The Bangladesh Liberation War was fought between East Pakistan, supported by India, and the Pakistani government, and it ended with the creation of Bangladesh. It followed the 1970 election, in which the Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won a majority, but power was not transferred. The Pakistani army launched a crackdown known as Operation Searchlight, and independence was proclaimed. A guerrilla force, the Mukti Bahini, resisted, and large-scale atrocities were committed against civilians, sending millions of refugees into India. India intervened in December, and Pakistani forces in Dhaka surrendered within two weeks. Estimates of the number of deaths vary widely and are disputed.
Before and after
- 31 January 1971Launch of Apollo 14
- 2 February 1971Ramsar Convention
- 4 February 1971Founding of Nasdaq
- from 26 March 1971 to 16 December 1971Bangladesh genocide
- from 26 March 1971 to 16 December 1971Bangladesh Liberation War
- 26 March 1971Establishment of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
- 30 March 1971Construction of Starbucks
- 31 March 1971Birth of Ewan McGregor
- 6 April 1971Death of Igor Stravinsky
More in Wars, politics & history
- 15 August 1947India and Pakistan become independent
- from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953Korean War
- from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975Vietnam War
- from 16 May 1966 to 6 October 1976Cultural Revolution
- 20 February 2014Russo-Ukrainian war
- 24 February 2022Full-scale Russo-Ukrainian war
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.