<P> The Indian government repeatedly appealed to the international community, but failing to elicit any response despite the External Affairs minister Swaran Singh meeting with foreign ministers of other countries . Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 27 March 1971 expressed full support of her government for the independence struggle of the people of East Pakistan and concluded that instead of taking in millions of refugees, it was economical to go to war against Pakistan . On 28 April 1971, the Gandhi cabinet had ordered the Chief of the Army Staff General Sam Manekshaw to "Go into East Pakistan". Defected East Pakistan military's officers and the elements of Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) immediately started using the Indian refugee camps for recruitment and training of Mukti Bahini guerrillas that were to be trained against Pakistan . In 1971, there was a strong wave of Indian - supported Bangladeshi nationalism in the East . The situation became violent and the systematic targeted killings of unarmed multi-ethic Pakistanis living in East started . Vehicle bombings on government secretariats became a normal narrative in east with high - profile assassinations of number of those Bengali politicians who were loyal to Pakistan became common in the East . According to Jussi Hanhimäki, Finnish historian of terrorism, the Bengali terrorism in East is somewhat "a forgotten episode of annals of terrorism ." The Hamoodur Rahman Commission endorsed the claims of Bengali terrorism when it critically penned that the ill - treatment of families of multi-ethnic Pakistanis led to the Pakistani military soldiers reacted violently in order to restore the writ of the government . </P> <P> The news media's mood in Pakistan had also turned increasingly jingoistic and militaristic against East Pakistan and India when the Pakistani news media reported the complexity of the situation in the East, though the reactions from Pakistan's news media pundits were mixed . By the end of September 1971, an organised propaganda campaign, possibly orchestrated by elements within the Government of Pakistan, resulted in stickers proclaiming Crush India becoming a standard feature on the rear windows of vehicles in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Lahore and soon spread to the rest of West Pakistan . By October, other stickers proclaimed Hang the Traitor in an apparent reference to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman . By the first week of December, the conservative print media outlets in the country had published "Jihad" related materials to boost the recruitment in the military . </P> <P> By the end of April 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had asked the Indian army chief General Sam Manekshaw if he was ready to go to war with Pakistan . According to Manekshaw's own personal account, he refused, citing the onset of monsoon season in East Pakistan and also the fact that the army tanks were in the process of being refitted . He claimed that he offered to resign, which Indira Gandhi declined . He then said he could guarantee victory if she would allow him to prepare for the conflict on his terms, and set a date for it and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi accepted his conditions . In reality, Indira Gandhi was well aware of the difficulties of a hasty military action but she needed to get the military's views to satisfy her hawkish colleagues and the public opinion, which were critical of India's restraint . </P> <P> By November 1971, the war seemed inevitable and the Soviet Union had reportedly warned Pakistan against the war which they termed as "suicidal course for Pakistan's unity ." Throughout November 1971, there were thousands of people led by conservative Pakistani politicians who marched in Lahore and across Pakistan, calling for Pakistan to Crush India . India responded by starting a massive buildup of Indian army on the western borders and the Indian army waited until December, when the drier ground would make for easier operations and Himalayan passes would be closed by snow, preventing any Chinese intervention . On 23 November, President Yahya Khan declared a state of emergency in all of Pakistan and told his people to prepare for war . </P>

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