Information warfare and psychological operations play a crucial role in securing victory in any conflict. The significance of these strategies has long been recognised in modern warfare and they were effectively employed during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. As the Indian Army made significant advances in the eastern theatre for the liberation of Bangladesh, the Pakistan Army harboured apprehensions that India might shift troops from the east to launch a similar offensive in West Pakistan. To play on these fears, the Indian Army employed various tactics, including the movement of formations from east to west and a psychological campaign promoting the idea of liberating the Sindh province of Pakistan and establishing Sindhu Desh. An elaborate set of materials was prepared for dissemination in the press, titled “After Bangladesh, now Sindhu Desh”. Archival documents indicate that the focus of this campaign was to suggest that with Bangladesh’s independence, the demand for Sindhu Desh was gaining strength and would “soon become a big thorn in Islamabad’s side”. Using recent disturbances in Sindh province as a backdrop, the campaign claimed that a movement for Sindhu Desh had emerged, advocating for an autonomous Sindh province. This psychological offensive began even before the war in the eastern theatre concluded. On December 12, the Ministry of Defence issued a detailed press release regarding the “Sindhu Desh movement”. “Like the Bengalis, the Sindhis have long complained of discrimination and cultural genocide. Political suppression and social ridicule by the ruling classes of Pakistan have added fuel to the fire,” the statement read. The ministry referenced riots and arrests in Sind, highlighting discrimination against the Sindhi language that led to unrest in cities like Hyderabad, Karachi and Sukkur in early 1970. The Army was deployed and educational institutions were closed indefinitely. Sindhi leaders Kazi Mohammad Akbar and Hafiz Mubarak All Shah were arrested during a crackdown, accused of participating in mob violence and engaging in prejudicial activities. “A glaring example of cultural vandalism was the burning of the library of the Sindhiology Department in Hyderabad, Sind Province. It was set on fire by certain zealots in January this year. The police report indicated arson, with evidence of petrol-soaked rags and explosive devices used to start the fire. The Head of the Sindhi Studies Department described the loss as colossal,” the statement read. ‘Suppression of Sindhis’ A detailed note titled “Suppression of Sindhis” outlined the background of repression faced by Sindhis in various national activities. “To quote one instance: the Vice-Chancellor of the Karachi University, Ghulam Mustafa Shah, a Sindhi, was forced to resign just because he had employed suitable and qualified Sindhis in the University. In the matter of employment discrimination was reported from institutions like the Settlement Department, State Bank and the Karachi Development Authority, Even the Sindhi attire has been ridiculed by the people holding high offices in the military regime,” the note said. The note emphasised that Sindhis were treated like foreigners in their homeland by the ruling elite of Pakistan. The ministry also addressed political developments in Sindh in 1971, noting that in June, the Sind provincial committee of the Pakistan People’s Party expressed concern over Sindh’s exclusion from the national administrative framework. “Sindhi leaders Mir Rasool Bux Talpur and Kamal Azfar spoke on behalf of the Committee and criticised the administration for its intentional and deliberate apathy in ignoring the Party’s representative in various administrative echelon,” it said. It went on to add that for these same reasons, another Sindh leader, Yusuf Luhari, in an address to the student community, demanded that Sindh should be given full autonomy and renamed as “Sindh Desh”. “An All Sind Advocates Convention demanded in March this year the immediate withdrawal of Martial Law and transfer of Power to the elected representatives of the people. By a resolution it expressed its dissatisfaction and disapproval of the Central policies in the matter. It also expressed sympathy for the Bangladesh people,” the note read. Pakistan’s inter-provincial tensions The ministry also played on the inter-provincial rivalry between the Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan as Punjabis dominated the Pakistani political and administrative landscape. “Inter-provincial rivalry in Pakistan between Sind and West Punjab over the distribution of the Indus river waters reached a new high. Sind lodged a strong protest with the Centre against the opening of link canals by West Punjab. It was feared over 800,000 hectares of agricultural land in the Sind Province would go barren following the opening of canal links in West Punjab during the next five years. Sind leaders said that despite their protest West Punjab was going ahead with their canal system without paying any attention towards the economic interests of their province,” the statement said. It went on to comment that many self-respecting Sindhi lenders have been compelled to leave their land. “A top leader, G.M. Syed, president of the Sind United Front, decided to settle in Afghanistan. He had left Pakistan in early March for performing the Haj pilgrimage but decided not to return to Pakistan until the political situation in the country became normal and parliamentary institutions were restored. Syed would be the second national leader to settle in Afghanistan. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan has already been living in Afghanistan for several years now,” the note said. The ministry also addressed the separatist movement in Balochistan, stating that a new push for autonomy had started there under Khan Abdus Samad Khan. “The followers of Khan Abdus Samad Khan want an autonomous Balochistan including the areas of Kharan, Makran, Kalat and Lasbela. Khan Abdus Samad Khan is now in military custody,” the statement said. These statements likely caused unease among Pakistani leadership regarding India’s intentions, fostering an atmosphere of uncertainty that can be advantageous to an adversary during wartime.
