Recognition of the contribution of peacekeepers involved in ‘Operation Pawan’: Rajnath Singh!

In ‘Operation Pawan’, Indian forces displayed amazing courage, bravery and valor. Many soldiers attained martyrdom in the line of duty. Their courage and sacrifice must be an inspiration for our future generations. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said this on the occasion of Armed Forces Ex-Servicemen Day on Wednesday.

Many brave soldiers of the Indian Army made the supreme sacrifice in ‘Operation Pawan’ conducted to maintain peace, stability and regional harmony in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990.

On the occasion of Armed Forces Veterans Day, Rajnath Singh said, “Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government is not only openly accepting the contribution of the peacekeepers participating in ‘Operation Pawan’, but the process of recognizing their contribution is also going on at every level.

Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he visited Sri Lanka in 2015, paid his tribute to Indian soldiers at the Indian Peace Keeping Force Memorial. Now we are also recognizing the contribution of the peacekeepers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force at the ‘National War Memorial’ located in New Delhi and also giving them full respect.

Rajnath Singh said, “I would also like to remember all the ex-servicemen who participated in the peacekeeping operation conducted in Sri Lanka in the form of Indian Peace Keeping Force almost 40 years ago.

There is scope for debate on the decision taken by the then government to send Indian forces to Sri Lanka, but the neglect that was shown to the soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force participating in ‘Operation Pawan’ cannot be justified from any point of view. The sacrifice and struggle that the Indian Army made during that period should have been respected.”

The Defense Minister said that for any soldier, retirement is just a word. In reality, no soldier ever retires. All of you, when you retired from service, did your service end? no way.

The color of your uniform may change, your place of work may change, the people around you may change, but the feeling of patriotism and service in your heart remains the same.

The Defense Minister said, “The entire country is seeing and feeling your contribution in every field. Our government also believes that our soldiers and ex-servicemen are the strong pillars of the country. It is our moral and emotional duty to take care of them.”

Our government has also taken many concrete decisions for its ex-servicemen in the past years and this trend will not stop in the future also. Today, the entire nation is remembering the contribution of its ex-servicemen and expressing gratitude towards them.”

He said that the government has fulfilled the long standing demand of ‘One Rank, One Pension’ with full sincerity. An effort was made to eliminate the inequality that our ex-servicemen had been experiencing for years. With the implementation of this system, not only financial stability came in the lives of ex-servicemen but also strengthened the confidence that the country does justice to them.

The Defense Minister said that today, on the occasion of Ex-Servicemen Day, I congratulate everyone, the ex-servicemen. Today, on this occasion, I express my gratitude to our martyred soldiers, to our ex-servicemen who served the country, and on behalf of a grateful nation to our soldiers. All of you are not just retired soldiers, you are living pillars of our national consciousness, symbols of our collective courage and sources of inspiration for our future generations.

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