Remembering the sacrifices of the armed forces on the 46th Vijay Diwas President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday saluted their bravery and sacrifices during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
“On Vijay Diwas, we remember with gratitude our Armed Forces who defended our nation and upheld universal values of human liberty in 1971,” Kovind tweeted.
“In particular, we pay tribute to those who lost their lives in that valiant effort,” he said.
In a tweet, Modi said: “On #VijayDiwas we salute the unflinching courage of all those who fought in 1971 and protected our nation diligently. Every Indian is proud of their heroism and service.”
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.