Dr. Irfan Zafar says that the current situation in Pakistan is not much different than 1971 which resulted in the break-up of the country:
The Mukti Bahini was formed to fight off the military crackdown by Pakistan on March 25, 1971. However, with the rising discontentment of the local population against the government, the people in East Pakistan started supporting it which finally led to the popular Bangladesh Liberation War.
In a similar fashion, the Taliban were supported by our government to fight against the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. At present the Taliban, just like Mukti Bahini, have gained the sympathies of the people who are fed up with the policies of the ruling elite. A stage has come whereas people have started believing in the fact that no matter how bad the Taliban are, they are still better than the present lot ruling this unfortunate land. We lost half of the country living under the illusion that everything was going well in the eastern wing. Let's not repeat the same mistake and lose whatever is left.
