India–Pakistan War of 1971

A war fought between India and Pakistan in December 1971, ending in Pakistan’s surrender in East Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh.

1970 Pakistani general election: A national election in Pakistan in which the Awami League won a parliamentary majority. The refusal to transfer power after the Awami League’s victory helped trigger the crisis.
Eastern theatre of the India–Pakistan War of 1971: The campaign in East Pakistan that ended with Pakistani forces surrendering at Dhaka. Rapid advances in the eastern theater produced the war’s decisive result.
Indira Gandhi: Prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 to 1984. She led India’s government through the intervention and war.
Creation of Bangladesh: The emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state in 1971 after East Pakistan separated from Pakistan. The war secured the outcome sought by the Bengali independence movement.
Six-Point Movement: A Bengali autonomy program proposed by the Awami League in 1966. Its demand for far-reaching autonomy shaped East Pakistani opposition to central rule.
Western theatre of the India–Pakistan War of 1971: The campaign along the India–West Pakistan front during the 1971 war. Fighting in the west limited the conflict’s territorial changes there.
Yahya Khan: President and chief martial law administrator of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971. His government’s response to the election crisis preceded the war.
Instrument of Surrender (1971): The document signed in Dhaka on 16 December 1971 by Pakistani forces surrendering in the eastern theater. Its signing formally ended the campaign in East Pakistan.
Operation Searchlight: A Pakistani military crackdown launched in East Pakistan on 25 March 1971. The crackdown intensified the rebellion and drove millions of refugees into India.
Mukti Bahini: The Bengali guerrilla forces that fought Pakistani rule in East Pakistan in 1971. Its local networks and combatants assisted Indian forces in the eastern campaign.

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