On 29 November, Yahya Khan decided to launch an all-out attack on India on the western front. He had scant hope of success, but he felt tha...
On 29 November, Yahya Khan decided to launch an all-out attack on India on the western front. He had scant hope of success, but he felt that the reputation of the Pakistan army would suffer irreparable damage if it were to lose East Pakistan without a full-scale war. He later admitted that the army could not have lived down the ignominy of surrendering East Pakistan without fighting an all-out war with India.
His chief of general staff, Lt Gen Gul Hasan, is reported to have said: “...we had to take this action, otherwise we will not be able to wear our uniforms.” The date of the attack was set for 2 December, but it was later postponed by a day. New Delhi was hoping for just such a decision. It hoped that Pakistan itself would initiate a full-fledged war, conceding to India the legal and political advantage.
When Pakistan finally launched its attack on Indian forward airbases on the western front on the evening of 3 December 1971, the Indians were fully prepared. Early warning radars had been suitably positioned, and aircraft had been dispersed and camouflaged. The attack turned out to be a fiasco. The air strikes were followed up with...
