Bangladesh Liberation War 1971

The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 was a nine-month armed conflict that resulted in the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan. The crisis followed the December 1970 general election in Pakistan, in which the Awami League won a majority but was not allowed to form the national government. On 25 March 1971, the Pakistani military launched Operation Searchlight in East Pakistan, followed by widespread fighting and a large refugee movement into India. Bangladesh's independence was proclaimed on 26 March, and Bengali military personnel, paramilitary forces and civilians organised the resistance that became the Mukti Bahini. India provided humanitarian assistance, training and other support to the Bangladeshi resistance while millions of refugees crossed into Indian territory. During November, fighting along the border intensified. On 3 December 1971, Pakistan launched pre-emptive air strikes against Indian airfields, opening full-scale India-Pakistan hostilities. Indian Army, Navy and Air Force forces then conducted coordinated operations on the eastern and western fronts alongside the Mukti Bahini. Indian forces advanced rapidly toward Dhaka from multiple directions, while Pakistani positions and communications were progressively isolated. On 16 December 1971, Lieutenant General A. A. K. Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender in Dhaka before Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, commander of the joint Indian and Bangladeshi forces. The surrender resulted in the establishment of Bangladesh as an independent state.