English
New Delhi: 16 December marks a very momentous day – a day when Dharma won a righteous war against oppression, tyranny and hatred. A day when India stood up for the rights of freedom, liberty and brotherhood. This war changed the course of our nation’s history, destiny of millions and the history of the world in many ways.
It was barely a quarter of a century since independence from the British who ruled the Indian sub-continent as well as other parts of the world by deceit and veiled concern for communities which, in reality, was nothing but ploys to continue western imperialism by policy of ‘divide and rule’ and other means.
As it became obvious that Indians were rising as one, they deployed all possible means to hold on to a highly restive population marked by several mutinies- notably the rising numbers in the INA (Indian National Army) and the naval mutiny among others.
All these put together made it unmanageable for the British to stay in India. Among Indians they found a pliable set of stooges who could further the control of British Imperialists after their departure from the sub-continent.
The events that dictated their departure cost India dearly. Several million lives were lost and torn apart in a partition inflicted on us as an ancient civilization was ruthlessly and hurriedly divided into two parts, and a separate homeland in Pakistan (comprising of disconnected segments of land in East and West; united only by religion) was supposedly created as a haven for Muslims.
The Britain had bled itself badly and was depleted of men and material in the World War and thus was incapable of holding on to the colonies. Hence, creation of an artificial divide between Hindus and Muslims creating West and East Pakistan was a strategic move on the part of the British to exercise control on the sub-continent through their stooges and proxies in the newly created countries.
The idea of Pakistan was bound to fail from inception as it did not hold any moral ground as a Muslim haven. Racial discrimination was rife as was proved by the events preceding the independence of Bangladesh.
The difference between Muslims of West and East came to light following the deliberate discrimination and shoddy treatment of the victims of Cyclone Bhola in December 1970 which till date remains the most devastating cataclysmic weather event in the Indian subcontinent.
The subsequent quelling of the single voice with which all Bengalis spoke in the elections of March 1971 under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was quickly followed by arresting Sheikh and unleashing Op Search light to exterminate all dissidents; was nothing short of a genocide.
India has always believed that in fight against tyranny, we, as a nation, must stand with those who share our love for freedom.
Home to millions of Pakistani refugees: In the context of the mindboggling persecution of Bengalis committed by the Pakistan army, India sheltered millions of refugees fleeing persecution in East Pakistan.
Indian humanitarian actions against those mass atrocities came at a time when Western liberal democracies led by USA under Nixon administration, had conveniently turned a blind eye, thereby giving silent patronage to the genocide that Bengalis were suffering in East Pakistan at the hands of a merciless Pakistan Army.
Responsibility to protect: It must be noted that to dissuade India’s support to the persecuted community, the US seventh fleet had even moved towards Bay of Bengal to intimidate India, but our resilience showed to the world that we were ready to stand alone to resist aggression and defend the value of freedom. Back then, India, a poor nation, took on the “Responsibility to Protect” – something that the United Nations is still grappling with.
Epitome of unity: The 1971 War was the epitome of unity among not just the Armed Forces but also all organs of the government. The country under Indira Gandhi was united in their grief against atrocities committed on fellow humans on a racial basis despite a shared religion with their own country folks.
It not only called the bluff of the very unhealthy idea of Pakistan as a haven for all Muslims, but also displayed the unity of purpose and the trustworthiness of Indian leaders in the face of such grave challenge in our immediate neighbourhood.
All political parties with the exception of left parties however supported the decision of the Government to postpone elections till the war was over. It is such unity in moments of national crises that we as a country need today.
However, unity did not mean stifling difference of opinion within the Indian political spectrum. The decision to declare a unilateral ceasefire was contested by Atal Bihari Vajpayee saying, “The country is not prepared to lose on the negotiation table, what our jawans have won in the battlefield. This war must cure once and for all Pakistan’s aggression, which keeps erupting every five years or so.”
Unfortunately, that was not the case and our nation continues to pay the price for returning over 90000 prisoners of wars (PoW) of the Pakistani Army without negotiating a ‘once and for all’ solution to the Kashmir problem.
Not only the issue of Kashmir, but also the plight of Indian PoW were missed out in the aftermath of the victory in Bangladesh. India can never fully make peace with its past until a closure to all the missing PoW in the 1971 War are accounted for.
Recalling sacrifices of Indian soldiers: Today is a day to recall not only the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers in this Great War of Liberation of Bangladesh but also the millions of East Pakistanis who had to sacrifice their lives for the fundamental freedoms Pakistanis denied to them and continues to do so to their the minorities and Muslims of different sects .
There is no doubt about the commitment of those who serve in our Armed Forces to go beyond the call of duty in everything they do. The tri-services have risen to occasion as always since our independence snatching victory every single time from the jaws of defeat in all the wars that were forced upon us.
Right from the first war in Kashmir within months of independence with the active direction of British generals who were allowed to continue in service of the both the countries as heads of the services; to the subsequent war of 1962 – the one lesson we learnt was never to send our forces into battle half-heartedly or unprepared.
Ill-advised move: In the 1962 war, not using air assets fearing the escalation of conflict was an ill-advised move based on the counsel of foreign powers by the political leadership and not on professional military advice . Lal Bahadur Shastri set the country on the right course in the 1965 war and the victory of 1971 was a result of events and reforms set in pace then.
Today, as we look back to the valour and martyrdom of our valiant jawans in our nation building, we must also pay attention to how India helped build a nation and compare where they stand in comparison to Pakistan
The success of Bangladesh surrounded on all sides by India is owed in great measure firstly to the industriousness of their own population but also in the manner in which India has helped them grow.
In contemporary history, we have to compare the growth of Bangladesh with Iraq, Libya or Afghanistan after western liberal democracies have intervened overthrowing their regimes.
In the case of India, we saved two sets of people – firstly the East Pakistanis from West Pakistan and after 16 December 1971, the surrendered West Pakistani army from Bangladeshis by taking on them as PoW and transferring their liability onto ourselves.
Instead of gratitude from Pakistan, they unleashed jehad by a thousand cuts. The reason Pakistan is bound to fail is demonstrated in the success of Bangladesh which has focused on the issues that matter for progress of nation – which is the people, the economy and the infrastructure. Whereas Pakistan has focused on religion which can never be a unifying factor.
The logic that a common religion can unite people was proved false in 1971 as it was in the countless wars we have seen in Europe and Middle East.
In Islam, wars broke out immediately after the death of the Prophet and continues till this day in the Islamic world. The World wars were waged by Christian countries on each other leading to millions of deaths
Thus India’s core belief that the world is one family beautifully expressed in the verse as under
अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम् ।
उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ॥
He is mine, he is another, not mine- such are thoughts of narrow-minded people. For the noble minded the whole world is a family. The success of India is what the world needs to imitate for a more peaceful world.
(Col ( Dr) Divakaran Padma Kumar Pillay, Shaurya Chakra, PhD Research Fellow, Manohar Parikkar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, RTR Marg, Delhi Cantt, New Delhi.)
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest India News on India.com.
