Goa, Aug. 5 -- On the night that would change the course of South Asian history, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman displayed a level of composure that has since become legendary. As Pakistani soldiers arrived at his Dhaka residence to arrest him during the military crackdown known as Operation Searchlight, the Awami League leader made an unexpected request. He asked the soldiers to wait because he had forgotten his pipe and tobacco.

The incident took place in the early hours of March 26, 1971, when the Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight to suppress the growing Bengali independence movement in East Pakistan. Mujib, whose Awami League had secured a sweeping victory in Pakistan's 1970 general election, had become the leading voice demanding g...