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84-459: Railway Police has six districts, Chattogram Railway Police, Syedpur Railway Police, Pakshi Railway Police, Dhaka Railway Police, Khulna Railway Police and Sylhet Railway Police. The force is led by an Additional Inspector General of Bangladesh Police. The Railway Police, as of 2013, had 1600 personnel. In 2014, the Government of Bangladesh announced plans to expand the railway force. On 11 July 2016,

168-776: A 65 year old veteran of Bangladesh Liberation war was beaten to death by members of Railway Police in Jamalpur Railway Police Station. In 2019, the Officer in Charge of Khulna Railway Police Station and other officers were accused of raping a woman and arresting her on false allegation. The court of the chief judicial magistrate sent an order to the Superintendent of Railway police in August 2019. Pakshey Railway Police and Railway Police headquarters opened two separate investigation on

252-664: A bargaining tool at the negotiating table. To this end, General. Tikka Khan had proposed an offensive into India, and the PAF's overriding priority was to give maximum support to this offensive. The initial plans for the offensive called for at least a temporary cover of air dominance by the PAF under which Khan's troops could conduct a lightning campaign deep into Western India before digging in and consolidating their positions. In order to achieve air dominance, Pakistan decided to launch an offensive counter air strike codenamed Operation Chengiz Khan on Indian airbases. A second objective for

336-619: A climax in 1970, when the Bangladesh Awami League , the largest East Pakistani political party, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , won a landslide victory in the national elections. The party won 167 of the 169 seats allotted to East Pakistan, and thus a majority of the 313 seats in the National Assembly. This gave the Awami League the constitutional right to form a government. However, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (a former Foreign Minister),

420-541: A coalition government with Rahman as premier and Bhutto as president, but Sheikh Mujib later ruled out such a possibility. Meanwhile, the military was unaware of these developments, and Bhutto increased his pressure on Rahman to reach a decision. On 7 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (soon to be prime minister) delivered a speech at the Racecourse Ground (now the Suhrawardy Udyan ). In this speech he mentioned

504-519: A common faith as an essential mobilising factor behind Pakistan's creation and the subsuming of Pakistan's multiple regional identities into one national identity. West Pakistanis were substantially more supportive than East Pakistanis of an Islamic state, a tendency that persisted after 1971. Cultural and linguistic differences between the two wings gradually outweighed any sense of religious unity. The Bengalis took great pride in their culture and language which, with its Bengali script and vocabulary ,

588-825: A further four-point condition to consider at the National Assembly Meeting on 25 March: He urged his people to turn every house into a fort of resistance. He closed his speech saying, "Our struggle is for our freedom. Our struggle is for our independence." This speech is considered the main event that inspired the nation to fight for its independence. General Tikka Khan was flown into Dacca to become Governor of East Bengal. East-Pakistani judges, including Justice Siddique, refused to swear him in. Between 10 and 13 March, Pakistan International Airlines cancelled all its international routes to urgently fly "government passengers" to Dacca. These "government passengers" were almost all Pakistani soldiers in civilian dress. MV Swat ,

672-575: A mounting humanitarian and economic crisis, India actively aided and organised the Bangladeshi resistance army, the Mukti Bahini . In 1948, Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared that " Urdu , and only Urdu" would be Pakistan's federal language. But Urdu was historically prevalent only in the north, central, and western subcontinent ; in East Bengal, the native language was Bengali , one of

756-650: A ship of the Pakistan Navy carrying ammunition and soldiers, was harboured in Chittagong Port, but the Bengali workers and sailors at the port refused to unload the ship. A unit of East Pakistan Rifles refused to obey commands to fire on the Bengali demonstrators, beginning a mutiny among the Bengali soldiers. The 1970 Bhola cyclone made landfall on the East Pakistan coastline during the evening of 12 November, around

840-512: A six-plane wing of F-86F Sabres flying from Murid and led by Wing Commander S N Jilani hit the airbase with unguided rockets and dropped several 125 kg bombs. The main target of this strike was the runway, which was damaged and took the Indian ground crew several hours to repair. These missions went unopposed since the IAF had not scrambled any interception, and faced only anti-aircraft fire . Pathankot

