Every year on December 16, Vijay Diwas is commemorated to commemorate India’s triumph over Pakistan in the 1971 war. On this day, India honours all of the warriors who have protected the country.
Why does India celebrate Vijay Diwas?
After a 13-day battle, India declared victory against Pakistan on December 16, 1971. General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, the Pakistani forces’ commander, and 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the united forces of the Indian Army and Bangladesh’s Mukti Bahini.
It was also the largest military surrender in history following World War II.
What led to the war?
A uprising in East Pakistan against the Islamabad administration sparked the conflict. In East Pakistan, Pakistani forces were perpetrating atrocities against Bengalis and the minority Hindu community. Pakistani forces are thought to have killed between 300,000 and 500,000 civilians, whereas the Bangladesh government claims three million.
Indira Gandhi, the former Indian Prime Minister, then opted to support the former East Pakistan. She made the decision to take in individuals fleeing East Pakistan. 8-10 million individuals are thought to have fled the country.
How did India-Pakistan war of 1971 start
On December 3, 1971, Pakistan launched air raids on 11 Indian airbases, beginning the war. Perhaps for the first time, India’s three armies battled in harmony. In exchange, Gandhi gave Army Chief General Sam Manekshaw orders to unleash a full-scale war against the neighbour.
What was the aftermath of the war?
Bangladesh, which was then East Pakistan, was formed as a result of the conflict.
Bangladesh celebrates the day as ‘Bijoy Dibos,’ which commemorates the country’s formal independence from Pakistan.
The war had claimed the lives of over 3,800 Indian and Pakistani soldiers.
By the time the war ended on December 16, India had 93,000 prisoners of war. India and Pakistan signed the Shimla Agreement eight months after the war ended in August 1972.
India agreed to free 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of war under the terms of the agreement. Later, the agreement was chastised for failing to address India’s Kashmir dispute with Pakistan. Some critics speculated that India could have used Pakistani troops as a bargaining chip.
