them if East Pakistan declared independence, Blood replied that they couldn't intervene in Pakistan's internal affairs. Later, Joseph S. Farland, the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, supported Blood's response. Afterwards, when Mujib, through a journalist, requested Blood to persuade president Khan either to implement the new constitution based on the Six Points or to transform Pakistan into a confederation ruled by a president, Blood rejected the proposal. According to a report published in the Indian magazine Organiser, a United States delegation led by Farland met with Mujib and proposed that the United States would support an AL-led government in Pakistan in exchange for handing over Sandwip Island in East Pakistan to the U.S. for a proposed naval base, which Mujib rejected.
A session of the National Assembly of Pakistan was scheduled for 3 March 1971, but two days before the session, Khan postponed it. This decision angered the East Pakistani people, leading to the launch of a widespread non-cooperation movement from 2 March. In 3 March, at Paltan Maidan in the presence of Mujib, Shajahan Siraj, general secretary of the East Pakistan Students' League, declared the "Manifesto of Bangladesh's Independence" under the banner of the All-Party Student Action Committee. Mujib was declared the supreme leader of the proposed state. In 6 March, Khan announced 25 March as the new date for the National Assembly session. By 15 March, Mujib informally assumed control of East Pakistan's governance. From 16 to 22 March, negotiations continued between Khan and Mujib over the transfer of power, but during this period, troops and supplies continued arriving from West Pakistan to East Pakistan. The assembly session was postponed again in 22 March. In 23 March, the AL proposed the Confederation of Pakistan, which called for the formulation of separate constitutions for East and West Pakistan. On the same day, the flag of Bangladesh was hoisted across East Pakistan in place of the flag of Pakistan, except in the President's House, Dacca Cantonment, Dacca Airport, and the Governor's House. Mujib formally hoisted the flag for the first time at his residence. The situation in East Pakistan was similar to the scenario of the mass uprising in 1969.
The arrest
Preparations
In March, India's foreign intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) alerted members of the AL about a possible plan to attack party officials, citing intelligence on the movement of troops and weapons from Karachi to Chittagong. Notably, Mujib had been imprisoned several times before 1971, spending approximately 4,394 days in jail. In 23 March, a unit of the Pakistan Army identified and surveyed Mujib's residence. On 24 March, the final order was issued to arrest Mujib. The mission to arrest him was code-named "Operation Big Bird". That afternoon, Mujib instructed several top leaders of his party to leave Dacca. In 25 March, rumors of a military operation in Dacca began to spread.
That evening, president Khan left East Pakistan. Lieutenant Colonel A.R. Chowdhury, a member of the presidential security team, informed Mujib about the president's departure. On the same day, Lieutenant General Tikka Khan instructed Major General Khadim Hussain Raja to carry out Operation Searchlight. The 3rd Commando Battalion of the Special Service Group was tasked with Mujib's arrest. Around 70 soldiers were assigned to this arrest operation. During Operation Searchlight, the code name "Myna" was used by the military to refer to Mujib.
At 20.00 (UTC+6), a message was sent from the Dacca Cantonment to Mujib's residence via a written note, warning of an imminent attack that night. Upon receiving reports of suspicious military activity, Mujib instructed party leaders and activists to flee. However, he chose to remain at his residence. At that time, armed attacks began across the city. Serajul Alam Khan of the East Pakistan Students' League sought and received Mujib's approval to declare independence on his behalf and to authorize pro-independence members of the military and law enforcement to resist. In addition, Tajuddin Ahmad, one of his party's prominent leaders, came to Mujib's residence and requested him to proclaim the independence of Bangladesh and to escape, which Mujib refused.
Operation Big Bird
In a 1972 interview, Mujib claimed that he had sent a message to Chittagong declaring independence at 22:30 before his arrest. After receiving news that Khan had reached Karachi, at around 23:30, the Pakistan Army's Eastern Command launched an assault on the headquarters of the East Pakistan Rifles before heading towards Mujib's residence. On their way, the military unit encountered civilians and barricades. According to United Press International, at 00:50 in 26 March, Mujib was still at his residence, and his telephone was active. There was a power outage in his area during the raid. At the time, in addition to Mujib, his wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, and two sons, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel, were present at the residence. At around 01:30, the military unit reached the residence and opened fire. In response, Mujib came out of the house and asked them to stop firing. He was then arrested by them. The arrest was reported to Tikka Khan via wireless communication. A night guard was killed during the shooting. After the arrest, another military unit arrived and vandalized the house to destroy it. Tikka later claimed that the arrest was kept secret to prevent any foreign power from aiding Mujib's escape.
After his arrest, Mujib was taken to the National Assembly building which was under construction, then moved to the 14th Division Officers' Mess of at the cantonment. On the same day, he was transferred to the Cantonment Girls' High School, located beside the residence of the General Officer Commanding, before being brought to the Command House. He was also held at the building of Adamjee Cantonment Public School. On 27 March, he was transferred to the Flag Staff House. That day, the government officially announced that Mujib had been arrested at 1:30 in 26 March. On 30 March, he was flown from Dacca to Karachi, and on 1 April, he was flown to Rawalpindi. On 10 April 1971, the government announced that Mujib was officially in detention. At that point, the government was still deciding on which prison he would be held. Following discussions, he was eventually taken to Lyallpur Jail in Punjab. Located 129 kilometers from Lahore, Lyallpur was one of the hottest regions in Pakistan, with a record high temperature of 37°C. Tikka claimed that he was compelled to arrest Mujib after hearing his proclamation of independence on a three-band radio. Finally, on 13 December, he was transferred by helicopter to the Mianwali Jail.
Aftermath
In-camera trial
Radio Australia reported that at midnight on 26 March, president Khan expressed in a private conversation his intent to ensure the certain death of Mujib. On 19 July, Khan announced that Mujib would be tried in a secret military tribunal. On 2 August, the government declared that Mujib's trial would begin after nine days. One of the main charges against Mujib was declaring war against the state. In the White Paper on the crisis in East Pakistan published in August, the same charge of treason was brought against Mujib, although the allegation did not align with the reality. Because, according to the observation of the foreign journalists in East Pakistan, the AL had no serious plan to establish Bangladesh before 25 March. The trial of Mujib was decided to be held behind closed doors.