1971 lesson: War not just military affairs but total affairs, says ex-army chief

New Delhi: One of the “great lessons” of the India-Pakistan War in 1971 is that fighting a war is not just a military affair, but a “total affair” that includes politics and diplomacy, former army chief Gen V N Sharma (retd) said on Sunday.

He was speaking at the launch of a new book 1971 Strategy Campaign Valor written by a young author at the India International Centre.

The volume celebrates the Indian heroes of the war that led to the birth of a new nation Bangladesh in 1971 and charts the high points of the crucial battles fought.

It was released in the presence of IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari and former Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, among others.

The release of the book which begins with the chapter A bloodbath in Dacca and was researched over the last couple of years, took place days after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government following unprecedented anti-government protests in Dhaka and subsequently formation of an interim government in Bangladesh.

Several Indian veterans of the three services who took part in the 1971 war were also present on the occasion.

Gen Sharma served as the Army chief from 1988-1990 and was a colonel when he took part in the 1971 war.

He recalled some of his memories of the War.

In his address at the event, he praised the then prime minister Indira Gandhi for her leadership and said, “She did a great job”.

“In a war, it’s not only the military, the whole government, the civil services, police services, transport and railways, navy, merchant navy, they all get together under the order of the prime minister,” he said.

“One of the great lessons of 1971 is that it’s not (just) a military affair. It’s a total affair, its politics, diplomacy, and when you combine, it’s a tremendous force,” the retired general said.

Indian armed forces fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the ‘Mukti Bahini’ of what was then East Pakistan out of which evolved an independent Bangladesh in December 1971 as Dhaka fell with the surrender of the Pakistani forces.

India had earlier celebrated 50 years of victory in the war as ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’.

Baijal, in his address, recalled that in 1971, he was posted as a civil servant in Assam and had to deal with the inflow of refugees from East Pakistan into the state.

Many other armed forces veterans also recalled their association with this War or their life in 1971.

Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd) during a panel discussion said, “We were at the NDA, and our PoP (Passing Out Parade) was to happen in December 1971”.

Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) said this new book written by 22-year-old Satyajit Lall, will recreate the interest in the 1971 war, especially among the younger generation.

Other speakers recalled the role of air power and the Indian Navy in the decisive 1971 war.