Editing History of Bangladesh (section)

===Pakistani capitulation and aftermath===
{{Main|Surrender of Pakistan}}
[[File:1971 Instrument of Surrender.jpg|thumb|The [[Surrender of Pakistan]] took place on 16 December 1971 at the Ramna Race Course in Dhaka, marking the liberation of Bangladesh.]]
On 16 December 1971, Lt. Gen [[A. A. K. Niazi]], [[Commanding Officer|CO]] of Pakistan Army forces located in East Pakistan, signed the [[Instrument of Surrender (1971)|Instrument of Surrender]] and the nation of ''Bangla Desh'' ("Country of Bengal") was finally established the following day. At the time of surrender only a few countries had provided [[diplomatic recognition]] to the new nation. Over 90,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian forces making it the largest surrender since [[World War II]].<ref name="dailytimes1912005">{{cite news |title=54 Indian PoWs of 1971 war still in Pakistan |url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-1-2005_pg7_28 |newspaper=DailyTimes |date=19 January 2005 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121221143602/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-1-2005_pg7_28 |archive-date=21 December 2012 |access-date=11 October 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref name=BBC1971>
{{cite news|title=The 1971 war|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/south_asia/2002/india_pakistan/timeline/1971.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=11 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118005357/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/south_asia/2002/india_pakistan/timeline/1971.stm|archive-date=18 November 2011|url-status=live}}
</ref>
The new country changed its name to Bangladesh on 11 January 1972 and became a parliamentary democracy under a constitution. Shortly thereafter on 19 March Bangladesh signed a friendship treaty with India. Bangladesh sought admission in the UN with most voting in its favour, but China vetoed this as Pakistan was its key ally.<ref>
[http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/other/bluebook/1972/1972-1-9.htm Section 9. Situation in the Indian Subcontinent, 2. Bangladesh's international position] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420223314/http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/other/bluebook/1972/1972-1-9.htm |date=20 April 2012 }} – [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan]]
</ref> The United States, also a key ally of Pakistan, was one of the last nations to accord Bangladesh recognition.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}} To ensure a smooth transition, in 1972 the [[Simla Agreement]] was signed between India and Pakistan. The treaty ensured that Pakistan recognised the independence of Bangladesh in exchange for the return of the Pakistani PoWs. India treated all the PoWs in strict accordance with the Geneva Convention, rule 1925.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.sacw.net/article524.html |title=Bangladesh: Unfinished Justice for the crimes of 1971 – South Asia Citizens Web |publisher=Sacw.net |access-date=23 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722041729/http://www.sacw.net/article524.html |archive-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=live}}
</ref> It released more than 93,000 Pakistani PoWs in five months.<ref name="dailytimes1912005"/>

Furthermore, as a gesture of goodwill, nearly 200 soldiers who were sought for [[war crime]]s by Bengalis were also pardoned by India.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.efsas.org/publications/study-papers/bangladesh%E2%80%99s-genocide-debate;-a-conscientious-research/ |title=Bangladesh's genocide debate; A conscientious research |publisher=EFSAS |access-date=3 August 2020 |archive-date=26 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926032926/https://www.efsas.org/publications/study-papers/bangladesh%E2%80%99s-genocide-debate%3B-a-conscientious-research/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The accord also gave back more than {{convert|13000|km²|0|abbr=on}} of land that Indian troops had seized in West Pakistan during the war, though India retained a few strategic areas;<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://storyofpakistan.com/the-simla-agreement |title=The Simla Agreement |date=1 June 2003 |website=Story of Pakistan |access-date=23 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603081006/http://storyofpakistan.com/the-simla-agreement/ |archive-date=3 June 2012 |url-status=live}}
</ref> most notably [[Kargil district|Kargil]] (which would in turn again be the focal point for [[Kargil War|a war]] between the two nations in 1999).

The real number of victims during the war is still not certain.<ref name="Baxter 1997 88"/><ref name="Willem van Schendel 173">{{cite book|author=Willem van Schendel|title=A History of Bangladesh|date=12 February 2009|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780511997419|page=173}}</ref> and estimates of those killed range from Bangladeshi estimates of 3 million to Pakistani estimates of 26,000. According to one source 1.7 million died. A large number of women had been raped by Pakistani, Bengali and Biharis. The government conferred upon them an honorary title of birangina ("brave heroines") but they suffered discrimination afterwards.<ref name="Willem van Schendel 173"/>

Besides the Pakistani prisoner of wars there were still collaborators in Bangladesh. In 1973, the Bangladeshi government announced an amnesty for them in exchange for Pakistani recognition. Demands that these be collaborators be tried resurfaced in the 1990s. There was also a large population of non-Bengali Muslims<ref>{{cite book|author=Willem van Schendel|title=A History of Bangladesh|date=12 February 2009|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780511997419|page=172}}</ref> who mostly supported Pakistan. Bengali mobs, who identified them as "Bihari", had killed them before the war and the Biharis had aided the Pakistani army during it. Thousands suffered a counter genocide and at least a million were made homeless.<ref name="Willem van Schendel 173"/>