The Indo-Pakistani conflict was sparked by the armed liberation struggle in East Pakistan between the dominant Bengalis and the multi-ethnic West Pakistanis over the right to govern and the constitution . The political tensions between East Bengal and West Pakistan had its origin in the creation of Pakistan as a result of the partition of India by the United Kingdom in 1947 ; the popular language movement in 1950 ; mass riots in East Bengal in 1964 ; and the mass protests in 1969 . These led to the resignation of President Ayub Khan , who invited army chief General Yahya Khan to take over the central government . The geographical distance between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan was vast ; East Pakistan lay over away , which greatly hampered any attempt to integrate the Bengali and the Pakistani cultures
mass riots
1964 East Pakistan riots
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971