Bangladesh war, 1971

The crisis that led to the Bangladesh war began inside Pakistan in 1970. The country held its first general election, and the result was a split verdict. In West Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s party won, but in East Pakistan, the Awami League led by Sheikh Mujib-ur Rahman swept the polls. The Bengali population of East Pakistan had voted overwhelmingly to protest against years of being treated as second-class citizens by the rulers based in West Pakistan.

The Pakistani rulers refused to accept this democratic verdict. They were also unwilling to accept the Awami League’s demand for a federal system. Instead, in early 1971, the Pakistani army arrested Sheikh Mujib and unleashed a reign of terror on the people of East Pakistan. In response, the people of East Pakistan began a struggle to liberate ‘Bangladesh’ from Pakistan.

Throughout 1971, India had to bear the burden of about 80 lakh refugees who fled East Pakistan and took shelter in neighbouring areas in India. India extended moral and material support to the freedom struggle in Bangladesh. Pakistan accused India of a conspiracy to break it up.

Support for Pakistan came from the United States and China. The US-China rapprochement that began in the late 1960s resulted in a realignment of forces in Asia. Henry Kissinger, the adviser to US President Richard Nixon, made a secret visit to China via Pakistan in July 1971. To counter this US-Pakistan-China axis, India signed a 20-year Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the Soviet Union in August 1971. This treaty assured India of Soviet support if the country faced any attack.

After months of diplomatic tension and military build-up, a full-scale war between India and Pakistan broke out in December 1971. Pakistani aircraft attacked Punjab and Rajasthan, while the army moved on the Jammu and Kashmir front. India retaliated with an attack involving the air force, navy, and army on both the Western and Eastern fronts. Welcomed and supported by the local population, the Indian army made rapid progress in East Pakistan. Within ten days, the Indian army had surrounded Dhaka from three sides, and the Pakistani army of about 90,000 soldiers had to surrender.

With Bangladesh established as a free country, India declared a unilateral ceasefire. Later, the signing of the Shimla Agreement between Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on 3 July 1972 formalised the return of peace.

A decisive victory in the war led to national jubilation. Most people in India saw this as a moment of glory and a clear sign of India’s growing military prowess. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister at this time. She had already won the Lok Sabha elections in 1971, and her personal popularity soared further after the 1971 war. After the war, assembly elections in most states brought large majorities for the Congress party. …