The war that created a new nation, the war that refueled the pride of the Indian armed forces, the war that put a full stop to the Nazi like genocide that killed nearly 3 million innocent people of Bangladesh, the Indo-Pak war of 1971 was a huge set back to Pakistan and a remarkable demonstration of strength, intelligence and logistical capabilities of India.
Soon after the independence, Pakistan was divided into west Pakistan(which consisted of 4 provinces) and east Bengal (which later became east Pakistan) separated from each other by 1600 miles of Indian territory but united by a common faith. The west mainly consisted of Urdu and Punjabi speaking Muslims and on the eastern side Bengali speaking Muslims and Hindus were the majority. Although the population of the two zones was close to equal, political power was concentrated in West Pakistan and it was widely perceived that east Pakistan was being exploited economically leading to many grievances. The budget allocated to east was less than 50% of that allocated to the west. Bengalis made just 5% of the total of the Pakistan armed forces.
Cultural and linguistic differences between the two wings outweighed any religious unity. The bengalis were very proud of their culture and language which was unacceptable to the west Pakistani elite who considered it to be a smack of Hindu culture.
But the Bengali Muslims tended to be less conservative in religious zeal and had come to accept their Hindu minority and neighbours.
As early as in 1948 Governor General Mahummad Ali Zinnah declared that "Urdu and only Urdu" would be the federal language of Pakistan. The government's stand was widely viewed as an attempt to supress the culture of more than 30% of the Bengali speaking Eastern wing. Thus the people of east Bengal demanded that their language be given federal status alongside Urdu and English and protested the removal Bengali script from currency and stamps during the language movement in 1948.This movement reached its climax when on 21st February 1952 the police fired on the protesting students and civilians causing several deaths.UNESCO declared this day as the international mother language day in November 1999.
In November 1969, General Yahya Khan took over from Ayub and announced elections under a “legal framework for general elections”. The elected National Assembly was to finalize a constitution within 120 days. In the elections held on December 6, 1970, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Awami League, which contested on a six-point programme, won 160 of the 162 seats in East Pakistan, and none in West Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party won 81 of the 138 seats in West Pakistan, but Mujib had a clear overall majority in the House to become the Prime Minister. But Bhutto, who was backed by the Pakistan Army, claimed parity with Mujib saying he was the sole representative of the people of West Pakistan.
After political negotiations failed, Yahya decided to crack down. On March 1, he announced the indefinite postponement of the National Assembly; Mujib responded by calling a strike on March 3. One hundred and seventy-two people were killed and 358 others were wounded during that week, according to official figures.
On March 25, with Awami League cadre also in the streets, Yahya met military officers at Dhaka and gave the go-ahead for the final assault. At 11.30 pm on March 25, Operation Searchlight began simultaneously across the whole of East Pakistan. At least 26,000 people were killed, according to Pakistan’s Hamoodur Rahman Commission; Bangladesh, however, claims that as many as 3,000,000 were killed by Pakistani soldiers in a brutal campaign of rape, murder and pillage. Some 10 million refugees fled to India.
India declared support for the Awami League, opened the East Pakistan border, and the BSF offered limited aid to the Bengali resistance. The Indian leadership decided not to directly intervene, but chose to get involved: the Army’s Eastern command took over responsibility for East Pakistan operations on April 29 and, on May 15, launched Operation Jackpot, a full-fledged operation to recruit, train, arm, equip, supply and advise Mukti Bahini fighters engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Pakistan military. India also launched a global diplomatic offensive to help create Bangladesh.
In between May and December Mukti Bahini with the help of Indian Army carried out offensives on eastern and western borders of East Pakistan and caused a worrying disturbance to Pakistan and it was clear to Islamabad by this time that open conflict was inevitable and east Pakistan was indefensible in the long run.So the decision to attack India with preemptive air strike was taken on 30 November 1971 by General Yahya Khan
On December 3, 1971, Pakistan launched an air attack in the western sector on 11 of Indian airfields, including Ambala in Haryana, Amritsar in Punjab, and Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. The attacks did not succeed in inflicting substantial damage. The Indian air force retaliated the next day and quickly achieved air superiority. On the ground, the strategy in the eastern sector marked a significant departure from previous Indian battle plans and tactics, which had emphasized set-piece battles and slow advances. The strategy adopted was a swift, three-pronged assault of nine infantry divisions with attached armored units and close air support that rapidly converged on Dhaka, the capital of East Pakistan. Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, who commanded the eighth, twenty-third, and fifty-seventh divisions, led the Indian thrust into East Pakistan. As these forces attacked Pakistani formations, the Indian air force rapidly destroyed the small air contingent in East Pakistan and put the Dhaka airfield out of commission. In the meantime, the Indian navy effectively blockaded East Pakistan. Dhaka fell to combined Indian and Mukti Bahini forces on December 16, bringing a quick end to the war.
