Considering General Niazi’s ceasefire proposal, the allied force declared to stop air attacks on Dhaka from 5:00am. Besides, the allied force also told the Pakistan army that no truce would take place before the military surrenders.
“If the Pakistan army does not surrender within 9:00am on December 16, then the air attack will resume,” they said.
In the afternoon, the allied forces enter at Savar without resistance. Pakistan troops retreated and ambushed them at the entrance of Dhaka on Mirpur Bridge.
The allied force advanced towards Dhaka from Savar in the night. Kaderia Bahini joined them on the way. They confronted the Pakistan troops at the Mirpur Bridge. The allied force conduct a commando style attack in the first phase. Pakistan troops kept firing from the other side of the bridge. Another group of the allied force attacked them from the west bank. A ferocious fight took place all day long.
In the battlefield of Chittagong, Muktibahini freed few more regions south to Kumira. In the evening, the freedom fighters attacked Vatiari, the first protective defense region of Chittagong city. The skirmish spread out till Fauzdarhat.
The allied force advanced towards Rangpur. They cordon the town. They scheduled to attack the Rangpur cantonment the next day. But that was not necessary as the Pakistan troops already surrendered.
The allied force attacked on Kamarkhali Pakistan army base in Faridpur region. The military started to retreat towards Faridpur town. The allied force chased and cornered them. The military, led by a Pakistani major general, eventually surrendered.
Dr Alim Chowdhury, an eye specialist, took life risks to help the freedom fighters. Al-Badr assassinated brutally gouged his eyes and killed him. Maolana Mannan, who used to live at Alim’s residence, helped the collaborators to catch Alim.
Indian fighter jets were seen in the sky of Dhaka. Governor Malik with his cabinet and military advisors were busy in a meeting in the Governor House. The jets dropped bombs on it. Malik ran into a trench to take shelter.
General Manekshaw advised the Pakistan commanders for the final round, saying, “This is the last time; any more attempt of resistance will be meaningless. Dhaka garrison is absolutely under our artillery range.”
Pakistani troops started surrendering their weapons in the battlefields. Pakistani division and brigade HQ in Bogra fell within the afternoon. 1,700 Pakistani personnel surrendered. The allied force recovered huge amount of arms and ammunition.
Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir escaped from Pakistan and joined the Liberation War at sector 7. He took a bullet in his head while crossing the Mahananda River in Chapainawabganj during an operation. He was posthumously awarded the title ‘Birsrestha’ after independence by the Bangladesh government.