Lesson 1/33 min
The plan of Operation Searchlight
22 February 1971. Major General Khadim Hossain Raja and Major General Rao Farman Ali decide on an army expedition in East Pakistan. It is named ‘Operation Searchlight’. On 18 March, in the Dhaka Cantonment, Khadim Hossain Raja finalises the plan.
The ruthless armed operation that the Pakistan army launched in East Pakistan on 25 March 1971 was named Operation Searchlight by the military authority. Its aim was to crush the Non-Cooperation Movement led by Bangabandhu and take control of the province.
The plan at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Decision | 22 February 1971: Khadim Hossain Raja and Rao Farman Ali |
| Plan finalised | 18 March 1971, by Khadim Hossain Raja |
| Wrote the five-page plan | Rao Farman Ali |
| In charge of Dhaka | Rao Farman Ali |
| In charge of the rest of the province | Khadim Hossain Raja |
| Overall supervision | Lieutenant General Tikka Khan |
What the operation aimed at
- To arrest or kill Awami League leaders, student leaders and Bengali intellectuals
- To disarm the Bengali members of the army, paramilitary forces and police
- To seize the radio station and telephone exchange and cut communications
- To capture Dhaka University
- Target towns of the first phase: Dhaka, Khulna, Chattogram, Cumilla, Jashore, Rangpur, Saidpur, Sylhet
Did you know?: Exams have described Operation Searchlight as the ‘blueprint for the killing of Bengalis’. ‘Operation Searchlight’ is the code name of the attack on the black night of 25 March (asked in a Dhaka University admission test).
Watch out: Khandokar's book gives 18 March as the date of the ‘main plan’. According to Banglapedia, the decision was taken on 22 February and the plan was finalised on 18 March. If an exam asks about the ‘plan’ or ‘main plan’, write 18 March.
Memory trick: 22 February decision, 18 March final plan, 25 March strike.
Check yourself
Who was in charge of the Dhaka part of Operation Searchlight?
At a glance
- 1
Operation Searchlight is the code name of the Pakistan army's armed operation of 25 March 1971.
- 2
Decided on 22 February 1971; plan finalised on 18 March 1971.
- 3
Rao Farman Ali led Dhaka, Khadim Hossain Raja the rest of the province, Lieutenant General Tikka Khan supervised.
- 4
Aims: arrest leaders and intellectuals, disarm Bengali soldiers and police, seize radio and telephone.