India remembers war heroes on 40th anniversary of 1971 war
December 16th, 2011 - 5:03 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) India Friday paid tributes to its martyred soldiers on the 40th anniversary of its victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war that culminated in the liberation of East Pakistan, now called Bangladesh.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony laid a wreath at the war memorial here and recalled the sacrifices of the war heroes who laid down their lives for the nation.
“Today is a solemn day…a historic day,” he said.
December 16 is celebrated as ‘Vijay Divas’ across India.
In the course of the 1971 war, around 3,900 Indian soldiers died and 9,851 were injured.
In a rare feat in modern military history, 93,000 Pakistani soldiers were taken prisoners of war (PoW) Dec 17, 1971 after Lt. Gen. A.A.K. Niazi, commander of the Pakistani forces in East Pakistan, signed surrender before Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora, India’s Eastern Army Commander, marking the end of the subcontinent’s most decisive war.
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- India thanks Bangladesh for honouring 1971 heroes - Apr 04, 2012
- 25 Bangladeshi's to attend 40th anniversary celebrations of '71 war - Dec 07, 2011
- Indian Army recalls 1971 victory - Dec 16, 2011
- Army in Kashmir pays tribute to martyrs on Vijay Diwas - Dec 16, 2011
- Last veteran of 1971 war Gen. Ghosh retires - May 31, 2012
- Merc Benz, a 1971 war booty, located at Eastern Command - Nov 18, 2010
- India's first field marshal Sam Manekshaw remembered - Apr 03, 2012
- '18 Pakistani PoWs still awaiting release after 39 years' - Dec 16, 2010
- Bangladesh to felicitate Indian defence officers - Mar 26, 2012
- Dhaka court questions repatriation of Pakistani war criminals - Nov 03, 2010
- Bangladesh to honour 129 foreigners for 1971 - Mar 22, 2012
- Lt. Gen. Ghosh takes over as army's Western Command chief - Dec 03, 2009
Tags: 40th anniversary, antony, army commander, defence minister, divas, east pakistan, indian soldiers, jagjit singh aurora, military history, niazi, pakistani soldiers, pow, prisoners of war, rare feat, sacrifices, subcontinent, tributes, war heroes, war memorial, wreath