The year of 1971 has been memorable for two countries. In the same year, on 3 December 1971, Pakistan started a war against India. The then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi gave the leadership of the three armies of India to General Sam Manekshaw to teach a lesson to Pakistan. Under the leadership of General Sam Manekshaw, the Indian Army broke Pakistan into two pieces and forced 93,000 Pakistani soldiers to surrender in Dhaka. Pakistan will never forget the day of 16th December. On the same day, a new nation named Bangladesh was born due to the army of India. In that period, due to the diplomatic and strong will of Indira Gandhi, India forced Pakistan to kneel within 13 days.
How the demand for independence started in Bangladesh
The voice of Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan started with the 1977 general elections. In this election, the Awami League won 167 out of 169 seats and secured a majority in the election of 313 seats in the lower house. Awami League leader Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman claimed himself to be the President of Pakistan, but Pakistan Peoples Party leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto rejected his claim. After this, military rule was imposed in East Pakistan i.e. Bangladesh. And the army started atrocities on Bengali speaking people. At the same time, Bangladesh’s Awami League leader Mujeeb ur Rehman was arrested and taken to West Pakistan. After this Mukti Vahini was formed under his leadership and then this Mukti Vahini openly supported the Indian Army. In East Bengal, there were many incidents of murder and rape by the Pakistani army to the extent of cruelty. A large number of Awami League members fled to India. The refugee crisis started increasing in India. In less than a year, more than 10 million refugees were forced to take refuge in West Bengal, India. In such a situation, the pressure on India to take action against Pakistan increased.
Bangladesh was born in 1971 in 13 days war
On 3 December 1971, the Pakistani army attacked the Indian Air Force. India was also surprised by this sudden attack. In that period, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi gave the leadership of the three armies to General Sam Manekshaw to teach a lesson to Pakistan. This war lasted for a total of 13 days and Pakistani General Niazi surrendered with 93 soldiers in Dhaka. In this war, Russia was openly supported by India, while America and Britain were supporting Pakistan.
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