There was also intense action in the western sector including the tank battle of Longewala, an armoured operation in Rajasthan and a major Indian counter offensive in the Sialkot-Shakargarh area south and west of Chhamb.The Indian navy also played a great role in the war by successfully executing operation Trident and Python sinking PNS Khyber, a destroyer and PNS Muhafiz, a minesweeper and damaging Pakistani destroyer Shajehan.
So the war officially came to an end on 16th December 1971 when Lieutenant-General A. A. K. Niazi, supreme commander of Pakistani Army in East Pakistan,surrendered to the Allied Forces of India and East Pakistan represented by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Arora of Indian Army.India captured around 90,000 POW(Prisoners of War).Indian forces captured around 5,795 square miles (15,010 km2) land in the West. India lost around 2500 personnel against 9000 of Pakistan.Pakistan lost its status as the biggest Muslim nation, half its navy, a quarter of its air force and a third of its army.
India returned all the POW (Prisoners of war) according to the Simla agreement of 1972.Bangladesh became an independent nation. Sheik Mujbur Rehman became the first presient of the free nation. Pakistan appointed Hamoodur Rahman Commission to study the causes of war. Four Indian soldiers also received the Param Vir Chakra. Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Sekhon became the first from Indian Airforce to receive that honour.So this was the story of the Bangladesh Liberation War. But do you think, it was a preplanned strategy by India to supress Pakistan as it has been claiming since then..?Was it the mistake of Indian side by letting go of people like General Tikka Khan who was famously called as "Butcher of Bengal" instead of trying them for genocide? Let me know your views in the comments section below.
Soon after the independence, Pakistan was divided into west Pakistan(which consisted of 4 provinces) and east Bengal (which later became east Pakistan) separated from each other by 1600 miles of Indian territory but united by a common faith. The west mainly consisted of Urdu and Punjabi speaking Muslims and on the eastern side Bengali speaking Muslims and Hindus were the majority. Although the population of the two zones was close to equal, political power was concentrated in West Pakistan and it was widely perceived that east Pakistan was being exploited economically leading to many grievances. The budget allocated to east was less than 50% of that allocated to the west. Bengalis made just 5% of the total of the Pakistan armed forces.
Cultural and linguistic differences between the two wings outweighed any religious unity. The bengalis were very proud of their culture and language which was unacceptable to the west Pakistani elite who considered it to be a smack of Hindu culture.
But the Bengali Muslims tended to be less conservative in religious zeal and had come to accept their Hindu minority and neighbours.
As early as in 1948 Governor General Mahummad Ali Zinnah declared that "Urdu and only Urdu" would be the federal language of Pakistan. The government's stand was widely viewed as an attempt to supress the culture of more than 30% of the Bengali speaking Eastern wing. Thus the people of east Bengal demanded that their language be given federal status alongside Urdu and English and protested the removal Bengali script from currency and stamps during the language movement in 1948.This movement reached its climax when on 21st February 1952 the police fired on the protesting students and civilians causing several deaths.UNESCO declared this day as the international mother language day in November 1999.
In November 1969, General Yahya Khan took over from Ayub and announced elections under a “legal framework for general elections”. The elected National Assembly was to finalize a constitution within 120 days. In the elections held on December 6, 1970, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Awami League, which contested on a six-point programme, won 160 of the 162 seats in East Pakistan, and none in West Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party won 81 of the 138 seats in West Pakistan, but Mujib had a clear overall majority in the House to become the Prime Minister. But Bhutto, who was backed by the Pakistan Army, claimed parity with Mujib saying he was the sole representative of the people of West Pakistan.