924-531: A slight majority of the country's population, political power remained in the hands of West Pakistanis. Since a straightforward system of representation based on population would have concentrated political power in East Pakistan, the West Pakistani establishment came up with the " One Unit " scheme, whereby all of West Pakistan was considered one province. This was solely to counterbalance the East wing's votes. After

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1008-560: Is a sovereign and independent country. On Thursday night, West Pakistani armed forces suddenly attacked the police barracks at Razarbagh and the EPR headquarters at Pilkhana in Dacca. Many innocent and unarmed have been killed in Dhaka city and other places of Bangladesh. Violent clashes between E.P.R. and Police on the one hand and the armed forces of Pakistan on the other, are going on. The Bengalis are fighting

1092-582: The Asia Times: At a meeting of the military top brass, Yahya Khan declared: "Kill 3 million of them and the rest will eat out of our hands". Accordingly, on the night of 25 March, the Pakistani Army launched Operation Searchlight to "crush" Bengali resistance in which Bengali members of military services were disarmed and killed, students and the intelligentsia systematically liquidated and able-bodied Bengali males just picked up and gunned down. Although

1176-524: The Bangladesh Liberation War following rising political discontent and cultural nationalism among the people of East Pakistan and the brutal suppressive force from West Pakistan in response (see Operation Searchlight and 1971 Bangladesh atrocities ). Pakistan came under increasing criticism from India, the Soviet Union, Japan, and Europe as the plight of the refugees and their impact on

1260-827: The Bangladesh genocide . These systematic killings served only to enrage the Bengalis, resulting in East Pakistan's secession later that year. Bangladeshi media and reference books in English have published casualty figures that vary greatly, from 5,000 to 35,000 in Dacca, and 300,000 to 3,000,000 for Bangladesh as a whole. Independent researchers, including the British Medical Journal , have put forward figures ranging from 125,000 to 505,000. American political scientist Rudolph Rummel puts total deaths at 1.5 million. The atrocities have been called acts of genocide . According to

1344-586: The Hamoodur Rahman Commission in Pakistan concluded that overwhelming force was used. This fact, and the massacre at Jagannath Hall and nearby student dormitories of Dacca University, are corroborated by a videotape secretly filmed by Professor Nurul Ula of the East Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology , whose residence was directly opposite the student dormitories. The scale of

1428-710: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on the evening of 3 December 1971, and marked the formal initiation of hostilities of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 . The operation targeted 11 of India's airfields and also included artillery strikes on Indian positions in Kashmir . The targets were the Indian Airbases of Amritsar, Ambala, Agra, Awantipur, Bikaner, Halwara, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Pathankot, Bhuj, Srinagar and Uttarlai and air defence radars at Amritsar and Faridkot. Not withstanding

1512-557: The Lahore Resolution initially envisaged separate Muslim -majority states in British India's eastern and northwestern zones. A proposal for an independent United Bengal was mooted by Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy in 1946 but opposed by the colonial authorities. The East Pakistan Renaissance Society advocated the creation of a sovereign state in eastern British India. Political negotiations led, in August 1947, to

1596-538: The Mukti Bahini —a guerrilla resistance movement formed by Bengali military, paramilitary and civilians—launched a mass guerrilla war against the Pakistani military , liberating numerous towns and cities in the war's initial months. At first, the Pakistan Army regained momentum during the monsoon , but Bengali guerrillas counterattacked by carrying out widespread sabotage, including through Operation Jackpot against

1680-516: The Pakistan Navy , while the nascent Bangladesh Air Force flew sorties against Pakistani military bases. India joined the war on 3 December 1971, after Pakistan launched preemptive air strikes on northern India. The subsequent Indo-Pakistani War involved fighting on two fronts; with air supremacy achieved in the eastern theatre and the rapid advance of the Allied Forces of Mukti Bahini and

