Against All Odds

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a major military confrontation between India and Pakistan. Fought on two fronts of the Indian sub-continent between 3 and 17 December 1971, it pitted two major conventional armed forces in an all-out war over the fate of the former East Pakistan, and resulted in the emergence of a new, independent nation of Bangladesh.

In the West, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) initiated its involvement with an attack on the forward air bases of the Indian Air Force (IAF), on 3 December 1971. A Series of major air battles followed over the primary conflict zones. In the East, the small PAF contingent was quickly neutralised by the IAF.

When the war ended in West Pakistan on 17 December, PAF was still in the ring and on its feet. It had parried the enemy's blows and had been ever so careful in its offensive responses.