Indo-Pakistan War of 1971

Indo–Pakistani War of 1971
Part of the Bangladeshi War of Independence and Indo-Pakistani Wars
Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, the commander of Pakistan Eastern Command, signing the instrument of surrender in Dhaka on 16 December 1971, in the presence of Indian Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora. Standing immediately behind from Left to Right: Indian Navy Vice Admiral Nilakanta Krishnan, Indian Air Force Air Marshal Hari Chand Dewan, Indian Army Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, Major General Jacob Farj Rafael Jacob (with Flight Lieutenant Krishnamurthy peering over his shoulder). Veteran newscaster, Surojit Sen of All India Radio, is seen holding a microphone on the right.
Date 3–16 December 1971 (13 days) Location Eastern Front: India–East Pakistan border Bay of Bengal Pasha enclaves Western Front: India–Pakistan border Line of Control Arabian Sea Result Indian and Bangladeshi victory Eastern front: Decisive Indian and Bangladeshi victory Western front: Unilateral ceasefire Territorial changes Eastern Front: Independence of East Pakistan as Bangladesh Western Front: Indian forces captured around 5,795 square miles (15,010 km2) land in West Pakistan but returned it in the Simla Agreement as a gesture of goodwill
Belligerents
India Bangladesh	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Varahagiri Venkata Giri Indira Gandhi Swaran Singh Jagjivan Ram Sam Manekshaw Jagjit Singh Arora Gopal Gurunath Bewoor Kunhiraman Palat Candeth Manohar Lal Chibber Premindra Singh Bhagat Sagat Singh Tapishwar Narain Raina Sartaj Singh Khem Karan Singh Depinder Singh Jacob Farj Rafael Jacob Om Prakash Malhotra Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda Pratap Chandra Lal Rameshwar Kao Tajuddin Ahmad Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani Kazi Muhammad Shafiullah Ziaur Rahman Khaled Mosharraf	Yahya Khan Nurul Amin Abdul Motaleb Malik  Abdul Hamid Khan Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi  Gul Hassan Khan Abdul Ali Malik Tikka Khan Bahadur Sher Khan Iftikhar Janjua † Khadim Hussain Raja Rao Farman Ali  Muzaffar Hassan Syed Mohammad Ahsan Mohammad Shariff  Hasan Hafeez Ahmed Leslie Mungavin  Abdul Rahim Khan Zulfiqar Ali Khan Patrick Desmond Callaghan
Strength
500,000 175,000 Total: 675,000	365,000 regular troops ~25,000 militiamen Total: ~390,000
Casualties and losses
2,500–3,843 killed 1 Naval aircraft Indian Okha harbour damaged/fueling facilities damaged Damage to western Indian airfields Pakistani claims 130 IAF Aircraft Indian claims 45 IAF Aircraft (Supported by Neutral assessments) Neutral assessment 45 IAF Aircraft	9,000 killed 25,000 wounded 97,368 captured 2 Destroyers 1 Minesweeper 1 Submarine 3 Patrol vessels 7 Gunboats Pakistani main port Karachi facilities damaged/fuel tanks destroyed Pakistani airfields damaged and cratered Pakistani claims 42 PAF Aircraft Indian claims 94 PAF Aircraft Neutral claims 75 PAF Aircraft

Western Front:

Eastern Front:

Western Front:

2,500–3,843 killed

Pakistani claims

Indian claims

Neutral assessment

9,000 killed
25,000 wounded
97,368 captured
2 Destroyers
1 Minesweeper
1 Submarine
3 Patrol vessels
7 Gunboats

Pakistani claims

Indian claims

Neutral claims

The Indo–Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the events in the liberation war in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 to the Fall of Dhaka on 16 December 1971. The war began with preemptive aerial strikes on 11 Indian air stations that led to the commencement of hostilities with Pakistan and Indian entry into the war of independence in East Pakistan on the side of Bengali nationalist forces. Lasting just 13 days, it is one of the shortest wars in history.

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