1764-564: The Six-Day War of 1967. The decision to hit India with a pre-emptive air strike was taken on 30 November 1971 during a meeting among the Pakistani President, General Yahya Khan , Chief of Army Staff General Abdul Hamid Khan , and the Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Gul Hassan Khan . The objectives of the strike were: To achieve surprise, the decision was made to strike on a Friday,

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1848-548: The 1951 assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan , Pakistan's first prime minister, political power began to devolve to the new position of President of Pakistan , which replaced the office of Governor General when Pakistan became a republic, and, eventually, the military. The nominal elected chief executive, the Prime Minister, was frequently sacked by the establishment, acting through the President. The East Pakistanis observed that

1932-526: The 1970s, the people of East Pakistan had given priority to their Bengali ethnicity over their religious identity, desiring a society in accordance with Western principles such as secularism , democracy and socialism. Many Bengali Muslims strongly objected to the Islamist paradigm the Pakistani state imposed. Most members of West Pakistan's ruling elite shared a vision of a liberal society, but nevertheless viewed

2016-516: The Amritsar runway was repaired within the same night to receive detachments of Mig 21s and Su-7 that flew against Rafiqui airbase the next morning. A second strike of two F-104 Starfighters , led by Wing Commander Amjad H Khan hit the P-35 radar station at Amritsar, rendering it inoperable for nearly an hour. Two Sukhois then took off from the one remaining serviceable lane of the runway, moments before it

2100-465: The Bengali readership. The Awami League's emphasis on secularism differentiated it from the Muslim League. In 1971, the Bangladeshi liberation struggle against Pakistan was led by secular leaders and secularists hailed the Bangladeshi victory as the triumph of secular Bengali nationalism over religion-centred Pakistani nationalism. While Pakistan's government strives for an Islamic state, Bangladesh

2184-548: The II Corps offensive was deprived of approximately one third of its striking power before it had even begun. On 16 December, Army headquarters issued new orders “freezing all movements” until further notice. Trains carrying equipment of 1 Division were unloaded, and II Corps, with its units on both sides of the Sutlej, settled in to await orders. If the operation had proceeded as planned, the corps would likely have launched their attack in

2268-477: The Indian Air Force in the west, which on its part had dispersed its aircraft in hardened aircraft shelters, suffering only minor damage to a few aircraft. As Newsweek magazine (1971) described the attack: Trying to catch the Indian Air Force napping, Yahya Khan, launched a Pakistani version of Israel's 1967 air blitz in hopes that one rapid attack would cripple India's far superior air power. But India

2352-434: The Indian Air Force responded with initial air strikes the same night, which were expanded to massive retaliatory air strikes the next morning. Statements released by both nations the next day confirmed the "existence of a state of war between the two countries", although neither government formally issued a declaration of war . In March 1971, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh ) declared independence from Pakistan , starting

2436-571: The Indian economy were highlighted by Indira Gandhi in the UN and on a number of global tours. However, the United States and China showed little interest in the situation and actively opposed aid, intervention or support to the Mukti Bahini (possibly fearing advancement of Soviet influence deep into South Asia ). India's aid to the Mukti Bahini continued unabated, and fighting between the Mukti Bahini and

2520-614: The Indian military , Pakistan surrendered in Dhaka on 16 December 1971, in what remains to date the largest surrender of armed personnel since the Second World War . Rural and urban areas across East Pakistan saw extensive military operations and air strikes to suppress the tide of civil disobedience that formed after the 1970 election stalemate . The Pakistan Army , backed by Islamists, created radical religious militias—the Razakars , Al-Badr and Al-Shams —to assist it during raids on

2604-568: The Indians of the impending assault was the roar of the strike aircraft over their airfields, while in Delhi , the air-raid sirens were the first indications for newsmen, gathered for the daily brief of the East-Pakistan situation, that something was going on. The first of the strikes were mounted against Pathankot Airbase . Led by a flight of two Mirage IIIs (a reconnaissance craft and a strike escort)

