A trial could also expose a lot about the Pakistan Army which has had Islamabad quite worried. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari rushed special envoy Mirza Zia Ispahani last week to impress upon Dhaka to reconsider its decision. But the Bangladesh parliament has already passed a resolution to start a trial for 1971 war criminals and a public statement by Zardari’s envoy in Dhaka that this was not the right time for such a trial invited heavy criticism from Awami League MPs.

Clearly, sources said, an upset Pakistan Army and the ISI has been keeping its ear to the ground in Bangladesh in the wake of these developments, particularly with Islamabad not starting off well with the Hasina government.

All these factors, some of which are external, have generated fears about conspiracies and plots being hatched behind what apparently are BDR demands seeking status equivalence with their Army counterparts. The broad understanding in New Delhi, however, is that the escalation of an old and continuing resentment into an open revolt has a lot to do with the change of guard in Dhaka.