Battle of Basantar

Battle context

The Battle of Basantar, also known as the Battle of Shakargarh or Battle of Barapind, was a hard-fought engagement in the western sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Fought in the Shakargarh sector of the Jammu region, the battle encompassed the full range of engagements and skirmishes conducted in that area during the war. Indian forces secured the sector despite significant casualties, consolidating control over a strategically contested part of the western front. The battle stands as one of the notable Indian Army operations in the 1971 war's western theater, with commanders including K K Singh, WAG Pinto, and A S Vaidya on the Indian side and Abdul Ali Malik and Sharbat Ali Changezi commanding Pakistani forces.