A day before launching “Operation Chengiz Khan” on December 3 in 1971, General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan called for stricter measures, in a letter to US President Richard Nixon, against his Indian counterpart.
He criticized Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for ordering troops mobilization along borders on both east and west, and Soviet Union for aiding and abetting India, in a bid to break up Pakistan. In the east, India was providing the Mukti Bahini guerrillas with training and helping them with arms, and the guerrillas were able to take over towns close to Dhaka by early December.
On December 3, the Pakistan Air Force launched strikes on 11 airfields in north-western India, even though Gen Yahya and the US government already knew that Pakistan could hold out for two to three weeks.
While the Paks were just running out of steam, the ruthless military ruler felt he badly needed US military assistance defying a treaty, according to US State Department documents. Gen Yahya Khan declared a state of emergency on November 23 in the face of troop mobilization by India on both fronts.
US President Richard Nixon had already shown his friendly gestures in support of Gen Yahya by advising Gandhi to withdraw force, stopping $2 million worth of arms supplies to India and delaying the signing of PL-480 and development loans, but these would “unlikely to change the Indian attitude at this stage”, Gen Yahya wrote.
White House received the letter on December 2.
“I deeply appreciate the measures taken by you to counsel restraint and to promote a withdrawal of forces. I especially take note of your kind offer to consider suggestions from my government and to discuss with you measures that will help reduce the risk of further conflict in South Asia.”
Gen Yahya said he had done his utmost to resolve the problem with India peacefully. “I have gone more than halfway. I have done my best to keep the clashes localised and confined to East Pakistan.
“Unfortunately India has chosen the path of war, aided and abetted by Soviet Union, in a bid to break up my country. Time is fast running out and the choice before me has, indeed, become very limited.”
Seeking urgent consideration, he then proposed three measures as “a final attempt to avert the impending catastrophe”.
The general, who gained immense support from the US for working as a gateway to establish a relationship with China, asked Nixon to issue a personal statement, condemning India's aggression, aided and abetted by the Soviet Union, and calling for an immediate end to hostilities and withdrawal of opposing forces to safe distance behind their respective borders.
Gen Yahya said the US president should issue a statement strongly advising Soviet Union to desist from militarily supporting India in its aggression against Pakistan. He sought Nixon's nod to his invoking Article I of the Pakistan-United States Bilateral Agreement of Co-operation signed on March 5, 1959 and met his request for military assistance in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
Earlier, the US imposed military sanctions on Pakistan and India. For this, the US convinced third countries to military assistance to Pakistan. In November, Gen Yahya received military support from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Libya and Iran.
Gen Yahya said Pakistan needed to meet the formidable challenge posed by India, which had enormous superiority of arms and equipment. “The Russian involvement consisting of massive supplies of sophisticated arms to India has made our task much more difficult,” read the letter to Nixon.