Reaction to the defeat and dismemberment of half the nation
was a shocking loss to top military and civilians alike. No one had expected
that they would lose the formal war in under a fortnight, and there was also
unsettlement over what was perceived as a meek surrender of the army in East Pakistan . Yahya Khan's
dictatorship collapsed and gave way to Bhutto, who took the opportunity to rise
to power. General Niazi, who surrendered along with 93,000
troops, was viewed with suspicion and contempt upon his return to Pakistan .
He was shunned and branded a traitor. The war
also exposed the shortcomings of Pakistan's declared strategic doctrine that
the "defence of East Pakistan lay in West Pakistan” Pakistan also failed
to gather international support, and found itself fighting a lone battle with
only the USA providing any external help. This further embittered the
Pakistanis, who had faced the worst military defeat of an army in decades. The
debacle immediately prompted an enquiry headed by Justice Hamoodur
Rahman.
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