Indo-Pak War of 1971

The British India was partitioned into the two nations i.e. India and Pakistan at the time of independence from Britain in 1947. The two nations were made on the basis of religion India Pakistan . Max number of Hindu was in India and the Muslims were in Pakistan one of the main reason of The Kashmir Issue was raised also. Pakistan was with the two divisions at the time of independence West Pakistan and East Pakistan. Most probably West Pakistan started ignoring East Pakistanis, as they distinguished with Pakistani Bengalis. It is also said that the people of West Pakistan were selected for the decorated posts in the government organisations. Bengalis thought that the national government was discriminating, the war initially was for the liberation of East Pakistan due to the said ignorance in the government administration and the genocide. A lot of atrocities were committed by the soldiers. It is said that the soldiers from the West Pakistan were raping and killing the women were from East Pakistan. The people were migrating towards the Assam side of India as they were killing and raping unnecessarily.

Protest

The Bengali nationalist leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, founder of Awami League Party secured a landslide win in Pakistan. Instead of allowing Mujibur to form the government, west Pakistani establishment called on the military to overpower in East Pakistan. Protests in support of Mujibur were held there in East Pakistan. A violent crackdown in March 1971 by West Pakistan, led by Tikka Khan. Tikka Khan with his army launched a terror activity in East Pakistan. Through this terror activity he was called the Butcher of Bengal.

Implications

Mujibur Rahman was arrested and taken to West Pakistan. Many other Awami Leaders fled to India for seeking asylum. The refugees to India were as enormous as to let intervene India in to this revolt. GOI sponsored the Mukti Bahini, provided training in refugee camps for Bengali nationals. The West Bengal, Tripura, Bihar, Assam, and Meghalaya state governments had also set up refugee camps along the frontier. Due to different strategic, domestic, economic, and humanitarian factors, India was compelled to intervene in the Bangladesh War of 1971.

Was that the right time to extension Towards Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar Territories?

In order to have better access to the sea for the Northeast India, that was absolutely the right time to get extension to the Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar Territories. However, the then India had accepted Radcliffe Line in 1947 and these territories were part of Pakistan.

Involvement of Other Countries

America & China did not intervene in to the war because of the Soviets. Americans were encouraging China to open a front against India but China did not attack India. Soviet Union had given a word to America that India had no territorial ambitions in any part of Pakistan and it would ensure that India wouldn’t capture any territory, any side of Pakistan. India had no capacity to continue the war alone without Russia support otherwise.

Indian Government Involvement

Indira Gandhi the then Indian Prime Minister had written a letter to 37th US President “All unprejudiced persons objectively surveying the grim events in Bangladesh since March 25 have recognised the revolt of 75 million people, a people who were forced to the conclusion that neither their life, nor their liberty, to say nothing of the possibility of the pursuit of happiness, was available to them”. Also, the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi concluded that instead of taking in millions of refugees, India would be economically better off going to war against Pakistan.

Conclusion

On 16 December 1971, Lt. Gen Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, Chief Martial Law Administrator of East Pakistan and Commander of Pakistan Army forces in East Pakistan signed the Instrument of Surrender. Over 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian forces. China and United States of America were against the Indian Government & vetoed. After the war an agreement was signed between the both countries i.e. Simla Agreement. According to the Simla Agreement Pakistan accepted the independence of Bangladesh in exchange for the return of the Pakistani Prisoner of War. So much so that nearly 200 soldiers were sought for war crimes by Bengalis were pardoned by India & gave back 13,000 km² (5,019 sq mi) of land that Indian troops had seized in West Pakistan during the war.

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