| Indo-pakistani War Of 1971 |
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The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a major military conflict between India and Pakistan . The war is closely associated with Bangladesh Liberation War (sometimes also referred to as Pakistani Civil War). There is an argument about exact dates of the war. However, war on India's Western front during the period between 3 December 1971 and 16 December 1971 is called the Indo-Pakistani War by both the Bangladeshi and Indian Armies . The War ended in a crushing defeat for Pakistan Military in just a fortnight. BACKGROUND See Also: Bangladesh_Liberation_War#Reasons_for_war The Indo-Pakistani conflict was sparked by the Bangladesh Liberation War , a conflict between the traditionally dominant West Pakistan is and the majority East Pakistan is. The war ignited after the 1970 Pakistani Election , in which the East Pakistani Awami League Party won 167 of 169 seats in East Pakistan, thus securing a simple majority in the 313-seat lower house of the Pakistani Parliament . Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman presented Six Points and claimed the right to form the government. After the leader of the Pakistan People's Party , Zulfikar Ali Bhutto , refused to give premiership of Pakistan to Sheikh Mujib, President Yahya Khan called in the military, which was made up largely of West Pakistanis. Mass arrests of dissidents began, and attempts were made to disarm East Pakistani soldiers and police. After several days of strikes and non-cooperation movements, Pakistani military cracked down on Dhaka on the night of March 25 , 1971 . The Awami League was Banned ; many members fled into exile in India. Mujib was arrested and taken to West Pakistan . On 26 March 1971 , Ziaur Rahman , a rebellious major in the Pakistani army, declared the independence of Bangladesh on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman . In April, exiled Awami League leaders formed a Government-in-exile in Boiddonathtola of Meherpur . The East Pakistan Rifles , an elite Paramilitary Force , Defected to the rebellion. A Guerrilla troop of civilians, the Mukti Bahini , was formed to help the Bangladesh Army . INDIA'S INVOLVEMENT IN BANGLADESH LIBERATION WAR On 27 March 1971 , Prime Minister Of India , Indira Gandhi , expressed full support of her government to the Bangladeshi struggle for freedom. The Bangladesh-India border was opened to allow the Tortured and panic-stricken Bengal is safe shelter in India. The governments of West Bengal , Bihar , Assam , Meghalaya and Tripura established Refugee Camp s along the border. Exiled Bangladeshi army officers and voluntary workers from India immediately started using these camps for the Recruitment and training of Mukti Bahini guerrillas. As the massacres in East Pakistan escalated, an estimated 10 million refugees fled to India, causing financial hardship and instability in that country. The United States , long a close ally of Pakistan, continued to ship arms and supplies to West Pakistan. Indira Gandhi launched a diplomatic offensive in the early fall of 1971 touring Europe , and was successful in getting both the United Kingdom and France to break with the United States, and block any pro-Pakistan directives in the United Nations Security Council . Indira Gandhi's greatest coup was on 9 August when she signed a twenty-year treaty of friendship and co-operation with the Soviet Union , greatly shocking the United States, and providing India with insurance that the People's Republic Of China would not be involved in the conflict. China, an ally of Pakistan, had been providing moral support, but little military aid, and did not advance troops to its border with India. Operation of the Mukti Bahini caused severe casualties to the Pakistani Army, which was in control of all district headquarters. As the flow of refugees swelled to a tide, the economic costs for India began to escalate. India began providing support including weapons and training for the Mukti Bahini, and began shelling military targets in East Pakistan. INDIA'S OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENT WITH PAKISTAN By November, war seemed inevitable; a massive buildup of Indian forces on the border with East Pakistan had begun. The Indian military waited for winter, when the drier ground would make for easier operations and Himalayan passes would be closed by snow, preventing any Chinese intervention. On 23 November , Yahya Khan declared a state of emergency in all of Pakistan and told his people to prepare for war. On the evening of Sunday, 3 December , the Pakistani air force launched sorties on eight airfields in north-western India. This attack was inspired by the Arab - Israeli Six Day War and the success of the Israeli preemptive strike. However, The Indians had anticipated such a move and the raid was not successful. The Indian Air Force launched a counter-attack and quickly achieved air superiority. On the Eastern front, the Indian Army joined forces with the Mukti Bahini to form the Mitro Bahini (Allied Forces) and the next day the Indian forces responded with a massive coordinated air, sea, and land assault on East Pakistan. Yahya Khan counter attacked India in the West in an attempt to capture territory which might have been used to bargain for territory they expected to lose in the east. The land battle in the West was crucial for any hope of preserving a united Pakistan. But the Indian Army quickly responded to the Pakistan Army's moves in the west and made some initial gains, including capturing around 5,500 sq. miles of Pakistan territory before settling down, thus keeping the Pakistani Army pinned down. (Gains made by India in Pakistani Kashmir and Pakistani Punjab sector were later given up voluntarily by India in the Shimla Agreement signed in 1972, as a gesture of goodwill). The Indian Army described its activities in East Pakistan (Bangladesh) as: "The Indian Army merely provided the Coup De Grace to what the people of Bangladesh had commenced--active resistance to the Pakistani Government and its Armed Forces on their soil." |
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