'Manekshaw pride of Bangladesh'
Press Trust Of India
Dhaka, June 29, 2008
First Published: 18:05 IST(29/6/2008)
Last Updated: 18:09 IST(29/6/2008)
Indian Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was the "pride" of Bangladesh
without whom "things could have been different" for the country's
Liberation war in 1971, an influential daily said on Sunday.
"He was committed to our cause. Had he not been around in 1971, things
could well have been different for us. He was our true friend and ally
and will always be our pride," The Daily Star said.
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Okay, that certainly sounds like alternate history to me. Figure that
Sam Manekshaw dies in late 1970 and a bewildered Indian government
does nothing as the Pakistani Army rampages through Bangladesh (East
Pakistan).
It works out worse for Pakistan in the not so long run. It's
comparable to the US in Vietnam but West Pakistan is much weaker than
the US while East Pakistan is far more populous than Vietnam. Look for
an endless guerrilla war that bring the West Pakistan economy to
collapse.
