Indo - Soviet Friendship Treaty

  
    As we are about to celebrate the 43rd anniversary of the historic Indo - Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Co-operation on 9th August, let us go behind in the period of it's inception, the geopolitical situation and the role it played in safeguarding our national interest & to re-emphasise the importance of this treaty in strengthening our regional security.

    The consequences of the 1971 war in East pakistan led to the surrender of 100,000 lac pakistani soldiers before the rampaging Indian Army, largest since the surrender of Stalingard in World War II. However this victory as well as formation of Bangladesh wouldn't have been possible, had the veto-wielding Moscow & New Delhi not shown the foresightedness in entering into a friendship treaty.

    Richard Nixon led USA along with the China, UK, France, Turkey, Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia & UAE among others, were providing moral as well as military assistance to pakistan. Jordanian and Turk's planes had moved to pakistan for giving aerial assistance. Beijing was told by USA to launch military intervention on behalf of Islamabad to threaten India incase they interfere in internal matters of East pakistan. UAE also sent a squadron of planes while the Indonesians dispatched a navy vessel to assist the pak navy. The French decided to sell war planes to pakistan to support them in their war. Whereas the USA marched it's 75000 Ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier to the Bay of Bengal towards Chittagong and Dhaka and the UK marched it's aircraft carrier Eagle in the territorial waters of India towards Karachi.

    New Delhi was getting practically isolated in the international arena. It clearly saw a Washington-Islamabad-Beijing axis taking roots in order to pressurize India and threatening our geopolitical integrity. The ironic part in this crisis was the world's most powerful democracy was threatening the world's largest democracy and ignoring the main perpetrators for carrying out genocide as large as the Holocaust during Nazi Germany. The genocide which was further resulting into influx of millions of refugees to from East pakistan to India.

    In the backdrop of the situation New Delhi moved close to Moscow and inked the historic friendship treaty. The importance of this treaty was then compared as 2nd liberation since the attaining frredom from the British in 1947. The treaty, among others, clearly stated that, "If either of the parties is attacked or threatened with attack, then India and the Soviet Union will immediately start mutual consultations with a view to eliminating this threat."

    This treaty turned out to be a game changer and shifted the control of war from pakistan to India. Between the US-UK navy ships was standing the 20000 Ton aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. Looking at the movement of UK-US navy near the territorial waters of India, the Russians dispatched it's own nuclear armed Pacific fleet to encircle them while halting their march towards Karachi & Chittagong. The Indian navy through INS Vikrant launched Operation Trident went in an all assault on the Karachi port thus sinking their 3 naval ships. The British were supposed to attack on India from the Arabian Sea but the movement of Russia naval ships forced them to change it's course and fled towards Madagascar. The US 7th Fleet which had come for the rescue of 100000 lakh pakistani soldiers were forced to stop before entering the Bay of Bengal.

    Looking at the situation of UK and USA being isolated in the waters, the Chinese could not muster courage to launch a military assault in India fearing the retaliation of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Israel stopped supplying arms to Iran and diverted the same to India. Iran decided to assist pakistan by providing them aerial assistance but couldn't go ahead amidst the fear of Indo-Soviet treaty. The Soviet Union also started sending letter to the Middle Eastern countries warning them not to enter in the battle.

    India, thus liberated East pakistan and formed a new state of Bangladesh with Dhaka as it's capital. After the navy's victory in Karachi the army and airforce went in full assualt and closed the Western Frontier sending back the paksitanis behind the LOC.

    After the fall of Soviet Union and formation of Russia, the old treaty gave way for a new one in 1993, which was bereft of the vital security clauses which the pro-western government in Russia post cold war thought was irrelevant. However the new treaty of strategic partneship signed by Vladamir Putin in 2000 was a step forward in elaborating the principles of the old Indo-Soviet Treaty & the Indo-Russia treaty signed in 1993.


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