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2688-573: The Indians securing their aircraft in blast pens . Also, anticipating difficulty in target acquisition for camouflaged targets such as fuel tanks, ammunition dumps and command centers, the primary objectives set for the operation were the runways and air defense radars. Under Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's II Corps offensive plan involved driving east from the vicinity of Bahawalnagar to cross the international border and push towards Bhatinda and Ludhiana in India's "Foxtrot Sector" or "F Sector." While describing

2772-535: The PAF was to conduct air interdiction against the supply routes for the Indian troops opposing Khan's proposed offensive, but these were accorded as secondary targets to be engaged after the operation started. The PAF's strikes were based on the same strategy of pre-emptive neutralization of enemy air capability used by the Israeli Air Force against Egyptian and Arab air forces in Operation Focus during

2856-455: The Pakistani forces grew increasingly vicious. On 9 August 1971, India signed a twenty-year cooperation treaty with the Soviet Union in which each promised military support to the other in the event it was attacked. This provided India cover against any possible Chinese or American intervention in aid of Pakistan if it went to war with India. To the Pakistani leadership, it became clear that armed Indian intervention and secession of East Pakistan

2940-502: The Pakistani military. Officers of Bengali origin in the different wings of the armed forces made up just 5% of the overall force by 1965; of these, only a few were in command positions, with the majority in technical or administrative posts. West Pakistanis believed that Bengalis were not "martially inclined", unlike Pashtuns and Punjabis ; Bengalis dismissed the " martial races " notion as ridiculous and humiliating. Moreover, despite huge defence spending, East Pakistan received none of

3024-574: The Ravi. The PAF had also positioned mobile radar and pre-stocked forward airfields in the proposed battle area to support the planned attack. Army headquarters ordered II Corps to shift to its forward assembly areas on 14 December and major elements of 1 Armored Division began to move the following day, while the 7 Division was also concentrating south of the Sutlej. However, by now, a major part of II Corps, 33 Division, had been broken up to reinforce Pakistani units against Indian offensives elsewhere. Thus,

3108-416: The West Pakistani establishment swiftly deposed any East Pakistanis elected leader of Pakistan, such as Khawaja Nazimuddin , Mohammad Ali Bogra , Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy , and Iskander Mirza . Their suspicions were further aggravated by the military dictatorships of Ayub Khan (27 October 1958 – 25 March 1969) and Yahya Khan (25 March 1969 – 20 December 1971), both West Pakistanis. The situation reached

3192-1082: The allegation. The victim filed a case against five police officers including the Officer-in-Charge, Osman Goni, with the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 on 24 September 2019. The court directed the Police Bureau of Investigation to investigate the case. This article about a Bangladeshi organisation is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bangladesh Liberation war Political: [REDACTED] Yahya Khan [REDACTED] Nurul Amin [REDACTED] Tikka Khan [REDACTED] Abdul Motaleb Malik Military: [REDACTED] A. A. K. Niazi   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Rao Farman Ali   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Khadim Hussain Raja   [REDACTED] [REDACTED]   Pakistan Armed Forces Systematic events § indicates events in

3276-611: The atrocities was first made clear in the West, when Anthony Mascarenhas , a Pakistani journalist who had been sent to the province by the military authorities to write a story favourable to Pakistan, instead fled to the United Kingdom and, on 13 June 1971, published an article in The Sunday Times describing the systematic killings by the military. The BBC wrote: "There is little doubt that Mascarenhas' reportage played its part in ending

3360-511: The benefits, such as contracts, purchasing and military support jobs. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 over Kashmir also highlighted the sense of military insecurity among Bengalis, as only an under-strength infantry division and 15 combat aircraft without tank support were in East Pakistan to repulse any Indian retaliations during the conflict. In 1947, the Bengali Muslims had identified themselves with Pakistan's Islamic project, but by

3444-605: The bombs as the reason for their ineffectiveness as these were supposed to be used in the Second World War. The first Indian counter strikes launched that very night included the Canberras of No.5 Sqn based at Agra. Sirsa was hit by Sqn. Ldr. Alvi with bombs equipped with time-delayed fuses, damaging the runway heavily and forcing the runway to be closed for the rest of the night. Four T-33s from A-Flight No.2 Squadron, led by Sqn. Ldr. Qureshi, hit Uttarlai , causing damage to

