Was 1971 The Last Big Strike India Conducted Against Pakistan? What Was The Result? Explained
Operation Sindoor is being considered India’s deepest strikes inside Pakistan’s territory since the 1971 war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh
India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on terror camps in Pakistan around midnight in one of the expansive retaliatory strikes in recent times after the Pahalgam massacre on April 22 in which 26 tourists were killed.
The government said the strikes hit infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.
Recommended Stories
Reports say Operation Sindoor is India’s deepest strikes inside Pakistan’s territory since 1971. More details about India’s strikes will be shared by Defence Ministry in the briefing scheduled at 10 am on May 7.
What Happened In The 1971 War?
The 1971 Indo-Pak War was fought from December 3 to December 16, 1971, which led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Background: The war took place due to simmering political and ethnic tensions in Pakistan. East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), predominantly Bengali, faced discrimination from the Pakistani government. After the 1970 elections, where the Bengali-led Awami League won a majority but was denied power, widespread unrest erupted.
In March 1971, Pakistan launched a brutal military crackdown in East Pakistan to suppress Bengali demands for autonomy, resulting in mass killings, rapes, and a refugee crisis. Around 10 million Bengalis fled to India.
Under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, India’s strategy focused on liberating East Pakistan. The Indian Army supported the Bengali resistance (‘Mukti Bahini’) with training, arms, and sanctuary, as the refugee influx and Pakistan’s actions posed a humanitarian and security crisis.
Fighting also took place along the India-West Pakistan border, with battles in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan. The Indian Navy’s attack on Karachi harbour was a significant blow to Pakistan.
Result: On December 16, 1971, Lt. Gen. A.A.K. Niazi, Pakistan’s commander in East Pakistan, surrendered to the Indian Army’s Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora in Dhaka. Over 93,000 Pakistani troops became prisoners of war, the largest surrender since World War II.
East Pakistan was liberated and named Bangladesh, with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as its leader.
Casualties: Reports say 3,900 Indian soldiers were killed and 9,850 wounded. On the Pakistan side, 8,000 soldiers were killed and 25,000 wounded. Estimates of Bengali civilian deaths range from 300,000 to 3 million, with millions displaced.
Aftermath: India emerged as a regional power, with its military and diplomatic strategy praised. Pakistan, on the other hand, faced a humiliating defeat, losing half its population and significant territory. The war reshaped South Asian geopolitics, with Bangladesh’s creation altering the region’s balance of power.
India and Pakistan signed the Shimla Agreement in 1972 to foster peace, with both sides agreeing to resolve disputes bilaterally and respect the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.
India managed the return of refugees and POWs, with most Pakistani prisoners repatriated by 1974.
What Is Happening In Operation Sindoor?
News agency PTI shared a list of nine terror facility locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that have been successfully neutralised. Of the nine locations, four were located within Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur – JeM
Markaz Taiba, Muridke – LeT
Sarjal, Tehra Kalan – JeM
Mehmoona Joya, Sialkot – HM
Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala – LeT
Markaz Abbas, Kotli – JeM
Maskar Raheel Shahid, Kotli – HM
Shawai Nalla Camp, Muzaffarabad – LeT
Syedna Bilal Camp, Muzaffarabad – JeM.
As per the Pakistan military’s media arm, Inter-Services Public Relations, India has “struck three places from the air" – Bhawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab Province as well as Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Muridke is the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is believed to be behind the Pahalgam attack, and Bahawalpur is the base of the Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Indian forces have selected the targets to go after senior terrorist leadership, according to sources cited by news agency ANI. Indian officials stressed the mission was focused, measured, and non-escalatory, and specifically avoided Pakistani military installations.
- Location :
- First Published: