I te tau 1970 i whakahaerehia e Pakistan ana pooti manapori tuatahi mai i te rangatiratanga, hei tohu i te whakawhiti mai i te kawanatanga hoia ki te manapori, engari i muri i te wikitoria o te East Pakistani Awami League ki te Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), ka kore a Yahya Khan me te turanga hoia ki te tuku mana. Ko te Operation Searchlight, he whakaekenga a te ope taua ki te nekehanga mana whenua o Bengali, i arahi ki te whakapuaki i te rangatiratanga me te whawhai o te pakanga whakaoranga
e nga ope o Bengali Mukti Bahini i Pakisitana ki te Rawhiti, i whakaahuatia i Pakisitana ki te Hauauru hei pakanga a-iwi hei utu mo te pakanga whakaoranga.