There is debate over who started the provocation for an Indo-Pak war in May 1971, when the Pakistani military was butchering Bengalis in East Pakistan and the influx of refugees was explosive, causing mounting economic, social, and political problems in India.
Communal conflicts between the refugees and the local population began in bordering states, especially in West Bengal, where a high percentage of the refugees were Hindus. Officially, India did not favour the break-up of Pakistan but it changed its mind after the launch of Operation Searchlight on March 25. Moreover, there was the question of Chinese involvement eventually in East Pakistan alongside the activities of the revolutionary communists.
An infuriated Indira Gandhi issued warnings in her speech in parliament on May 24 about handling things her own way, indicating military action among other steps, if Pakistan and the great powers did not take action to remedy the situation.
On the other hand, she was accused by General AM Yahya Khan of banning Pakistani overflights and encouraging "infiltrators and anti-state elements", who were called Freedom Fighters or Mukti Bahini to take training in border areas.
Gen Yahya wanted India to exercise restraint and adopt a constructive approach, he said in a letter to US President Richard Nixon on May 24, when both India and Pakistan readied troops near the border on the eastern front. Earlier, Indira Gandhi wrote to Nixon, seeking his bold steps.
Sensing this much ahead, the State Department started working to quell the situation, because the possibility of war introduced a new and greater threat to US interests in South Asia. The threat is likely to remain as long as the East Pakistan conflict remains unresolved, Secretary William P Rogers said in a memorandum to the president on May 26.
In the event of such a conflict, Rogers feared that it would be impossible to rule out Chinese pressure on India along their border and then an increase in Soviet military assistance to India.
Nixon discussed the matter with his Assistant for National Security Affairs Adviser Henry Kissinger and expressed his resolve to resist India and support the military junta. They saw India's role as fostering an insurgency in East Pakistan, while Nixon blamed Indira Gandhi for promoting another war. The president was ready to cut off aid if India launched military action inside East Pakistan.
Letter to Indira
Tactfully written after extensive discussions, the letter to Indira was an opportunity for President Nixon to bring pressure on India not to take military action. Kissinger said the president could take credit for trying to pour calming oil on troubled waters: telling the Indians to pipe down, and keeping Yahya happy.
On May 28, Nixon wrote a letter to Indira Gandhi, sharing her concern at the loss of life that had taken place as the result of developments in East Pakistan, at the dislocations that the flow of refugees is causing for India, and at the dangers for the political stability of the area that are implicit in the present situation.
He said the US had chosen to work primarily through quiet diplomacy, and was discussing with Pakistan the importance of achieving a peaceful political accommodation and creating a congenial atmosphere for the refugees to return to their homes.
At the same time, Nixon hoped India would act with maximum restraint, and said he was deeply concerned that the present situation did not develop into a more widespread conflict in South Asia, either because of the refugee flow or through actions that might escalate the insurgency developing in East Pakistan.
Letter to Gen Yahya
Nixon praised Gen Yahya for his statesmanlike decision to formally accept formally the assistance of the United Nations in organizing an international humanitarian relief effort for the people of East Pakistan. The US president also noted with satisfaction his public declaration of amnesty for the refugees and commitment to transfer power to elected representatives.
He stressed the need to ensure that tensions in the region as a whole do not increase to the point of international conflict. Moreover, it was vital for the maintenance of peace in the subcontinent to restore conditions in East Pakistan conducive to the return of refugees from Indian territory as quickly as possible.
Nixon urged Gen Yahya to continue to exercise restraint along both borders with India and in general relations with that country, saying that the US was counselling the Indian government to do the same.