Documents reveal US govt was willing to work with USSR to avoid crisis
The United States government could not play its role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war due to lack of intelligence information. This has been revealed in the documents of Central Intelligence Agency made public for the first time on the internet.
When the situation between Pakistan and India was tense in 1971 — over the separation of East Pakistan — the then national security adviser for US, Henry Kissinger, called a confidential meeting on November 24, 1971, the documents state.
In the meeting, Kissinger had asked the then head of CIA why they were lacking intelligence information on the issue. According to the documents, Kissinger was concerned since the lack of intelligence information was obstructing his diplomatic options of resolving the conflict.
The US government wanted the issue in the subcontinent to be resolved at the earliest so that the erstwhile USSR could not extend its influence in the region. The documents reveal the then US government was also willing to work with USSR to avoid crisis.
The disclosure is based on a 13-million-page document.
The conflict between India and Pakistan emerged after the former helped militants in East Pakistan against the Pakistani army.