10 Things to know about Vijay Diwas , when Indian Army Bifurcated Pakistan and liberated Bangladesh in 1971 war

• Bangladesh celebrates its Independence day on December 16 and India hails the day as Vijay Diwas
• 16 December 1971. On this day, 46 years ago, 93,000 Pakistani troops raised white flags and surrendered to the Indian Army
• Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and the chiefs of the Indian Army, the Navy and the Air Force gathered at India Gate to pay homage to the soldiers who lost their lives in 1971 India-Pakistan war, at Amar Jawan Jyoti today
• "On Vijay Diwas we salute the unflinching courage of all those who fought in 1971 and protected our nation diligently. Every Indian is proud of their heroism and service", tweeted PM Modi

The India-Pakistan War of 1971 is known as one of the most heroic victories in military history. It ended with the surrender of Pakistani forces in East Pakistan, with almost 1,00,000 soldiers being taken prisoners of war. Victory of India led to liberation of Bangladesh on December 16. Vijay Diwas is celebrated on this day.

Here are 10 things to know about Vijay Diwas, 16 December 1971, the day when Indian Army liberated Bangladesh from Islamic Republic of Pakistan

1. On 16 December 1971, the Governor of East Pakistan Lt General Niazi and his 93,000 troops admitted defeat to the joined forces – the Indian Army and East Pakistan's Mukti Vahini – led by Lt General Jagjit Singh Arora. The surrender was signed at Ramna Race Course in Dhaka.
2. In just 13 days, Indian forces, which included the Air Force, Para Troopers, Ground Force and Navy, made Dhaka independent.
3. The war was a result of genocide by the Pakistani Army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) which led to the migration of lakhs of refugees into India and humanitarian crisis. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made many attempts to gather international action against Pakistan and support to India to look after the refugees, but it did not happened. Only way ahead for India was to liberate Bangladesh.
4. The genocide earned General Tikka Khan the nickname 'Butcher of Bengal' because of the widespread slaughters he had committed.
5. Sri Lanka helped Pakistan in the 1971 War by allowing its aircraft to refuel at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo.
6. US supported Pakistan in this war. A long standing ally of Pakistan, China was encouraged by US to mobilise its armed forces along its border with India.
7. The war lasted for few days but we lost 42 Indian fighters and 81 tankers as opposed to 86 aircrafts and 226 tankers of Pakistan.
8. The war stripped Pakistan of more than half of its population and with nearly one-third of its army in captivity.
9. Lance Naik Albert Ekka, Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Major Hoshiar Singh and Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal were awarded with Param Vir Chakra for their selfless service in the 1971 India Pakistan war.
10. In 1972 the Shimla Agreement was signed between India and Pakistan. India returned the POWs to Pakistan along with certain captured areas. In return, Pakistan recognized Bangladesh as an Independent country.

In his book The 1971 Indo-Pak War: A Soldier's Narrative Pakistani Major General Hakeem Arshad Qureshi a veteran of this conflict noted:"We must accept the fact that, as a people, we had also contributed to the bifurcation of our own country." The Hamoodur Rahman Commission, which was set up to investigate the causes of defeat of Pakistan, laid the blame squarely on Pakistani generals, accusing them of debauchery, smuggling, war crimes and neglect of duty.

– by Shaurya Ritwik, Shaurya is Sub-Editor at NewsGram and writes on Geo-politcs, Culture, Indology and Business. Twitter Handle – @shauryaritwik