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3528-509: The conflict between East and West Pakistan developed in March, the Dacca offices of the two government organisations directly involved in relief efforts were closed for at least two weeks, first by a general strike and then by a ban on government work in East Pakistan by the Awami League . With this increase in tension, foreign personnel were evacuated over fears of violence. Relief work continued in

3612-550: The country's capital and more immigrant businessmen in the Western Wing directed greater government allocations there. Due to low numbers of native businessmen in East Pakistan, substantial labour unrest and a tense political environment, there were also much lower foreign investments in the eastern wing. The Pakistani state's economic outlook was geared towards urban industry, which was not compatible with East Pakistan's mainly agrarian economy. Also, Bengalis were underrepresented in

3696-452: The cyclone hit charged the government with "gross neglect, callous and utter indifference". They also accused the president of playing down the magnitude of the problem in news coverage. On 19 November, students held a march in Dacca protesting the slowness of the government's response. Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani addressed a rally of 50,000 people on 24 November, where he accused the president of inefficiency and demanded his resignation. As

3780-484: The day of the jumu'ah ( Muslim Sabbath ), at 17:45 hrs when shifts in IAF control centers were changing. Emulating its operations' experience in battle against the Indian Air Force during the Indo-Pakistani Conflict of 1965 , the decision was made to hit the Indian bases in a two-wave dusk strike followed by a number of night-interdiction missions through the night. The plans for the strike also anticipated

3864-524: The early morning of December 17. However, due to the "freeze" order, they remained on the Pakistan side of the border and were unable to cross before the cease-fire came into effect at 2000 hours on the same day. Pakistan's failure to launch the offensive in a timely manner has generated great controversy among subsequent commentators. The final orders for the strike were issued at 17:30 hrs on Friday 3 December 1971. The first formations were in flight and heading for their targets by 17:40 hrs. Officially, it

3948-544: The enemy with great courage for an independent Bangladesh. May Allah aid us in our fight for freedom. Joy Bangla [May Bangladesh be victorious]. Sheikh Mujib also called upon the people to resist the occupation forces through a radio message. Rahman was arrested on the night of 25–26 March 1971 at about 1:30 am (as per Radio Pakistan's news on 29 March 1971). A telegram containing the text of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's declaration reached some students in Chittagong . The message

4032-664: The field, but long-term planning was curtailed. This conflict widened into the Bangladesh Liberation War in December and concluded with the creation of Bangladesh. This was one of the first times that a natural event helped trigger a civil war. A planned military pacification carried out by the Pakistan Army —codenamed Operation Searchlight —started on 25 March 1971 to curb the Bengali independence movement by taking control of

4116-477: The following two days. Through the night the Indian Air Force also struck the main East Pakistani airfields of Tejgaon , and later Kurmitola . At the same time, the Indian Air Force was deploying additional aircraft to its forward airfields for the strikes that were to follow the next morning. Within days, India was able to achieve air superiority. Of its stated objectives, the PAF was unable to neutralize

4200-625: The geopolitical landscape of South Asia, with the emergence of Bangladesh as the world's seventh-most populous country. Due to complex regional alliances, the war was a major episode in Cold War tensions involving the United States, the Soviet Union and China. The majority of member states in the United Nations recognised Bangladesh as a sovereign nation in 1972. Before the Partition of British India ,

4284-647: The internal resistance movement linked to the Indo-Pakistani War. ‡ indicates events in the Indo-Pakistani War linked to the internal resistance movement in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Liberation War ( Bengali : মুক্তিযুদ্ধ , pronounced [mukt̪iɟud̪d̪ʱo] ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence and known as the Liberation War in Bangladesh , was an armed conflict sparked by

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4368-409: The larger population, West Pakistan dominated the divided country politically and received more money from the common budget. East Pakistan was already economically disadvantaged at the time of Pakistan's creation yet this economic disparity only increased under Pakistani rule. Factors included not only the deliberate state discrimination in developmental policies but also the fact that the presence of

