Dhaka Pakistan Rifles and the Bengali police. Large parts of the city were burnt and destroyed, including Hindu neighborhoods. Much of the city's population was either displaced or forced to flee to the countryside. In the ensuing Bangladesh War of Independence, the Bangladesh Forces launched regular guerrilla attacks and ambush operations against Pakistani forces. Dhaka was struck with numerous air raids by the Indian Air Force in December. Dhaka witnessed the surrender of the west Pakistan forces in front of the Bangladesh-India Allied Forces on 16 December 1971 with the surrender of Pakistan. Dhaka was declared the national capital by the
Dhaka one of the busiest river ports in the world. The Port of Pangaon has been developed to cater to ocean-going vessels from the Bay of Bengal. Dhaka hosts the headquarters of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. The city, in combination with localities forming the wider metropolitan area, is home to over 15 million . The population is growing by an estimated 4.2% per year, one of the highest rates amongst the Asian cities. The continuing growth reflects ongoing migration from rural areas to the Dhaka urban region, which accounted for 60% of the city's