India's Secret Operation to Divide Pakistan

Summary

In 1971, as millions of refugees fled East Pakistan, India launched a covert naval operation codenamed 'X' to cripple Pakistan's supply lines. Trained Mukti Bahini commandos planted limpet mines on Pakistani ships, disrupting crucial reinforcements. Simultaneously, India employed deception, using fake large vegetable orders to mask the movement of its vital aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, and lure Pakistan's submarine, PNS Ghazi, into a trap. Despite its own mechanical issues, PNS Ghazi was sent to sink INS Vikrant but was ultimately destroyed near Visakhapatnam Port by depth charges from the decoy ship INS Rajput, a mission so perilous the captain vowed, 'Whether I come back or not, INS Rajput will definitely come back.' The loss of PNS Ghazi and the naval blockade by INS Vikrant significantly contributed to Pakistan's surrender and the division of the country, leading to the birth of Bangladesh.