Why India’s 1971 Offensive Model Would Fail Against Bangladesh in 2025: A Military-Technical Assessment

Reading Time: 5 minutes The 1971 Indo-Pakistani War remains a landmark in South Asian military history, wherein Indian military forces, in alliance with the Bengali Mukti Bahini, launched a swift, multidirectional campaign that led to the collapse of East Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh. This success was made possible not solely by Indian military superiority but by the near-universal support of the Bengali population, the existence of an indigenous insurgent force, and the political fragility of the adversary. Fast forward to 2025, any attempt by India to replicate the operational template of 1971 would likely result in failure—militarily, politically, and diplomatically. Bangladesh has transformed into a unified, modern, and resilient state with a competent military establishment, robust information warfare capabilities, and strategic partnerships that provide deterrence against regional hegemony. This assessment examines the core reasons why Indian manoeuvre warfare and ground offensive doctrines, as used in 1971, are now