1971 war victory 'landmark event' in global history, says IAF chief

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Wednesday termed India's victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan as a "landmark event" in global history.

Speaking at a seminar at Centre for Airpower Studies titled '50 years of Indo-Pak war: Victory in the air', the IAF chief said, "The victory in 1971 war was a landmark event in global history. On the signing of the instrument of surrender on December 16, 1971, in Dhaka, East Pakistan ceased to exist and Bangladesh was born."

"The largest military surrender after the second World War shattered the prestige of Pakistan military and left 93,000 Pakistani prisoners in captivity," he said.

Bhadauria further said that Pakistan lost a third of its Army, half its Navy and a quarter of its Air Force thereby bringing an end to atrocities the Pakistan Army had unleashed through its 'Operation Searchlight' on the predominantly Bengali population of East Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lit the 'Swarnim Vijay Mashaal' at the National War Memorial on last year's Vijay Diwas on December 16, 2020, to mark the year-long 50th-anniversary celebration of the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on December 16 to mark India's triumph in liberating Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971.

In one of the fastest and shortest campaigns of military history, a new nation was born as a result of the swift campaign undertaken by the Indian Army.

After facing defeat in the 1971 war, the then Army Chief of Pakistan General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with his 93,000 troops surrendered.