Self–Determination in International Law: The Tragic Tale of Two Cities–Islamabad (West Pakistan) and Dacca (East Pakistan)

The following inquiry into the internal conflict in East Pakistan suggests that under special circumstances a claim to self-determination, even in a non–colonial setting, may be valid under international law. Although the inherent difficulty is realized in (1) defining self-determination and (2) laying down the precise guidelines for a decision-maker to determine “special” nature of the circumstances, nonetheless it is submitted that a contextual analysis of the East Pakistani conflict, which follows here, demonstrates that at this stage a tentative set of criteria can and should be developed to resolve the conflicting claims revolving around the principles of “territorial integrity,” “self-determination,” and “non-intervention.”