Vijay Diwas: Commemorating historic triumph of India over Pakistan and birth of Bangladesh

Vijay Diwas is celebrated in India on December 16 every year to remember the historic win of India over Pakistan in the crucial 1971 war. It was during this war Bangladesh was liberated from Pakistan. Before that Pakistan was divided into two parts.

During the war, the Indian Armed Forces carried out Operation Vijay to infiltrate the Pakistani troops from Indian land. While hundreds of Pakistani soldiers died and surrendered during the war, India too lost a lot of brave soldiers. On Vijay Diwas, rich tributes are paid to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the solidarity and safeguarding of the boundaries of our country.

East Pakistan was the bone of contention

The East part of Bengal which was separated during partition as East Pakistan was the major issue during this war. Those living in East Pakistan were targeting non-Muslims living in West Bengal and that made military intervention necessary. This 1971 India and Pakistan war lasted for 13 days and ended on December 16. It resulted in the formation of a new country Bangladesh and thus Pakistan lost a piece of its land.

Similarly, the Indian Army triumphed against the Pakistani defense and forced around 93,000 soldiers from Pakistan to surrender. Nevertheless, more than 3,800 Pakistani and Indian soldiers lost their lives in this war. It indeed is one of the biggest days in the history of modern India and that is why this Vijay Diwas is given so much importance.

For Bangladesh, it was a day of liberation, and hence the neighbouring country celebrates it as Bijoy Dibos every year.

Kashmir matter was left unaddressed

India’s victory came with certain diplomatic implications as it led to the signing of the Shimla Agreement in August 1972 against the release of the 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of war. However, during the discussion, the Indian government led by the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did not discuss or address the longstanding conflict in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Many diplomats still believe that India should have used the prisoners as a bargain to force Pakistan to retreat from the Kashmir area that it occupied.