COVERT OPERATION · 1971
PARTIALBangladesh Liberation — R&AW Intelligence Operations
YEAR
1971
LOCATION
East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
AGENCY
Research and Analysis Wing
OUTCOME
Successful. Pakistani forces surrendered on 16 December 1971. Bangladesh was created in thirteen days of open war, enabled by months of covert preparation. Full operational details remain classified.
Operation Summary
Following Pakistan's Operation Searchlight crackdown on 25 March 1971, R&AW — under Director R.N. Kao — mounted a comprehensive intelligence operation across East Pakistan. The agency established networks inside the territory, facilitated the training and supply of the Mukti Bahini guerrilla force at camps in India, mapped the Pakistani military's order of battle, and identified officers sympathetic to Bangladesh's cause. The intelligence R&AW produced shaped India's military planning and diplomatic strategy through the nine-month crisis.
Cross-References
R&AW · 1971PARTIAL