Vijay Diwas: When Indian Armed Forces liberated Bangladesh from clutches of Pakistani tyranny

While people of East Pakistan were rejoicing at their victory over West Pakistan, it was a proud moment for the Indian Army as well. It was on 16 December 1971 that the Indian Army liberated Bangladesh from the clutches of Pakistani tyranny and exploitation with its valor and courage.

The end of war brought different dimensions as subsequent secession of East Pakistan into Bangladesh proved to be rather decisive in the South Asian region. Due to this, every year on 16 December, India pays rich tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives during the war.

How seeds of war were sown?

Though the war between the two countries started when Pakistan launched air strikes on 11 Indian airbases, seeds for it were sown long time ago. Following the partition of India, the new state of Pakistan represented a geographical anomaly, with two wings separated by 1,600 kilometers of Indian Territory. The wings were more separated culturally than geographically. People of East Pakistan were considered to be inferior and impure.

Slow reaction to the 1970 Bhola cyclone, ban on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League and reported killing of about three million of East Pakistanis by General Yahya Khan (Operation Searchlight) led to widespread protests and attacks by Bengali.

When Indian Armed Forces came into action:

When millions of East Pakistanis were indiscriminately being killed by Pakistani military, India finally made a choice to save lives. The latter quickly responded to Pakistan Army's movements in the East and captured around 15,010 kilometers of Pakistan territory. The 1971 war was concluded in just 13 days, one of the shortest wars in history— testament to the courage, valor and spirit of the Indian Armed forces.

On 16th December 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the allied forces of Indian Army and Mukti Bahini. Sanjay Dalmia, a renowned nationalist and a proud Indian, says that if it weren't for our Indian Army, millions of lives more would have been lost in Bangladesh. He further adds, in spite of limited sources, our Jawans fought together, to liberate Bangladesh from the clutches of Pakistani tyranny.

Many soldiers laid down their lives during the 1971 war. Vijay Diwas is a constant reminder of the sacrifice and morality of our Jawans, who have and can do anything to save our country, and if the need be, its neighbors as well— a true example of the moral and ethical values of  our Armed forces!