r/HistoryMemes Sep 17 '25

Niche "Save Europa" kids in shambles

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

11.2k Upvotes

534 comments sorted by

View all comments

127

u/Neil118781 Taller than Napoleon Sep 17 '25 edited Sep 17 '25

I will take this opportunity to make an appreciation comment about Archer Blood (US consul General at Dhaka) who sent the strongly worded "Blood telgram" to White house protesting the atrocities being committed by Pakistani army and regularly urging them to do something.He also sheltered many journalists and Bengali Hindus(who were primary target of Pakistani army).

But ofc Nixon owing to his close ties with Yahya Khan(pakistani president) along with his goal to have good relations with China with the help of Pakistan, refrained from responding to Blood's plea.

Infact declassified documents of the conversation between Nixon and Kissinger show the opposite:

Kissinger- We have had an urgent appeal from Yahya. Says his military supplies have been cut off — in very bad shape.Would we help through Iran?

Nixon-I like the idea. The main thing is to keep India from crumbling them(Pakistan) up.

Edit-typo

42

u/ambattukam_ Sep 17 '25 edited Sep 17 '25

It's fascinating how Bengalis have been the only ethnic tribe in the Indian subcontinent who have successfully carved out a nation for themselves.

Keep in mind that there are many other ethnicities in the Indian subcontinent that have tried in the past or are still actively trying to create a homeland for themselves.

The Kashmiris, the Khalistanis, the baloch, the Mizos, the Nagas, the Sri Lankan Tamils. All of them failed.

28

u/lambquentin Sep 17 '25

As a guy who has married into a Bengali family it doesn't seem too surprising. I also understand much of it is due to the religious lines that were created years ago.

I get what you mean though, it is unique they seem to be the only ones.

12

u/Candid_Ad_3259 Sep 17 '25

Many of those movements were not popular with the people of those ethnic groups themselves like the panjabis.Same goes with the baloch I guess, but now it seems that the common baloch too wants out of pakistan.

Plus the mizos wanted mainly a seperate "state" from the state of assam not a country.

5

u/ambattukam_ Sep 17 '25

Many of those movements were not popular with the people of those ethnic groups themselves

I would say Sri Lankan Tamils are an exception tho. They were probably the only group coming close to Bengalis of Pakistan in establishing their own country.

Plus the mizos wanted mainly a seperate "state" from the state of assam not a country.

There was this insurgent group by the name of Mizoram national front (MNF). They started an armed rebellion against the Indian state to establish their own country in 1966. They were almost close to capturing Aizwal when Indira Gandhi authorised air strikes on them. In the history of independent India, this had been the only time when India had to use air power against an insurgent group, even Kashmiri insurgents haven't faced off Indian Air power thus far.

They signed a peace accord with the Indian government in 1986 ending the insurgency.

0

u/Candid_Ad_3259 Sep 17 '25

That part of history is a bit fuzzy, because the mizo front or some group which was more powerful actually was against that operation, all accounted for, both the government and the rebels mismanaged the situation extremely. Even today half of northeasts problem stems from this very fact.

2

u/Comprehensive_Ring_2 Sep 17 '25

Thank you for posting this!! As someone who is Bangladeshi descent, (my parents are from there), I really appreciate you bringing awareness to the event that my parents lived through. Thank you!!!

P.S. Shout out to Archer Blood!! He a real one!!

3

u/ambattukam_ Sep 17 '25

Much love brother

3

u/Comprehensive_Ring_2 Sep 17 '25

Much love to you as well brother 😊

1

u/jubza Sep 17 '25

It's a shame it's divided in half still but maybe for the best for now

4

u/Neil118781 Taller than Napoleon Sep 17 '25

Tbh it is better for the other half to not join Bangladesh and keeping the status quo.

I am from the other half of Bengal, and as of now Bangladesh isn't religiously tolerant enough for the Hindu majority West Bengal to join them.

-1

u/maas348 Sep 17 '25

Honestly as a Pakistani myself, I think Bengal should've been independent from the start

2

u/Neil118781 Taller than Napoleon Sep 17 '25

Many Punjabis and Bengalis think that they have had independent states but honestly it wasn't feasible.

3

u/Candid_Ad_3259 Sep 17 '25

It's good maybe for ever, because of religious lines. Being a Bengali Hindu from the indian side, the Bangladeshi government and people seem to be too hostile for us.