Vijay Diwas is commemorated on every 16 Dec to mark India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war and to remember the sacrifices of her valiant soldiers. The beginning of the Indo-Pak War of 1971 goes back to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1970, a revolution that began with the refusal of the West Pakistan’s ‘Pakistan People’s Party’ to yield the premiership to Sheik Mujibur Rahman, leader of the Awami League, despite an absolute majority in the 1970 Pakistani elections. Following this was a cruel massacre of Biharis in East Pakistan, which in turn led to a retaliation in the form of Operation Searchlight by West Pakistan.

Following this was a cruel massacre of Biharis in East Pakistan, which in turn led to a retaliation in the form of Operation Searchlight by West Pakistan. By March, 1971, after a series of strikes, non-cooperation movements, and military involvement which led to the death, arrest and exile of many Awami League members and intellectuals of East Pakistan, the Awami League leaders declared independence of Bangladesh and formed a government in exile.A widespread genocide by the West Pakistani military forces, targeting Bengalis and Hindus in East Pakistan, led to a huge number of refugees, as much as 10 million, taking shelter in India. On 27th March, the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi decided that war with Pakistan would be more economical and in April, General Manekshaw was asked to ‘Go into East Pakistan’. By November, thousands of West Pakistan forces marched towards the border, and the massive Indian forces responded to this threat.

A widespread genocide by the West Pakistani military forces, targeting Bengalis and Hindus in East Pakistan, led to a huge number of refugees, as much as 10 million, taking shelter in India. On 27th March, the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi decided that war with Pakistan would be more economical and in April, General Manekshaw was asked to ‘Go into East Pakistan’. By November, thousands of West Pakistan forces marched towards the border, and the massive Indian forces responded to this threat.On 3rd December, eleven airfields in north-western India were the targets of a massive pre-emptive air strike by the Pakistani Air Force, marking the declaration of war. The Indian military mobilized troops immediately and that very night, the Indian Air Force retaliated with an initial air strike.

On 3rd December, eleven airfields in north-western India were the targets of a massive pre-emptive air strike by the Pakistani Air Force, marking the declaration of war. The Indian military mobilized troops immediately and that very night, the Indian Air Force retaliated with an initial air strike. A thirteen-day war ensued, where the Indian forces coordinated a massive air, sea, and land assault. Despite Pakistani forces attacking the borders on the west, the Indian troops held their ground, while on the eastern front, they launched a massive attack employing blitzkrieg techniques. Within a fortnight, the Pakistani military faced heavy casualties and met with insurmountable loss. On 16th December, the West Pakistan forces stationed in East Pakistan surrendered.The Instrument of Surrender was signed on this day and the short but vicious war came to an end. It was a clear victory for the Indian military and the war stripped Pakistan of nearly half of their population and

The Instrument of Surrender was signed on this day and the short but vicious war came to an end. It was a clear victory for the Indian military and the war stripped Pakistan of nearly half of their population and one-third of their army was in captivity. The 1972 Simla Agreement resulted in the release of the Pakistani prisoners of war, the recognition of Bangladesh as an independent State and the ceding of land captured by Indian troops during the war.

The bravery of the Indian troops, exemplary skill, determination and above all, love for the country brought this historic victory, which changed the course of history for the Indian subcontinent forever. Around 2,500 to 3,800 Indian soldiers were killed in the war and 45 air crafts were destroyed. It is the duty of every Indian to remember these brave hearts, who made their supreme sacrifice for our safe and brighter tomorrow.

The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 lasted for thirteen days, making it one of the shortest wars in history. During the crisis between East and West Pakistan, in the year 1971, a struggle for independence was born. With the increasingly brutal effects of the Bangladesh Liberation War, refugees starting pouring into the already economically strained state of India. India could no longer bear a passive witness to the struggle and decided to intervene, leading to the infamous Indo-Pak War of 1971.

The war was fought on two fronts. One was fought in the region of East Pakistan and saw active offense by the Indian Army. The other was fought on the western front, with a more complex series of naval and ground attack.

BACKGROUND:

The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 was sparked by the Bangladesh Liberation war. In the 1970 Pakistani elections, the Awami League of East Pakistan secured an absolute majority and consequently should have claimed the premiership of Pakistan. However, the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party of the traditionally dominant West Pakistan refused their claims.

Following this, there was widespread dissent among the people of East Pakistan. The then President Yahya Khan called on the military to suppress the dissent and on the 1^st of March, he convened the National Assembly. In retaliation, they began targeting ethnic Bihari people who had supported West Pakistan. Nearly 300 members of the Bihari community were killed in early March.

This, in turn, paved the way for West Pakistan to commence Operation Searchlight. On 25^th March, the military was deployed into East Pakistan to disarm soldiers and police. That very night, Dhaka witnessed widespread chaos as Awami League leaders were banished and arrested. Operation Searchlight followed as the military was instructed to eliminate all political and military opposition.

On 26 March 1971, Ziaur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Shortly after this, in April, the exiled Awami leaders formed a ‘government-in-exile’ and the Mukti Bahini was formed under the Commander-in-Chief General Mohammad Ataul Ghani Osmany.

INDIA’S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE LIBERATION WAR:

Following Operation Searchlight, West Pakistan was engaged in atrocious genocide against the East Pakistan people, targeting the Bengali population and particularly the Hindu community. This, in turn, led to the fleeing of around 10 million refugees into Indian states. The East Indian border was opened by India and camps were set up in the East and North East to provide the refugees safe shelter. This set up a severe strain on the Indian economy.

