March 1971 in East Pakistan as Seen by British Diplomats

Editor: Yos Santasombat, Chiang Mai University, Thailand Article history: Received: December 27, 2023; Revised: November 26, 2024; Accepted: December 4, 2024. ABSTRACT The month of March 1971 is momentous in the history of the liberation war of Bangladesh. That month the war commenced and Bangladesh declared its independence. Following the declassification of documents from the National Archives, Surry, United Kingdom, this research examines the views of British diplomats in the South Asia region about events in March 1971. Much of this is documentation of the military crackdown on the night of 25 March 1971. The documents show that while the Pakistan army was denying the massacre of 25 March, non-partisan British diplomats were recording evidence of the Pakistan army’s cruelty. In addition, the aggressive and obstinate manner of the Pakistan government is overt. These reports significantly helped the British government to frame their foreign policy.