During 1971, refusal of West Pakistan Authorities to acknowledge the victory of Mujib-Ur-Rehman’s Awami League in the elections in East Pakistan led to wide spread protests and cadre were out on the streets. General Yahya Khan of Pakistan met military officers at Dhaka and gave the go-ahead for the final assault. Operation Searchlight began simultaneously across the whole of East Pakistan. At least 26,000 people were killed, according to Pakistan’s Hamoodur Rahman Commission; Bangladesh, however, claims that as many as 3,000,000 were killed by Pakistani soldiers in a brutal campaign of rape, murder and pillage. Some 10 million refugees fled to India.India declared support for Bangladesh liberation and the Bengali resistance.
The war which was ended in fourteen days gave India a reason to show its supremacy to the world with the lynch pin of the operations in Kargil Sector, ensuring considerable success to the Indian Army in a short span.
The astute planning and sterling war fighting skills of the Nubra Guards under Major Chewang Rinchen were highlighted once again, during the battle. The victories at Brachil Pass, Black Rocks, Hathimata, and Sherquila Complex are a few among the memorable battles fought by the Indian forces in this sector. By late November, India was ready for a military offensive. When the Pakistan Air Force launched pre-emptive strikes on airfields in Western India on December 3, 1971, India responded by formally declaring war in the wee hours of December 4. The speed and scale of victory was due to leadership, logistics, strategy — but also chance and contingency. The instrument of surrender was signed by Lt Gen A A K Niazi with Lt Gen J S Aurora watching, at Dhaka on December 16, 1971. That remains the abiding image of the 1971 War. To this day, this war remains as one of the tactical masterpieces of military planning and clockwork execution.
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