Battle of Basantar

Battle of Basantar/Shakargarh
	Part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
	; Indian soldiers celebrate their victory at the end of the Battle of Basantar on top of a knocked out Pakistani M47 Patton tank, December 1971.
Date	December 6–16, 1971; (1 week and 3 days)
Location	Shakargarh salient, Punjab, Pakistan
Result	Indian victory
Belligerents
India	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
K K Singh; WAG Pinto; A S Vaidya MVC	Irshad Ahmad Khan; Abdul Ali Malik; Sharbat Ali Changezi
Strength
3 infantry divisions; 2 armoured brigades; 2 artillery brigades; 2 engineer brigades	3 infantry divisions; 1 armoured division; 1 armoured brigade
Casualties and losses
13 tanks destroyed	59 tanks destroyed

The Battle of Basantar, also known as the Battle of Shakargarh or Battle of Barapind (December 4–16, 1971), 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 Punjab/Jammu sector. The name Battle of Basantar actually encompasses the entire gamut of battles and skirmishes fought in the Shakargarh sector.