On 27^th March 1971, Indira Gandhi expressed her support for the Bangladesh independence struggle. She decided that war with Pakistan would be the most economical solution and on 28^th April, the Cabinet asked General Manekshaw to go into East Pakistan. By the end of September, the refugee camps witnessed recruiting and training of troops and the air in Pakistan had changed as well. People were campaigning to ‘Crush India’.

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENT WITH PAKISTAN:

By the month of November it seemed that the war was inevitable. Indian troops began building up near the Eastern border. The Indian military waited for winter when the Himalayan passes would be blocked by the snow, successfully preventing participation of the Chinese, who were supporting Pakistan.

The 23^rd of November witnessed President Yahya Khan declaring a state of emergency and instructing his people to prepare for war.

The official beginning of the war occurred on the evening of 3^rd December. Pakistani air force launched pre-emptive airstrike on eleven Indian airfields. However, this attempt, known as Operation Chengiz Khan, was unsuccessful and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced that the strikes were a declaration of war against India. The Indian Air Force retaliated that very night and launched a counter attack, achieving aerial superiority.

Following this Indira Gandhi ordered the mobilisation of troops and launched a full-scale invasion with an integrated air, sea and land attack.

NAVAL OPERATIONS:

On the eastern front, the Indian Eastern Naval Command, under the leadership of Vice Admiral Krishnan, completely isolated East Pakistan by means of a naval blockade in the Bay of Bengal, trapping the Eastern Pakistani Navy and eight foreign merchant ships in their ports.

The aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was deployed on the 4^th of December, and its Sea Hawk fighter-bombers attacked many coastal towns in East Pakistan including Chittagong. Pakistan attempted to retaliate deploying the deadly submarine PNS Ghazi, however it sank off Visakhapatnam’s coast, presumably due to a strategy developed by the Vice Admiral to trick the Pakistani naval forces.

On 9^th December, the Indian Navy lost the INS Khukri at the hands of the Pakistani submarine PNS Hangor.

On the western front of the war, the Indian Navy, under the command of Vice Admiral S.N. Kohli, launched Operation Trident on the night of 4^th December. They managed to successfully attack Karachi’s port using missile boats and sank Pakistani destroyer PNS Khyber and minesweeper PNS Muhafiz, also damaging PNS Shah Jahan. In response to this, Pakistani submarines were deployed to destroy Indian warships. However, a huge number of Pakistani sailors were killed and they many ships, submarines and were slowly running out of fuel, thus crippling the Pakistan Navy’s involvement.

On the 8^th of December, Operation Python was launched and Indian missile boats attacked the Karachi port, causing still more destruction of fuel tanks. They also sank of three Pakistani merchant ships.

Considering the naval hostilities, India achieved a clear victory, taking down nearly half of Pakistan’s naval forces.

AIR OPERATIONS:

On the aerial front, the IAF acted in quick response to the pre-emptive strikes on the airbases. They established a mass retaliation to the airstrikes and continued to battle the PAF over the conflict zone. Whereas, the PAF took up a more defensive stand. Their numbers slowly dwindled in the air battle and soon, the IAF had easily outnumbered them. The PAF did not assist during India’s raid on the naval port of Karachi, but bombed the Okha harbour is response. However, the air contingent of PAF No. 14 Sqn was annihilated, successfully rendering the Dhaka airfield useless, ultimately leading to Indian aerial superiority in the east.

Through the length of the war, the IAF was able to conduct a wide range of missions including troop support, air combat, deep penetration strikes, para-dropping behind enemy lines, feints to draw enemy fighters away from the actual target, bombing, and reconnaissance. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Air Force, was solely focused on air combat and defending their own bases. The IAF held a huge upper hand over the PAF and quickly established superiority, changing the course of the war.

GROUND OPERATIONS:

On the western front, Pakistani troops attacked at various positions along the border, however, their attempts were foiled by the Indian army who held their position. They also advanced towards Pakistani territory and made some initial gain, which would later be relinquished back to Pakistan.

In the east, the Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini (Bangladeshi forces) joined together and adopted a proficient strategy. They launched a swift, three pronged assault of nine infantry divisions with attacked armoured units and close air support to converge on Dhaka. As these forces attacked Pakistani formations, the Indian Air Force destroyed the air contingent in East Pakistan and put the Dhaka airfield out of commission while the Indian Navy blockaded any maritime help, thus isolating East Pakistan from the offenses of West Pakistan.

Within a short span of thirteen days, the effective strategies of the Indian military and the spirit of the Indian troops brought a swift victory to India. Pakistani forces incurred great losses on naval, air and ground fronts and their military had to withdraw.

SURRENDER OF PAKISTAN AND AFTERMATH:

On 16 December, Pakistani forces in East Pakistan, faced with great losses, surrendered. The ‘Instrument of Surrender’ was signed at Ramna Race Course in Dhaka on the same day, by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer Commanding-in-chief of Eastern Command of the Indian Army and Lieutenant General A. A. K. Niazi, Commander of Pakistani forces in East Pakistan.

In 1972, the ‘Simla Agreement’ was signed between India and Pakistan, ensuring that Pakistan recognised the independence of Bangladesh in exchange for the return of the Pakistani POWs.

Mujibur Rahman was released from prison, and returned to Dhaka on 10 January 1972. He became the first President of Bangladesh.