Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The war ran from 3 to 16 December 1971, after Pakistan launched preemptive air strikes (Operation Chengiz Khan) on Indian air stations and India entered the Bangladesh Liberation War on the side of Bengali nationalist forces. Indian and Pakistani forces fought on both the eastern and western fronts. Pakistan's Eastern Command surrendered in Dhaka on 16 December 1971, and East Pakistan became the independent nation of Bangladesh; about 93,000 Pakistani personnel were taken prisoner.