Recollecting India’s glorious victory (English Version) Rakshak News 11 Dec 19
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http://www.rakshaknews.com/vishesh/1971-the-week-to-remember-the-glorious-victory
Recollecting India’s glorious victory (English Version) Rakshak News 11 Dec 19
48 years ago, this week, operations against Pakistan were moving at a fast pace. On 16 Dec 1971, the Pak army in the then East Pakistan surrendered to the combined Indian forces and the Mukti Bahini. The surrender document read, ‘The Pakistan Eastern Command agree to surrender all Pakistan Armed Forces in Bangladesh to Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer Commanding in Chief of Indian and Bangladesh forces in the Eastern Theatre.’ Bangladesh was already in existence since Mar that year and had finally attained freedom from the tyranny of Pakistan.
This was India’s moment of glory. The US had threatened to employ its Seventh Fleet, but support to India from the Soviet Union put paid to their intentions. India had finally split Pakistan and removed the threat from one frontier. It was the first time since the second world war that a new country was born. India had achieved the impossible and that too in just 14 days. Pak newspapers based on inputs from their army, continued talking of victory till the last day. They kept hoping that the Chinese would open a new front or that the US seventh fleet would sail in for the rescue. When both avoided the conflict, Pak knew it had no options but surrender.
The surrender of 93,000 prisoners was also the largest surrender since the second world war. India had multiple options but squandered them all. It protected the prisoners and refused to hand over any of them for war crimes, an action which could have been justified, after all 3 million Bangladeshi’s were killed, millions of women raped and tortured. This threat alone could have panicked Pakistan. It was also the moment when India could have pushed for a permanent resolution on Kashmir, an opportunity which India missed.
On the contrary this defeat was an embarrassment for the Pak army, one which it has yet to get over. Its operations in Kargil was to regain some lost stature, however the result was another defeat. To save its face within the nation, post the loss of East Pakistan, the Pak army began twisting history taught to children.
History books in Pakistan state, ‘after 1965 war India conspired with the Hindus of Bengal and succeeded in spreading hate among the Bengalis about West Pakistan and finally attacked on East Pakistan in December 71, thus causing the breakup of East and West Pakistan.’ There is no mention of their atrocities on the population or failure of their leadership or that the cause was the West Pakistan polity refusing to accept the election results which had made Mujibur Rehman, the Pakistani PM.
However, Pak has still not learnt from this debacle. It attempted to subdue the Bangladeshi population with violence and force leading to a strong retaliation. It had refused to accept that the population of Bangladesh has an equal standing and hence needs to be respected. On the contrary it acted against its leadership by jailing Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, rather than sharing power. It is acting in a similar manner in Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and facing similar resistance from that population too. It would not be long before it suffers another split.
For the Indian armed forces, 1971 was its pinnacle of glory. After a drubbing in 1962 and a small victory in 1965, the stupendous success in 1971 made the nation proud. The confidence within the forces was subsequently visible again in Kargil in 1999. Indian armed forces have since then never looked back.
India and Bangladesh celebrate the victory of 1971 together every year. The occasion is termed as Vijay Diwas. Members of the erstwhile Bangladesh’s Mukti Bahini, along with serving soldiers and families visit Kolkata where they jointly pay homage to those who laid their lives in the war. From the Indian side veterans of the 1971 war are also present.
During this visit members of both forces exchange notes and memories. Many members of the Mukti Bahini remember with fondness their Indian commanding officers and the training they received in the country. In a similar gesture Indians visit Bangladesh for paying a similar tribute.
The 1971 victory was primarily due to the trust which the political leadership placed on the armed forces. Indira Gandhi had the ear of the army chief, Field Marshall SHFJ Manekshaw, and allowed the forces to operate at their pace and time of choosing, without interfering. The bureaucracy was left aside as Manekshaw dealt directly with the Prime Minister on matters concerning national defence and the result was victory. Can a similar atmosphere prevail in the current environment? If it does, management of national security will be far better.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army