News India Live, Digital Desk: As soon as the month of December arrives, a different enthusiasm fills the heart of every Indian. The reason is 16th December. Yes, Vijay Diwas. This is not just a date, it is proof that when the Indian Army comes into its own, the maps of the world also change. In today’s busy life, we often forget those stories which taught us to live in the world with our heads held high. Just imagine, just 13 days! In the history of any war in the world, such a big change has never happened so quickly. Let us today relive the story of that 1971 war with a sip of tea. When Pakistan dug its own grave, the beginning of the story was very painful. In East Pakistan (which is today Bangladesh), the Pakistani army had wreaked havoc on its own people. The atrocities there increased so much that lakhs of refugees started coming to India. When the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked Army Chief Sam Manekshaw, “When will we attack?”, Sam Bahadur’s answer was – “When we are ready.” And then, Pakistan made the biggest mistake by attacking India’s airbase on 3 December 1971. It was like waking up a sleeping lion. Just 13 days of ‘stormy’ war. As soon as the war started, the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force showed such coordination that the world was surprised. We were not just fighting, we were moving forward under a strategy. The main target of Indian Army strategy 1971 was Dhaka. Pakistan kept thinking that we would get into trouble on the borders, but our soldiers surrounded Dhaka from all sides with lightning speed. The Indian Army, along with the “Mukti Vahini”, broke the morale of the Pakistani army. The Pakistani generals who were talking big till yesterday started sweating. 93,000 soldiers and one signature, the date was 16 December 1971. Place- Race Course ground of Dhaka. Just imagine that scene. This was the largest military surrender in the history of the world after the Second World War. Pakistan’s Lieutenant General A.A.K. Niazi’s eyes were moist and sitting in front was India’s Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Arora – absolutely calm and strict. Niazi signed the ‘Instrument of Surrender’, took out his revolver and handed it over to General Arora and took off his belt. This was not just laying down arms, it was the breaking of the pride that Pakistan had. That day 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered before the Indian Army. This was the moment of greatest embarrassment for any army, and supreme pride for India. New Country, New Hope Within just 13 days, India not only defeated Pakistan but also gave birth to a new country ‘Bangladesh’. This war was not for a piece of land, it was fought to save humanity. Today whenever Vijay Diwas story is remembered, we get goosebumps. Hundreds of salutes to our soldiers who made this possible. So next time someone asks you what the Indian Army can do, just remind them of ‘1971’.
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