বাংলা 
English 
The largest military surrender in war in the history of South Asia took place on 16 December 1971, when the Pakistan army acknowledged defeat and surrendered to Bangladesh.
Nearly 93,000 Pakistani soldiers, paramilitary forces and collaborating forces were taken prisoner together, internationally recognised as the largest military surrender in the world since the Second World War. It was through this surrender that the independent state of Bangladesh was born.
The war of 1971 began with the genocide by the Pakistan army on 25 March. This war was essentially a Bangladesh-Pakistan war, in which the Bengali nation fought for its own existence, rights and independence. For nine months the freedom fighters, the common people and the government-in-exile together built up resistance, which left the Pakistan army shaken militarily and morally.
From village to town - everywhere guerrilla warfare, the people's support and sacrifice shattered the Pakistani forces' occupation. As a result of this long struggle, Pakistan found itself isolated not only on the battlefield but also internationally. In that continuity, the war reached its final stage in December.
During the period 3 to 16 December 1971, the war took the form of a joint Bangladesh-India military operation. Although India took direct part in the war, this operation was the final chapter of Bangladesh's Liberation War. It was the freedom fighters who were the main foundation, the pathfinders and the local force of this operation.
Finally, on 16 December 1971, at the Racecourse Maidan in Dhaka, Lieutenant General A. A. K. Niazi, the Eastern Command of the Pakistan army, surrendered to the joint Bangladesh-India forces.
About this surrender it is often said that Pakistan surrendered to India. There are several real reasons behind this claim. First, in the instrument of surrender, General Niazi signed on Pakistan's side and the Indian commander Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora signed on behalf of the allied forces. Second, at the time of the surrender Bangladesh had not yet received full international recognition and was not a member state of the United Nations. Third, the December war was a joint military operation, so formally it was the Indian commander who accepted the surrender.
But the historical truth is that Pakistan was defeated by Bangladesh's Liberation War. Without nine months of blood, sacrifice and struggle, this surrender would never have been possible.
16 December is therefore not merely a date -
It is the day of Bangladesh's victory, of Pakistan's defeat, and of the largest military surrender in the history of South Asia.
