A political crisis inside Pakistan became an inter-state war when India intervened. It ended with Pakistan split and Bangladesh independent.
East Pakistan had more people than West Pakistan, but power lay in the West. Bengalis resented attempts to make Urdu the only national language, and they felt economically exploited.
In the December 1970 elections, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League won a majority in the national assembly. It demanded autonomy for East Pakistan. The military government of Yahya Khan delayed the assembly.
On 25 March 1971 the army began a brutal crackdown in East Pakistan. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, and about 10 million refugees fled to India. India armed and trained Bengali guerrillas, the Mukti Bahini.
In August 1971 India signed a treaty of friendship with the USSR. It protected India against Chinese or American pressure. Pakistan launched air strikes on India on 3 December 1971. Indian forces then invaded East Pakistan, and Dhaka fell on 16 December. About 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered.
The superpowers took sides. The USA "tilted" towards Pakistan, which was helping Nixon open relations with China, and sent an aircraft carrier group to the Bay of Bengal. The USSR vetoed Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire until India had won.
The Simla Agreement of July 1972 turned the ceasefire line in Kashmir into the Line of Control. Both sides agreed to settle their differences between themselves.
- 1970 election
- Awami League wins a majority.
- Indo-Soviet treaty
- August 1971.
- Dhaka falls
- 16 December 1971; Bangladesh independent.
- Simla Agreement
- July 1972: Line of Control; bilateral talks.
Worked example: Explaining the 1971 war
Was 1971 caused by nationalism or by outside powers?
- Nationalism: Bengali grievances and the 1970 election result.
- Domestic politics: the military crackdown.
- Security and opportunity: India saw a chance to split its rival.
- Superpowers: the Soviet treaty gave India cover.
Watch out for this
The 1971 war was mainly about Kashmir.
It began with a crisis in East Pakistan, driven by Bengali nationalism and the military crackdown. Kashmir was affected only at the end, through the Simla Agreement.
Check your understanding
Why did the USSR veto ceasefire resolutions in December 1971?
- It supported India and let it complete its campaign.
- It supported Pakistan.
- It wanted the UN to send peacekeepers.