Bangladesh PM hosts lunch for Indian war veterans

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hosted a lunch for a delegation of Indian war veterans at her official residence Ganabhaban.

The veterans shared their experiences of the great war of Liberation of Bangladesh.

India and Bangladesh celebrate December 16 as Vijay Diwas every year to mark their military victory over Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, which led to the liberation of East Pakistan and the eventual creation of Bangladesh.

On Saturday, Bangladesh paid tributes to the 1971 Liberation War soldiers as the country is celebrating the 47th Victory Day.

Earlier on Friday, Bangladesh's Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque thanked India for its tremendous support that was extended by its people and government during the country's war of independence in 1971.

A battle-hardened veteran, who was in the midst of heavy action in Dacca (now, Dhaka) during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, Colonel (retired) Ashok Kumar Tara, is no stranger to limelight.

During the war, Colonel Tara was told to rescue Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's wife and family, which included his 24-year-old daughter Sheikh Hasina (current prime minister of Bangladesh) and her child.

The family was held hostage by a dozen trigger-happy, heavily armed Pakistani troops at a fortified house in the Dhanmondi area in East Pakistan (now, Bangladesh).

Tara, then a 29-year-old Major, managed to rescue the Bangabandhu family, in a do-or-die situation as he himself puts.

"During this operation I had to face trigger-happy, heavily-armed Pakistani forces, who just killed a media person who had tried to reach to them. I was alone. And unarmed. I took this bold decision to win over them psychologically, because asking an extra force would have taken a lot of time. I knew chances were very bleak, but I went ahead, in what can be known as 'The Battle of Guts and Wits'," Colonel Tara told.