4452-412: The leader of the Pakistan People's Party , refused to allow Rahman to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Instead, he proposed the idea of having two Prime Ministers, one for each wing. The proposal elicited outrage in the east wing, already chafing under the other constitutional innovation, the "One Unit scheme". Bhutto also refused to accept Rahman's Six Points . On 3 March 1971, the two leaders of

4536-624: The local populace. Members of the Pakistani military and supporting militias engaged in mass murder, deportation and genocidal rape , pursuing a systematic campaign of annihilation against nationalist Bengali civilians, students, intelligentsia , religious minorities and armed personnel. The capital, Dhaka , was the scene of numerous massacres, including the Dhaka University massacre . Sectarian violence also broke out between Bengalis and Urdu-speaking Biharis . An estimated 10 million Bengali refugees fled to neighbouring India, while 30 million were internally displaced. The war changed

4620-472: The major cities on 26 March, and then eliminating all opposition, political or military, within one month. The Pakistani state used anti-Bihari violence by Bengalis in early March to justify Operation Searchlight. Before the beginning of the operation, all foreign journalists were systematically deported from East Pakistan. The main phase of Operation Searchlight ended with the fall of the last major town in Bengali hands in mid-May. The operation also began

4704-432: The multiplicity of targets, the Pakistani air strikes were ineffectual and failed to inflict any material damage to the IAF air fields, only cratering the runways at Amritsar and destroying a radar station. The PAF reportedly lost four aircraft during the raid. In an address to the nation on radio that same evening, then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi held the air strikes to be a declaration of war against India and

4788-428: The official birth of two states, Pakistan and India, giving presumably permanent homes for Muslims and Hindus, respectively, after the British departed. The Dominion of Pakistan comprised two geographically and culturally separate areas to the east and the west, with India in between. The western zone was popularly (and, for a period, also officially) termed West Pakistan and the eastern zone (modern-day Bangladesh)

4872-845: The power supply and telephone connection for six hours. At the same time, Jodhpur was hit by two B-57s led by Sqn. Ldr. Sohail Mansur while Jamnagar was hit by Flt. Lt. Ejaz Azam. As Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi addressed the nation on radio shortly after midnight informing about the Pakistani attack, the Indian Air Force struck back. By 21:00hrs, the Canberras of the No.35 Squadron and No.106 Squadron , as well as No.5 and No.16 squadron were armed and ready for attacks deep into Pakistan. These flew against eight Western Pakistani airbases: Murid , Mianwali , Sargodha , Chandhar , Risalewala, Rafiqui , and Masroor . In total, 23 combat sorties were launched that night, inflicting heavy damage to Sargodha and Masroor airbases. The PAF units stationed on these airfields had to operate from taxiways for

4956-451: The removal of Bengali script from currency and stamps, which were in place since the British Raj . The movement reached its climax in 1952, when on 21 February, the police fired on protesting students and civilians, causing several deaths. The day is revered in Bangladesh as the Language Movement Day . In memory of the deaths, UNESCO declared 21 February International Mother Language Day in November 1999. Although, East Pakistan had

5040-420: The rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan , which resulted in the independence of Bangladesh . The war began when the Pakistani military junta based in West Pakistan —under the orders of Yahya Khan —launched Operation Searchlight against East Pakistanis on the night of 25 March 1971, initiating the Bangladesh genocide . In response to the violence, members of

5124-402: The runway. These were launched at the same time as the second strike over Srinagar . Uttarlai was attacked a second time later that night by Wg. Cdr. Akhtar. The net damage to the runway was significant enough to keep the runway closed for six days and for the taxiway to be used instead. In the south, Sqn. Ldr. Ishtak Qureshi's bombs hit the underground power cable at Jaisalmer , cutting off

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5208-482: The same time as a local high tide , killing an estimated 300,000 people. A 2017 World Meteorological Organization panel considers it the deadliest tropical cyclone since at least 1873. A week after the landfall, President Khan conceded that his government had made "slips" and "mistakes" in its handling of the relief efforts due to a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the disaster. A statement released by eleven political leaders in East Pakistan ten days after

