In news-Recently, Swarnim Vijay Parv was celebrated at India Gate, New Delhi on December 12-13, 2021 to commemorate 50 years of India’s historic victory in the 1971 war and the Indo-Bangladesh friendship.
A brief note on Indo-Pak war of 1971-
- It was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 to the fall of Dacca (Dhaka) on 16 December 1971.
- Pakistan launched the brutal genocide ‘Operation Searchlight’ to curb the Bengali resistance.
- The war began with Operation Chengiz Khan’s preemptive aerial strikes on 11 Indian air stations, which led to the commencement of hostilities with Pakistan and Indian entry into the war for independence in East Pakistan on the side of Bengali nationalist forces.
- All the three wings- the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy valiantly fought in the war.
- As part of the war, the Battle of Longewala (in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan) began on the intervening night of December 4th-5th.
- 13 days after the war started, India achieved a clear upper hand, the Eastern Command of the Pakistan military signed the instrument of surrender on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, marking the formation of East Pakistan as the new nation of Bangladesh.
- Officially, East Pakistan had earlier called for its secession from Pakistan on 26 March 1971.
- The Simla Agreement was signed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan on 2nd July 1972 was much more than a peace treaty seeking to reverse the consequences of the 1971 war (i.e. to bring about withdrawals of troops and an exchange of PoWs).
Further reading: https://journalsofindia.com/50th-anniversary-of-1971-india-pakistan-war/
Source: PIB
