Five decades may not be a long time in a nation`s history. It is however, long enough to take a dispassionate and objective look at events that change the path of history. The 1971 India-Pakistan War, along with the incidents that preceded it and followed its culmination, is perhaps one of the most important ones for the future of the Indian subcontinent.

 

There have been a number of books, memoirs and articles over the years that have documented first-person and academic accounts of events that marked this period of history. Not surprisingly, most were written during the period succeeding the war and after the birth of Bangladesh. In contrast, this book is an attempt to evaluate events with the benefit of a five-decade time lapse. In doing so, the focus remains firmly on the military aspects of the war, accompanied by a brief account of political events, diplomacy, influence of major powers, public perception and the role of Mukti Bahini.

 

The publication of this book coincides with the culmination of a year-long period during which a number of events were held to mark the momentous occasion.

Amb Sujan Chinoy is the Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. A career diplomat from 1981 to 2018, he held several important diplomatic assignments, including as Ambassador to Japan. A specialist on East Asia, he anchored negotiations with China on the boundary dispute. At the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), his expertise covered defence and security issues, particularly in South Asia and the extended neighbourhood. He is also the Indian Chair of the Think-20 process during India`s Presidency of the G20.

 

Maj Gen (Dr) Bipin Bakshi, AVSM, VSM, Retd is the Deputy Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. He is also the Managing Editor of the Journal of Defence Studies and an author of two graphic novels on war heroes. He has a Ph.D. in Information Warfare and has written several articles on defence and security related issues.

 

Col Vivek Chadha, Retd is a Research Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. He has written extensively on counter-terrorism and defence-related issues. His latest book titled CDS and Beyond: Integration of the Indian Armed Forces was published in 2021.