5292-576: The situation in the "F sector" of India, John H. Gill writes: With poor dispositions and inept leadership, India's 67 Brigade lost a significant parcel of land to Pakistan's 105 Brigade despite repeated and costly counterattacks. Fortunately for India, indecision on the part of Pakistan's high command kept its potentially powerful II Corps from executing a planned offensive against India's “Foxtrot Sector” (or simply “F Sector”). The II Corps offensive plan called for 105 Brigade and 25 Brigade to come under II Corps, while IV Corps advanced from its positions along

5376-470: The state of Bangladesh on 26 March 1971 . Most Bengalis supported this move, although some Islamists and Biharis opposed it and sided with the Pakistan Army instead. Pakistani President Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan ordered the Pakistani military to restore the Pakistani government's authority, beginning the civil war. The war led a substantial number of refugees (estimated at the time to be about 10 million) to flood India's eastern provinces . Facing

5460-403: The station and also read the Declaration on 27 March 1971. He broadcast the announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: This is Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the direction of Bangobondhu Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that Independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken the command as

5544-405: The temporary Head of the Republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalees to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our motherland. Victory is, by the Grace of Allah, ours. Joy Bangla. The Kalurghat Radio Station's transmission capability was limited, but the message was picked up by a Japanese ship in the Bay of Bengal . It

5628-413: The two intruding Pakistan Air Force jets were shot down and another badly damaged in the Battle of Boyra while offensive manoeuvres were launched in Atgram against Pakistani border posts and communications centres along the eastern border. The Mukti Bahini also launched an offensive on Jessore at this time. It was clear to Islamabad by this time that open conflict was inevitable, and that East Pakistan

5712-404: The two most easterly branches of the Indo-European languages . Bengali speakers constituted over 56% of Pakistan's population. The government stand was widely viewed as an attempt to suppress the culture of the eastern wing. The people of East Bengal demanded that their language be given federal status alongside Urdu and English. The Language Movement began in 1948, as civil society protested

5796-437: The two wings along with the President General Yahya Khan met in Dacca to decide the fate of the country. After their discussions yielded no satisfactory results, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called for a nationwide strike . Bhutto feared a civil war, therefore, he sent his trusted companion, Mubashir Hassan . A message was conveyed, and Rahman decided to meet Bhutto. Upon his arrival, Rahman met with Bhutto and both agreed to form

5880-403: The violence focused on the provincial capital, Dacca, it also affected all parts of East Pakistan. Residential halls of the University of Dacca were particularly targeted. The only Hindu residential hall— Jagannath Hall —was destroyed by the Pakistani armed forces, and an estimated 600 to 700 of its residents were murdered. The Pakistani army denied any cold-blooded killings at the university, but

5964-468: The war. It helped turn world opinion against Pakistan and encouraged India to play a decisive role", with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi saying that Mascarenhas' article led her "to prepare the ground for India's armed intervention". Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested by the Pakistani Army. Yahya Khan appointed Brigadier (later General) Rahimuddin Khan to preside over a special tribunal prosecuting Rahman with multiple charges. The tribunal's sentence

6048-411: Was a hit by a two plane B-57 formation led by Wg. Cdr. Rais Rafi. The flight hit the runway with eight bombs, causing minor damage. Like Ambala, Agra Airbase , which lay deepest among the PAF's targets that evening, was struck by a two-plane B-57 formation led by Wg. Cdr. Yunus and followed by Flight Lieutenant Mazhar Bukhari. The bombs dropped by Yunus did not explode. Rais Rafi explained the old age of

6132-526: Was announced via government channels that the airstrikes were launched in response to attacks along the western border on Pakistan Rangers ' outposts by regular troops of the Indian army , which the Indian Air Force was providing support to. The Indians would later deny any engagement on the Western Front. However, the Indian air defence radars failed to detect the approaching formations. The first indications for