After political negotiations failed, Yahya decided to crack down. On March 1, he announced the indefinite postponement of the National Assembly; Mujib responded by calling a strike on March 3. One hundred and seventy-two people were killed and 358 others were wounded during that week, according to official figures.
On March 25, with Awami League cadre also in the streets, Yahya met military officers at Dhaka and gave the go-ahead for the final assault. At 11.30 pm on March 25, Operation Searchlight began simultaneously across the whole of East Pakistan. At least 26,000 people were killed, according to Pakistan’s Hamoodur Rahman Commission; Bangladesh, however, claims that as many as 3,000,000 were killed by Pakistani soldiers in a brutal campaign of rape, murder and pillage. Some 10 million refugees fled to India.
India declared support for the Awami League, opened the East Pakistan border, and the BSF offered limited aid to the Bengali resistance. The Indian leadership decided not to directly intervene, but chose to get involved: the Army’s Eastern command took over responsibility for East Pakistan operations on April 29 and, on May 15, launched Operation Jackpot, a full-fledged operation to recruit, train, arm, equip, supply and advise Mukti Bahini fighters engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Pakistan military. India also launched a global diplomatic offensive to help create Bangladesh.
In between May and December Mukti Bahini with the help of Indian Army carried out offensives on eastern and western borders of East Pakistan and caused a worrying disturbance to Pakistan and it was clear to Islamabad by this time that open conflict was inevitable and east Pakistan was indefensible in the long run.So the decision to attack India with preemptive air strike was taken on 30 November 1971 by General Yahya Khan
On December 3, 1971, Pakistan launched an air attack in the western sector on 11 of Indian airfields, including Ambala in Haryana, Amritsar in Punjab, and Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. The attacks did not succeed in inflicting substantial damage. The Indian air force retaliated the next day and quickly achieved air superiority. On the ground, the strategy in the eastern sector marked a significant departure from previous Indian battle plans and tactics, which had emphasized set-piece battles and slow advances. The strategy adopted was a swift, three-pronged assault of nine infantry divisions with attached armored units and close air support that rapidly converged on Dhaka, the capital of East Pakistan. Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, who commanded the eighth, twenty-third, and fifty-seventh divisions, led the Indian thrust into East Pakistan. As these forces attacked Pakistani formations, the Indian air force rapidly destroyed the small air contingent in East Pakistan and put the Dhaka airfield out of commission. In the meantime, the Indian navy effectively blockaded East Pakistan. Dhaka fell to combined Indian and Mukti Bahini forces on December 16, bringing a quick end to the war.
There was also intense action in the western sector including the tank battle of Longewala, an armoured operation in Rajasthan and a major Indian counter offensive in the Sialkot-Shakargarh area south and west of Chhamb.The Indian navy also played a great role in the war by successfully executing operation Trident and Python sinking PNS Khyber, a destroyer and PNS Muhafiz, a minesweeper and damaging Pakistani destroyer Shajehan.
So the war officially came to an end on 16th December 1971 when Lieutenant-General A. A. K. Niazi, supreme commander of Pakistani Army in East Pakistan,surrendered to the Allied Forces of India and East Pakistan represented by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Arora of Indian Army.India captured around 90,000 POW(Prisoners of War).Indian forces captured around 5,795 square miles (15,010 km2) land in the West. India lost around 2500 personnel against 9000 of Pakistan.Pakistan lost its status as the biggest Muslim nation, half its navy, a quarter of its air force and a third of its army.
India returned all the POW (Prisoners of war) according to the Simla agreement of 1972.Bangladesh became an independent nation. Sheik Mujbur Rehman became the first presient of the free nation. Pakistan appointed Hamoodur Rahman Commission to study the causes of war. Four Indian soldiers also received the Param Vir Chakra. Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Sekhon became the first from Indian Airforce to receive that honour.So this was the story of the Bangladesh Liberation War. But do you think, it was a preplanned strategy by India to supress Pakistan as it has been claiming since then..?Was it the mistake of Indian side by letting go of people like General Tikka Khan who was famously called as "Butcher of Bengal" instead of trying them for genocide? Let me know your views in the comments section below.
Hey readers.I'm Guruprasad,an avid reader,writer,a budding youtuber and an ever smiling guy
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