The Pakistani Instrument of Surrender was a legal document signed between India and Pakistan to end the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Per the trilateral agreement, the Pakistani government surrendered the Armed Forces Eastern Command, thereby enabling the establishment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh over the territory of East Pakistan. The document was signed by India's Lt. Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora and Pakistan's Lt. Gen. A. A. K. Niazi, and led to the surrender of 93,000 Pakistanis, of which about 34,000–45,000 were soldiers — one of the world's largest surrenders in terms of number of personnel since World War II. Despite the agreement, Pakistan did not formally recognize Bangladeshi sovereignty until February 1974.

Operation Trident was an offensive operation launched by the Indian Navy on Pakistan's port city of Karachi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Operation Trident saw the first use of anti-ship missiles in combat in the region. The operation was conducted on the night of 4–5 December and inflicted heavy damage on Pakistani vessels and facilities. While India suffered no losses, Pakistan lost a minesweeper, a destroyer, a cargo vessel carrying ammunition, and fuel storage tanks in Karachi. Another destroyer was also badly damaged and eventually scrapped. India celebrates its Navy Day annually on 4 December to mark this operation. Trident was followed up by Operation Python three days later

The Battle of Longewala was one of the first major engagements in the western sector during the India–Pakistan war of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Longewala, in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. The battle was fought between 120 Indian soldiers accompanied by four Hawker Hunter and three HAL Marut fighter-bombers and 2,000–3,000 Pakistani soldiers accompanied by 40 tanks. It is considered one of the greatest battles in the history of the Indian Army and a military victory against the odds.

Operation Python, a follow-up to Operation Trident, was the code name of a naval attack launched on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi by the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After the first attack during Operation Trident on the Port of Karachi, Pakistan stepped up aerial surveillance of its coast as the presence of large Indian Navy ships gave the impression that another attack was being planned. Pakistani warships attempted to outsmart the Indian Navy by mingling with merchant shipping. To counter these moves, Operation Python was launched on the night of 8/9 December 1971. A strike group consisting of one missile boat and two frigates attacked the group of ships off the coast of Karachi. While India suffered no losses, Pakistani fleet tanker PNS Dacca was damaged beyond repair, and the Kemari Oil Storage facility was lost. Two other foreign ships stationed in Karachi were also sunk during the attack.

Operation Chengiz Khan was the code name assigned to the preemptive strikes carried out by the Pakistan Air Force on the forward airbases and radar installations of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on the evening of 3 December 1971, and marked the formal initiation of hostilities of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. It was named after the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan.

The Battle of Basantar, also known as the Battle of Shakargarh or Battle of Barapind, was one of the vital battles fought as part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in the western sector of India. The Indian troops won a hard-fought battle that secured this area in the Jammu sector. The name Battle of Basantar actually encompasses the entire gamut of battles and skirmishes fought in the Shakargarh sector in the 1971 war.

The Battle of Fazilka, also known as the Battle of Sulemanki, was a military engagement during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in the western front, near the Indo-Pakistani border in Punjab. In this battle Pakistani forces achieved success against the Indian 67 Brigade, capturing significant territory west of Fazilka.

The Battle of Sylhet was a major battle fought between the advancing Indian Army, Bangladesh Forces and the defending Pakistan Army at Sylhet during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The battle took place from 7 December to 15 December. It was a succession of the Battle of Gazipur in Kulaura.

The Battle of Kamalpur, is one of the most significant military engagements fought by the Mukti Bahini in 1971 during its war of independence from Pakistan. The Pakistan Army set up a military camp at Kamalpur which was attacked by 1st East Bengal Regiment of Z Force several times. The first attack was made on June 12, and a second attack was made on July 31, 1971, also another attack at 22 October 1971 and in total, there were 18 battles in Kamalpur.

The Battle of Hilli were two major battles fought from 22 to 24 November and again from 10 to 11 December 1971. They are generally regarded as the bloodiest battles of the eastern front of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The first battle saw, according to veterans of the battle, the fiercest fighting of the war, but the second was much tamer.

The Battle of Gazipur was a military engagement on 4 and 5 December 1971, during the Bangladesh liberation war. It took place at the Gazipur Tea Estate near Kulaura, in the Sylhet District of what was then East Pakistan. The advancing 4/5 Gorkha Rifles attacked the 22 Baluch Regiment of the Pakistan Army. This battle was a prelude to the Battle of Sylhet.

The Battle of Turtuk was a military engagement between India and Pakistan that took place during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Fighting between the two sides took place in Turtuk and its surrounding areas, then part of the Pakistani-administered Northern Areas in Kashmir. Following this battle, Indian forces captured Turtuk from Pakistan, which had controlled the area since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948. Per the Simla Agreement, Turtuk was incorporated into the erstwhile Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, and formally became a part of Ladakh following the revocation of Article 370 by the Government of India in August 2019.

Operation Cactus Lilly, better known as The Meghna Heli Bridge or the Crossing of the Meghna, was an air assault operation conducted between 9 and 12 December 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. It was conducted by the Indian Army and Indian Air Force to cross the Meghna River, bypass a Pakistani stronghold at Ashuganj/Bhairab Bazar and reach Dhaka. The operation is generally regarded as the brainchild of Maj. Gen. Sagat Singh. Without it, Indian forces would not have been able to complete the encirclement of Dhaka and it would likely have led to a lengthening of the war.

The Tangail Airdrop was an airborne operation conducted by the Indian Army in order to seize Poongli Bridge and ferry in the Tangail area. The operation, involving the 2nd Battalion of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment is often regarded as one of the largest - if not the largest - airborne operation following World War II. The operation saw the capture of all objectives and the repulsion of the Pakistan Army's 93rd Infantry Brigade which was attempting to withdraw to Dhaka to bolster its defence.

The Battle of Shiromoni was a battle fought during the Bangladesh War of Independence and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 between the Pakistan Army and the joint forces of Bangladesh and India. This was one of the last battles of the Bangladesh War of Independence which continued until 17 December 1971, even though the A. A. K. Niazi had already surrendered on 16 December 1971.

The Battle of Chumb was a major battle between the forces of Pakistan and India during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. It was one of the first major engagements in the western front of the war in which the Pakistani 23rd Division captured the strategically important city of Chumb from the Indian 10th Infantry Division.