Pakistani journalist Moeed Pirzada has stirred debate by sharply criticising his own country’s conduct following the 1971 war, claiming Islamabad failed to honour commitments made to India after its military surrender.
“Pakistan backstabbed India. When we surrendered, we had a deal with India that all issues between Ind-Pak will be addressed bilaterally. Then we took Kashmir to the world,” Pirzada said.
He further added, “After Pak surrendered in 1971, India treated 90000 Pak prisoners of war with utmost respect. Pak betrayed India by internationalizing Kashmir.”
His comments refer to the aftermath of the 1971 conflict, when Pakistan’s defeat led to the creation of Bangladesh and a large number of Pakistani prisoners of war were held by India.
Pirzada’s remarks came amid a broader series of posts in which he has been critical of Pakistan’s military establishment. Recently, he reacted strongly to developments concerning former Prime Minister Imran Khan, particularly claims about his deteriorating health in prison.
The reaction followed a post by Indian journalist Vikrant Gupta, who highlighted Khan’s reported vision loss. “The Man Who Saw (Cricket’s) Tomorrow, Imran Khan has lost his vision in the jail. They say his vision is now only 15 percent and that’s such a sad story,” Gupta wrote.
Pirzada echoed the sentiment and expanded his criticism beyond the individual case.
In a strongly worded response, Pirzada linked the present situation to what he described as a troubling historical pattern.
“Story of Pakistan & its Punjabi Army: from massacres of Bengali citizens of Pakistan, to hanging of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to blinding of Imran Khan! This is who we are!” he said.
His reference to “massacres of Bengali citizens” points to the 1971 military crackdown in East Pakistan, while the mention of Bhutto relates to the 1979 execution of the former prime minister following a military coup.
Pirzada also addressed Imran Khan’s family directly, urging them to take the issue beyond Pakistan’s borders. Responding to a post by Khan’s son Kasim, he said:
"... you as sons have not done what you were supposed to do! You needed to knock doors across UK, Europe & US drawing attention to his plight! Now you can still demand an International Board of qualified physicians to see Imran Khan - not only for his eye sight but to examine & ascertain underlying conditions that have led to CRVO."
Imran Khan, 73, has been jailed since August 2023 and is serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges. He has denied wrongdoing, claiming the cases are politically motivated, while the military has rejected such allegations.
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