Vijay Diwas commemorated at Chandimandir
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 16
To commemorate Vijay Diwas, that marks India’s spectacular victory over Pakistan in 1971, homage was paid to martyrs during a solemn wreath laying ceremony at the Veer Smriti war memorial at Chandimandir here on Wednesday.
On behalf of the General Officer Comanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Yogendra Dimri, Chief of Staff, Western Command, paid floral tributes at the memorial.
A number of senior veterans, including former Army Chief Gen VP Malik, former Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, former Navy Chief, Admiral Sunil Lamba, Lt Gen Tej Sapru (retd), Lt Gen Amar Aul (retd) and Vice Admiral HCS Bisht (retd), were also present on the occasion and paid their tributes.
Vijay Diwas this year also marks the commencement of Golden Jubilee year of the 1971 Indo-Pak War, which is being celebrated across the nation as ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’.
A year-long tri-services commemorative event also commenced on Wednesday at the National War Memorial, New Delhi, with the lighting of the Victory Flame.
Western Command had played a stellar role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war that was fought both, on the eastern and western fronts, from December 3-16, culminating in the surrender of Pakistan and the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation.
The 13-day war is among one of the fastest and shortest campaigns in military history. With 93,000 Pakistani soldiers taken prisoners-of-war, it was also the largest surrender since the Second World War.
