PNCA screens documentary on fall of Dhaka

Islamabad: A documentary on ‘Separation of East Pakistan – The Untold Story’ was screened at the Pakistan National Council of Arts here on Wednesday.

The documentary was produced by Erum Binte Shahid with Javed Jabbar as the executive producer, writer Muhammad Zeeshan as the content director and Mitra Bonshahi, Mehreen Jabbar and M. Bilal as the consulting editors.

The event was attended by government and political leaders, intellectuals, foreign delegates, celebrities, renowned personalities and those with interest in history.

They appreciated the initiative of revealing the 1971 tragedy in a unique way. Many of them said they were totally unaware of many of the information shared and how it completely changed their perspective on the Fall of Dhaka.

Producer Erum Binte Shahid said she had shared the true story of 1971 with the people of South Asia, especially those who were not witness to the events of those years that led to the events of 1971.

"I am humbled to have contributed towards demystifying the false information that has unfortunately become the mainstream history.”

The documentary is the first of its kind, sharing facts and information not revealed before. International and national experts and intellectual leaders address the false information and shares little known facts about 1971.

While addressing the audience the eminent Javed Jabbar, shared that “the history of 1971 has purposefully been diluted by hyperbole and false information. After 50 years it is time we use the lens of facts and objective analysis to tell the untold story.”

The documentary is the first of its kind, sharing facts and information not revealed before. International and national experts and intellectual leaders address the false information and shares little known facts about 1971. It reveals how history had been manipulated against Pakistan, purposefully creating strains between Bangladesh and Pakistan, to ensure continued regional unrest.

The documentary reveals how the plight and insecurities of the vulnerable people of the then East Pakistan were misused by the international community to promote a separatist movement when the people of East Pakistan, including Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, did not necessarily want an independent nation. The documentary discloses the reality and full extent of India’s involvement in the region, which is not limited to 1971 but, actually, started years before.

Most importantly it clarifies the fake news spread by those against Pakistan of the number of people killed, the rapes, and clears the misnomers of the supposed ‘non-violent movement’. The documentary also outlines the misjudgements made by those in power at the time, which created a conducive environment for regional powers to play politics and break up a nation.