Bangladesh Liberation War

Fault Lines is the first anthology containing stories from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, the United States and the United Kingdom on the theme of 1971. It obliges readers from the subcontinent to ask pertinent questions about their own history. What was a Pakistani soldier thinking when he was ordered to shoot unarmed women and children? How do women who fare worst in times of turmoil and tyranny cope when they become helpless victims of atrocities? Were all Bengalis brave? Were all army men evil?

First published in 1978 it was then the most authentic and comprehensive study of the historical, political and economic background of the emergence of the new nation, Bangladesh. Rich in useful rare data collected from different sources varying from personal to international, this book gives a vivid description of the birth of the nation by one who had a unique access to rare source materials.

Blame is about Laila and to some extent about Gita, from the ages of 13 in 1965 to 19 in 1971, when they are disowned by their families for having been raped during the liberation war. The place is East Pakistan ‒ now known as Bangladesh. Apart from following Laila and Gita, the book also depicts the tensions between Muslims and Hindus, Pakistan and India, Urdu and Bengali, males and females; it crosses cultures and speaks of friendship, betrayal, sacrifice, love and shame...