In , Lt. Gen. Kamal Matinuddin provides a comprehensive and relatively unbiased account of the events leading to the dismemberment of Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh. Book Overview
Lt. Gen. Kamal Matinuddin was a career military officer who served as the Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies and as a diplomat. His background provides a unique "insider" military perspective combined with scholarly rigor. In , Lt
“The root cause of the tragedy was not the conspiracy of external enemies, but the myopia and incompetence of our own leadership.” — Paraphrased sentiment from Matinuddin’s analysis. Book Overview Lt
Matinuddin argues that the breakup of Pakistan was not an inevitable historical event but rather the result of a series of avoidable "errors" by the ruling elite. destroying the only runway at Dhaka.
: He provides a candid assessment of the military operations in the Eastern Theatre. While some sources portray General Niazi as a scapegoat, Matinuddin examines the strategic failures of the Eastern Command, including planning errors and the challenges of fighting a war over 1,000 miles from the main base of operations.
The analysis here is stark. Matinuddin confesses that Pakistan’s Air High Command believed that India would not attack East Pakistan from the air because of the risk of Chinese retaliation. This was wishful thinking. The Indian Air Force achieved complete air superiority by December 5, 1971, destroying the only runway at Dhaka.