A day-by-day account of the 13-day-long India-Pakistan war in 1971 after which East Pakistan declared independence and established the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as its first prime minister.
December 3, 1971 – Amritsar, Pathankot, Srinagar, Avantipura, Ambala, Sirsa, Halwara, and Agra are among the Indian airfields targeted by the Pakistan Air Force in the western sector.
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December 3 to 6, 1971 – The Indian Air Force attacks Pakistani air bases in the western and eastern sectors. In Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan attacks Indian ground positions.
December 4, 1971 – In Rajasthan, the Battle of Longewala takes place, in which the Pakistani push on Jaisalmer is halted.
December 5, 1971 – The Battle of Ghazipur in East Pakistan, the Battle of Basantar in West Pakistan’s Punjab province, and the Battle of Dera Baba Nanak near Gurdaspur take place.
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December 6, 1971 – Bangladesh is officially recognised as an independent country by India. The city of Jessore is freed.
December 7, 1971 – In Bangladesh, the Battle of Sylhet and Moulvibazar begins.
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December 8, 1971 – The Indian Navy launches an attack on Karachi, Pakistan’s port city.
December 9, 1971 – In Bangladesh, the Indian Army fights the Battle of Kushtia. The fall of Dhaka is only a matter of time thanks to a helicopter bridge that transports Indian forces across the Meghna River.
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December 10, 1971 – Indian Air Force planes bomb Bangladesh’s Chittagong air base.
December 11, 1971 – Airdrop of a parachute battalion in Tangail, Bangladesh, to cut off retreating Pakistani troops.
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December 12 – 16, 1971 – Indian armies advance to Dhaka and take control of the city. Lt Gen AAK Niazi, chief of Pakistan’s Eastern Command, signs the instrument of surrender to Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora. In Bangladesh, 93,000 Pakistani soldiers lay down arms.
