Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with the heads of the Indian Army, the Navy and the Air Force on Saturday paid tributes to soldiers who lost their lives in 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.
Sitharaman, joined by Army chief General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa paid tributes to the martyrs by laying wreaths at the Amar Jawan Jyoti.
“On the occasion of #VijayDiwas , Smt @nsitharaman pays homage to the brave martyrs who lead India to victory in the war of 1971. She places a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate. Jai Hind!,” the defence ministry tweeted,
On December 16, 1971this day, 46 years ago, 93,000 members of Pakistani troops raised white flags and surrendered to Indian Army and Mukti Bahini, calling an end to the Indo-Pak war of 1971.
Lt. General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, the then Eastern Command chief of the Pakistani forces, surrendered unconditionally after conceding defeat India’s Lt. General Jagjit Singh Aurora in Dacca (now Dhaka).
This conflict was a result of the Bangladesh Liberation war, when Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) was fighting to seek freedom from (West) Pakistan.