As India and Pakistan stand against one another after the outrageous Pahalgam terror Attack carried out in Kashmir, the escalations and retaliations remind of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The battle which ended more than half a century ago, gave birth to Bangladesh and saw over 90,000 Pakistani troops surrender in two weeks.
Among the war’s vital turning points was India’s operational superiority on every front; land, air, and sea. Pakistan’s east wing was isolated as India declared a no-fly zone, bringing enemy air operations to a grinding halt. An effective naval blockade in the west also disrupted crucial supply links and reinforcements.
India Gains Air Supremacy in First 72 Hours
In the first 72 hours of the war, the Indian Air Force had gained air supremacy over East Pakistan, speeding up the army’s thrust into the country. The Indian Navy’s lead vessel, INS Vikrant, and its aircraft operating from the carrier, were largely responsible for strangling sea access and preventing any assistance from reaching the Pakistani forces.
At the same time, India’s 4 Corps, 33 Corps, and 2 Corps began a three-front assault on a bid to penetrate deep within Bangladesh. Their objective: go around and eventually overwhelm the ‘fortress cities’ built by the Pakistani military. As such strategic positions as Jessore, Khulna, Sylhet, Chittagong, and Tangail were taken, Dhaka stood defenseless.
Psychological Warfare
Prior to the outbreak of the battle, Pakistan’s military planning based on the belief that India would attack only border regions close to West Bengal—failed. Consequently, the enemy had masses of troops concentrated in fortified cities surrounding Dhaka, while the capital itself remained under-defended.
India took advantage of this blunder through an impressive psychological operation. The paradrop at Tangail, which Pakistani troops mistakenly assumed included 5,000 Indian paratroopers, was a blow to enemy morale.
Then Army Chief General Sam Manekshaw spoke to Pakistani soldiers after Jessore’s fall, assuring them, “Once you surrender, you shall be treated with dignity as per Geneva Convention.” In another broadcast on December 10, he stated, “Your resistance is gallant but fruitless. Your commanders are giving false hopes.” These words played a crucial role in demoralizing the enemy’s determination.
US, China Holds Back
During and after the war, Lt. Gen. AAK Niazi allegedly admitted to Maj Gen JFR Jacob that he realized the battle was lost at least a week before officially surrendering. Pakistan had anticipated intervention by allies such as the US and China.
But the geopolitical weather was not in their favor. China, freshly recovering from the Cultural Revolution, was not geared for a long, high-altitude winter war in East Pakistan. The difficulty of launching a large-scale mobilization across difficult terrain made Beijing hesitant.
In the West, US President Nixon attempted to dissuade India by deploying the Seventh Fleet, which was headed by the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise, as a part of America’s ‘Gunboat Diplomacy’. The policy was to intimidate India’s Navy and shatter the blockade.
But the Indo-Soviet Treaty saved the day. The USSR responded to the US action by sending warships, including missile-carrying cruisers, frigates, and destroyers, into the area. The Cold War confrontation between the two superpowers stayed foreign hands, isolating East Pakistan alone.
The Final Blow and Surrender
The swift Indian army progress, assisted by synchronized air and naval attacks, left East Pakistan with no chance of reinforcement or evacuation. The western front for Pakistan, though, was able to stand firm with some resistance and air cover, but the eastern front worsened at an alarming rate.
On December 13, Gen. Niazi reportedly sent an SOS to military headquarters in Rawalpindi, only to be told to “continue fighting and retain territory.” The following day, the Indian Air Force struck the Governor House in Dhaka during a high-level meeting, delivering a significant psychological shock.
The air raid demoralized the East Pakistani leadership, and the civilian government resigned en masse immediately. This was the final straw. Realizing the pointlessness of further bloodshed, Niazi decided to surrender sealing one of the most complete military victories in Indian history.
