We all know that all the Congressmen and the public in general believe that we won the 1971 war with Pakistan. All the credit was given to then PM Indira Gandhi for winning the war and for the creation of Bangladesh. But NO Congressmen will ever tell you that we won the war on the battle field, but aftermath what happened is not discussed openly in the political field.
When Pakistan armed forces surrendered on 15th December 1971, about 93,000 Pakistani soldiers, which included 3000 officers, became Prisoners of War (POW), and it became the duty of India government to take care of them.
There was a transfer of power in Pakistan after the war, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan. He came to India to sign the Simla Agreement; at that time her daughter Benazir Bhutto accompanied him. He wanted Benazir to get grooming in politics (We all know later she also became PM of Pakistan).
Indian government at the time was very confident that, as we have 93000 POWs, we have a solid advantage in negotiations. When Indira Gandhi put a condition that unless Pak-occupied Kashmir is transferred to India, POWs will not be given back to Pakistani authorities. But what happened next, Indira Gandhi and the Indian government had never thought about. Bhutto point-blank told Indira Gandhi that Pakistan will not return POK, and we will not sign any agreement of that sort; if India wants, they can keep the POWs.
Indira Gandhi, even in her dreams, had not imagined that Bhutto would outsmart her. As Pakistan had lost the war, Indira Gandhi was adamant that India would dictate the terms at the negotiation table, but Bhutto’s move was brilliant, and Indira had no answer for that.
Both Pupul Jaikar and Kuldeep Nair have written in their books that Indira Gandhi and her advisors had no answer for the strategy adopted by Bhutto, and this was Indira’s biggest blunder in her political career. As per the Geneva Convention, if any country after the war has prisoners of war with them, it is their duty to take care of POWs with full dignity. In the book, these authors have mentioned that, the same evening Bhutto told Benazir that, “after the war Indian economy is not in good condition, and India is no position to maintain POW for longer time, and even if they want to maintain 93,000 POW along with lakhs of Bangladeshi refugees, their economy will further go down, and what will do with these coward soldiers who surrendered to Indian armed forces”.
In the end, Indira Gandhi returned the 93,000 POW, but 56 Indian soldiers were left to die in Pakistani jail.
After the signing of the Simla agreement, the Chief of Army who led India to victory on the battlefield, wrote in his book (after retirement) that Indian armed forces won the war at the battlefront but these politicians lost the war at the negotiation table.
What has been told to us is that under American government pressure, India had to return POW and sign the Simla agreement. But the fact is that Indira was outmanoeuvred by the Pakistan PM.
This is one more instance where truth was hidden from the public for the last 5 decades, and the Congressmen are still calling her the Iron Lady who won that war. What a Myth.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
23rd June 2026