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The glorious moment in 1971

Contributing to the curtain raiser to the Punjab Government’s Military Literature Festival, distinguished Gunner veteran, historian and raconteur Lt Gen Baljit Singh wrote an illuminating article titled: ‘When soldiers wield the pen’; (The Tribune, Dec 6).

The glorious moment in 1971

Manoeuvre over attrition: Pakistani officers surrendering their weapons



Lt Gen SS Mehta (retd)
Former Western Army Commander

Contributing to the curtain raiser to the Punjab Government’s Military Literature Festival, distinguished Gunner veteran, historian and raconteur Lt Gen Baljit Singh wrote an illuminating article titled: ‘When soldiers wield the pen’; (The Tribune, Dec 6). He quoted Brig Darshan Khullar, who, as a gritty subaltern facing the Chinese onslaught during the 1962 rout, felt that ‘India could have defeated the Chinese or at least given them a bloody nose if only there had been one great General and a few good Brigadiers to seize the opportunity.’ That day did come. On December 16, 1971, a brave new nation was created (with no-holds-barred Bangladeshi help) out of blighted Pakistan’s East Wing and in an unprecedented and unexpectedly telescoped timeline. The key ingredients of this stunning midway makeover were seamless synergy between the government, military and diplomatic corps, and internal synergy between the three Services. This created the rare space within which the manoeuvre that was political, diplomatic, military and quasi-military was generated and executed. 

These developments left observers, including sceptical Western players,  media as well as enemies in shock and awe — and this was achieved by a few good men across professions — and a gritty woman: PM Indira Gandhi. Humanism over barbarism became self-evident when India, with limited resources for its own millions, unconditionally gave humanitarian aid to over 10 million Bangladeshis. This compared starkly with the murder, rape and looting under Operation Searchlight by West Pakistanis and collaborators of their unarmed countrymen across gender, age and occupation. The numbers of those affected exceeded three million. The plan was to engineer a demographic shift using mass extermination and rape. Bangladeshis recount with pride that not a single Indian soldier was involved in rape or molestation. Sam Manekshaw’s ‘hands in pockets’ and our ancient battlefield ethos of ‘naam, namak, nishan’ worked like magic, as did the traditional Indian military discipline. The officers led by example and the men followed.

The power of democracy over military rule was evident when it became clear to the world that India was living out its belief in democracy in full. It was about care and consideration of a besieged neighbour severely mauled by the horrific wounds of genocide. The intrinsic power of a democracy manifests when soldiers in combat experience the primordial trinity: the support of its citizens, their elected civilian government and the resolve and leadership  attributes of its military commanders. The ethical dimension of this mix is an embracing experience. No objective is then beyond reach. Unless you are a democracy, you can never inhale this elixir.

Manoeuvre over attrition was perhaps the shining star among the four tenets insofar as setting the stage for unparalleled success was concerned. In manoeuvre, the executants proceed to their objective with vigour and belief in the underlying philosophy; bypassing obstacles with impunity and making their position untenable. The manoeuvre sequence for us began with military plain-speak by Army Chief Manekshaw when asked by the PM about his operational readiness. Accepting the stark truth, the political leadership and all elements of national leadership manoeuvred to make success possible. In doing so, political, diplomatic, military elements synergised brilliantly. This gargantuan effort needed a few good men. This time they were visionary operational commanders like Lt Gen Sagat Singh, GOC 4 Corps, and iconic staff officers like Maj Gen JFR Jacob who negotiated the surrender. They validated the Chanakyan belief that the power of personality in war is invaluable.

A mid-course correction in the plans became obvious with the failure to capture the Coronation Bridge (the only bridge across the mighty Meghna river). This could have spelt disaster for the operations. The Pakistani attrition mindset would have put paid to our plans to force Pakistan to capitulate. However mobile minds, as was the attribute of General Sagat, thought otherwise. He overcame the friction of loss, despair, angst; seeing in the destroyed bridge a chance to cross the Meghna with helicopters and tanks; close in from the north by a para drop (planned at Tangail) and link up with breathtaking speed at Dhaka, the centre of gravity of the war. An initially reluctant apex military leadership subscribed to this innovative view after 4 Corps leading elements, including amphibious tanks, crossed over despite the daunting challenges.

It was also astute political wisdom that the nation should view liberation over occupation as its final ethical tenet that would compel the world to salute India’s victory as truly strategic and create goodwill that has withstood the test of time. The Indian armed forces departed as committed within 90 days of liberation of Bangladesh with vast multitudes cheering their performance. India had honoured its word to Bangladesh; commitment to 93,000 Pakistani prisoners’ safety under the Geneva Convention, and to the world community. 

Sidney Schanberg of the New York Times recounted how he hitched a ride on a PT-76 tank after 4 Guards (under its brilliant leader Lt Col Col Himmeth Sinh) was flown across the Meghna on Mi-4 helicopters  and reached Dhaka’s outskirts on December 13, with 5 (Indep) Armd Sqn 63 Cav tanks converging a day later. Leading scholar Pratap Bhanu Mehta wrote: ‘India’s 1971 armed intervention in East Pakistan — undertaken for a mixture of reasons — is widely and fairly regarded as one of the world’s most successful cases of humanitarian intervention against genocide.’ India in effect applied well what we now call the ‘responsibility to protect’(R2P) principle.

Garry J Bass in his book, The Blood Telegram, writes: ``Today at the advent of the Asian era in world politics, the future of human rights will increasingly depend on ideologies, institutions, and cultures of ascendant Asian great powers like China and India.’’ 

Thus India’s democratic response to the plight of the Bengalis makes not just a pivotal moment for the history of the subcontinent, but for how the world’s largest democracy makes its foreign policy, and what weight it gives to rights. India’s successes in liberating a neighbour in distress, in a value-driven proactive initiative, must rank among the 20th century’s outstanding feats. The millennials would do well to study this lightning campaign and share their pride. 

The writer was the tank squadron commander in the drive to Dhaka 

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