Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan on Wednesday received the ‘Victory Flame’ of ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’, commemorating the 50th-anniversary celebrations of India’s victory in the 1971 war at a function held in Raj Bhavan lawns here.
Speaking on the occasion, Harichandan said that in the 1971 war, one of the shortest wars in history lasting only for 13 days, the Indian Army secured a decisive and historic victory over the Pakistan army which led to the creation of a new nation ‘Bangladesh’ and the war ended after the Eastern Command of the Pakistan military signed the ‘Instrument of Surrender’ on December 16, 1971, in Dhaka.
“The entire country stood united and the then leader of the Opposition Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared that irrespective of party considerations, the entire nation should extend support to the then Prime Minister as head of the nation during the wartime. It was a glorious victory that resulted in the largest military surrender post World War II, in which approximately 93,000 soldiers of the Pakistan army surrendered to the Indian army,” said the Governor.
He further said that the emphatic victory of India in the 1971 war has immensely raised the stature of India amongst the comity of nations and saluted the armed forces personnel of Andhra Pradesh who sacrificed their lives at the altar of duty for their valour and professionalism of the highest order and said that the nation owes a big debt to them.
The governor also honoured the gallantry award winners of the 1971 war with a memento and a cash grant of Rs 10,000.
The ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ celebrations began with the Prime Minister of Narendra Modi lighting the victory flame on December 16, 2020, from the eternal flame of the National War Memorial in Delhi, signifying the bravery of the soldiers of the war.
Since then, the victory flame is travelling across the length and breadth of India.
The ‘Victory Flame’ of Swarnim Vijay Varsh was brought by INS Sumitra on behalf of Eastern Naval Command (ENC) from Port Blair to Visakhapatnam and reached Andhra Pradesh through Rajahmundry on Wednesday and will be taken to Hyderabad through Nalgonda, on its next journey.