Vijay Diwas: History, Significance and All You Need to Know

Do you know about the war between India and Pakistan in 1971, how Bangladesh was formed? Why is Vijay Diwas celebrated on 16 December? Why did India help Bangladesh get independence from Pakistan? Let’s know, let’s study through this article. The 1971 war was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. It began with preemptive airstrikes on 11 Indian Air Force stations by Pakistan on 3 December 1971 due to erstwhile East Pakistan. As a result, the Indian Army agreed to support the Bengali nationalist groups in the Bangladesh independence struggle in East Pakistan.

How did war begin?

How was the background of war prepared? Elections were held in Pakistan during 1970, in which the East Pakistan Awami League won a large number of seats and claimed to form the government, but Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Pakistan People’s Party) did not agree, so they started protesting. Was At that time, the situation had become so bad that the army had to use it. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Awami League, who was from East Pakistan, was arrested. From here, problems started between East and West Pakistan. Gradually, there was so much controversy that the people of East Pakistan started migrating from West Pakistan, these people were suffering from so much army atrocities that they were forced to flee. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister at that time in India. Refugees from East Pakistan immigrated to India and were being provided facilities in India as they came from neighboring country of India. In view of all this, Pakistan started threatening to attack India. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made efforts at international level, so that there is no war and any solution is found, the refugees should return to their homes safely, but this could not happen.

How India helped East Pakistan and why?

These refugees reached the Indian states bordering East Pakistan. It is said that about 1 million people had come to India as refugees. Seeing this situation, the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, ordered the Indian Army to prepare for the war and on the other hand, started trying to pressure Pakistan on the international level. In a meeting with the US National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger in the presence of the then Indian Army Chief Sam Manekshaw, Indira made clear that if the US does not stop Pakistan, India will be forced to take military action on Pakistan. Peace was also being disturbed in many states of India. Indira Gandhi did not have an internal case of Pakistan about what was happening in East Pakistan because peace was being disturbed in India due to all this. Seeing the support of America towards Pakistan, Indira Gandhi made such an agreement with the Soviet Union on August 9, 1971, through which both countries assured each other’s safety.

Operation Trident India started on 4 December 1971. In this operation, the Indian Navy competed against the Pakistani Navy in the Bay of Bengal and on the other side also fought the army of West Pakistan.

On December 5, 1971, the Indian Navy bombed the port of Karachi and destroyed the Pakistani naval headquarters. At the same time, Indira Gandhi had announced to create East Pakistan as a new nation Bangladesh i.e. now Bangladesh will be a new nation. Now it will not be a part of Pakistan but an independent nation. Do you know that both the US and Soviet Union superpowers were indirectly present in this war. Seeing all this, on 14 December, the Indian Army attacked the house of the Governor of Pakistan in Dhaka, at that time all the big officials of Pakistan had gathered to meet. Pakistan was shaken by this attack and General Niazi sent a cease-fire proposal. As a result, the surrender process began at around 2:30 pm on 16 December 1971 and around 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered at that time.

Thus Bangladesh was born as a new nation on 16 December 1971 and East Pakistan became independent from Pakistan. This war is considered a historical war for India. That is why on December 16 is celebrated as ‘Vijay Diwas’ to celebrate India’s victory over Pakistan. It is said that in the 1971 war, around 3,900 Indian soldiers were martyred and about 9,851 were injured. So now you must have known that India had helped Bangladesh emerge as a new nation and defeated Pakistan in the war, so Vijay Diwas is celebrated in the entire nation as a success of its victory.

Source: NT

Image Courtesy: Wikimedia