6216-605: Was becoming inevitable. By October 1971, the Mukti Bahini had started launching massive raids deep into East Pakistan, with active support from the Indian Army beginning in November. The situation had deteriorated to a state of active undeclared war in the East by the end of November, when Indian and Mukti Bahini forces launched offensives on both the eastern and western borders of East Pakistan. Regular Indian Army troops engaged and mauled Pakistani armour at Garibpur , during which

6300-746: Was bombed by a passing B-57 Canberra . Within forty-five minutes of these strikes, Pakistani troops had shelled India's western frontier and were reported to have crossed the border at Punch in the state of Jammu. The third wave of the PAF counter air strikes were directed to strike Ambala , Agra and Halwara around 18:00 hrs and continued in single or two-plane formations through the evening until at least 22:30 hrs. These strikes involved fifteen B-57 Canberras , four T-33s , and one C-130 . The B-57s flew seven single-plane sorties. These caused significant damage, especially in Uttarlai , and Halwara and impeded IAF's preparation for retaliation . Ambala Airbase

6384-465: Was covered by interceptors from Adampur following this first strike during the time it took the ground crew to repair its runway. At 17:45 hrs, four Mirages flying from Sargodha and led by Wing Commander Hakimullah attacked Amritsar Airbase . Hakimullah's flight was armed with two 500 kg bombs each, which the strike used efficiently hitting the first 300m of the runway and cratering it enough to leave it nonoperational for several hours. However,

6468-408: Was established secular. After the liberation victory, the Awami League attempted to build a secular order and the pro-Pakistan Islamist parties were barred from political participation. The majority of East Pakistani ulama had either remained neutral or supported the Pakistani state, since they felt that the break-up of Pakistan would be detrimental for Islam. Although East Pakistan accounted for

6552-469: Was ignored by the ruling (West Pakistani) establishment, rising political discontent and cultural nationalism in East Pakistan was met by brutal and suppressive force from the ruling elite of the West Pakistan establishment, in what came to be termed Operation Searchlight . The Pakistan Army's violent crackdown led to Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declaring East Pakistan's independence as

6636-468: Was indefensible in the long run. Yahya Khan chose at this point to try to protect Pakistan's integrity and to hold India by Ayub Khan 's strategy – "The defence of East Pakistan lies in the West" . This policy made the assumptions that an open conflict with India would not last long due to international pressure, and since East Pakistan was undefendable, the war-effort should be concentrated on occupying as large an area of Indian territory as possible as

6720-453: Was initially termed East Bengal and later East Pakistan. Although the two zones' population was close to equal, political power was concentrated in West Pakistan, and it was widely perceived that East Pakistan was being exploited economically, leading to many grievances. Administration of two discontinuous territories was also seen as a challenge. On 25 March 1971, after an election won by an East Pakistani political party (the Awami League )

6804-471: Was never made public, but Yahya caused the verdict to be held in abeyance in any case. Other Awami League leaders were arrested as well, while a few fled Dacca to avoid arrest. The Awami League was banned by General Yahya Khan. The violence unleashed by the Pakistani forces on 25 March 1971 proved the last straw to the efforts to negotiate a settlement. Following these incidents, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman signed an official declaration that read: Today, Bangladesh

6888-523: Was then re-transmitted by Radio Australia and later by the BBC. Operation Chengiz Khan Pakistani failure [REDACTED] India [REDACTED] Pakistan Other conflicts Border skirmishes Strikes Operation Chengiz Khan was the code name assigned to the preemptive strikes carried out by the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) on the forward airbases and radar installations of

6972-535: Was translated into Bengali by Manjula Anwar. The students failed to secure permission from higher authorities to broadcast the message from the nearby Agrabad Station of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation , but the message was read several times by the independent Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro Radio established by rebel Bangali Radio workers in Kalurghat. Major Ziaur Rahman was requested to provide security for

7056-450: Was unacceptable to the West Pakistani elite, who believed that it had assimilated considerable Hindu cultural influences. West Pakistanis, in an attempt to "Islamise" the East, wanted the Bengalis to adopt Urdu. The activities of the language movement nurtured a sentiment among Bengalis in favour of discarding Pakistan's communalism in favour of secular politics. The Awami League began propagating its secular message through its newspaper to

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