"I would give hundred per cent credit to India for the liberation of Bangladesh. We gained Independence but India fought for it."
-Shawkat Ali, deputy speaker of Bangladesh Parliament
-Shawkat Ali, deputy speaker of Bangladesh Parliament
"On 27 March 1971, the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, expressed full support of her government to the Bangladeshi struggle for independence. The Bangladesh-India border was opened to allow the Bangladeshi Refugees safe shelter in India. The governments of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura established refugee camps along the border. Exiled Bangladeshi army officers and voluntary workers from India immediately started using these camps for the recruitment and training of Mukti Bahini guerrillas." (genocidebangladesh.org).
"It is an obvious fact that Pakistan has been a traditional enemy of India. Consequently, it is not surprising that India took the opportunity of weakening Pakistan by supporting the Bangladesh liberation movement. From the month of September, the Indian army gradually started to participate directly in the Liberation War. Initially the support was limited to indirect fire support (artillery support) to Mukti Bahini units. From November, the Indian army was permitted to conduct operations up to 10 miles inside Bangladesh territory. This was to clear Pakistan army positions from the borders areas in preparation for the December war. Prior to the involvement of the Indian army, the BSF was primarily responsible to provide support to Mukti Bahini units. They also assisted in the training of Multi Bahini. However, Indian army was not involved in the initial stages. The final war in December was primarily fought by the Indian army units. The Mukti Bahini units were responsible to provide second tier support to the Indian formations. Take, for example, Akhaura. It was the Indian army that led the main attack. Our (Mukti Bahini) responsibility was to encircle the enemy so that they could not escape of reinforced." (Mazumder).
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India: Easy Victory, Uneasy Peace
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