in a letter to
Richard Nixon, 15 December 1971. During the
Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 Pakistan army conducted a widespread genocide against the Bengali population of East Pakistan, aimed in particular at the minority Hindu population, leading to approximately 10 million people fleeing East Pakistan and taking refuge in the neighbouring Indian states. The East Pakistan-India border was opened to allow
refugees safe shelter in India. General
Tikka Khan of Pakistan army earned the nickname 'Butcher of Bengal' because of the widespread atrocities he committed. The Indian government repeatedly appealed to the
international community, but failing to elicit any response, Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi on 27 March 1971 expressed full support of her government for the independence struggle of the people of
East Pakistan. The Indian leadership under Prime Minister Gandhi quickly decided that it was more effective to end the
genocide by taking armed action against Pakistan than to simply give refuge to those who made it across to refugee camps. The
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched
a pre-emptive strike on Indian Air Force bases on 3 December 1971. The attack was modelled on the
Israeli Air Force's
Operation Focus during the
Six-Day War, and intended to neutralise the
Indian Air Force planes on the ground. The strike was seen by India as an open act of unprovoked aggression. This marked the official start of the
Indo-Pakistani War. Six Indian
corps were involved in the liberation of East Pakistan. They were supported by nearly three
brigades of Mukti Bahini fighting alongside them, and many more fighting irregularly. This was far superior to the Pakistani army of three
divisions. The Indians quickly overran the country, selectively engaging or bypassing lightly defended strongholds. Pakistani forces were unable to effectively counter the Indian attack, as they had been deployed in small units around the border to counter guerrilla attacks by the Mukti Bahini. Unable to defend Dacca, the Pakistanis surrendered on 16 December 1971. ==See also==