With the country now celebrating victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war leading to creation of Bangladesh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said partition of India in 1947 on the basis of religion was a “historic mistake.”
Making this observation here while inaugurating the ‘Swarnim Vijay Parv(golden jubilee celebration)’he said Bangladesh is a subject of inspiration for the entire world.
"This (1971) war also shows that India's division on the basis of religion was a historic mistake. Pakistan's birth took place in the name of one religion but it couldn't remain as one," the minister said.
Following the defeat wherein more than 90,000 Pakistani military personnel surrendered, he said Pakistan has ever since continued to engage in a proxy-war against India.
Pakistan, he said, “wants to break India by promoting terrorism and other anti-India activities. Indian forces foiled its plans in 1971 and now work is going on to eliminate roots of terrorism by our brave forces. We have won in the direct war, and will achieve victory in the proxy was as well.”
"The feeling of antagonism towards India is so deep-rooted in Pakistan that it can be seen in the name that it has given to its missiles," the minister said.
Pakistan's missiles have been named after Ghauri, Ghaznavi and Abdali who invaded India, the minister added. "Someone should ask the Pakistan Government that these invaders also attacked the people living in the geographical area of Pakistan," he said. On the other hand, India's missiles have been named such as Aakash (Sky), Prithvi (Earth) and Agni (Fire), he said.
Rajnath hailed India’s victory in the 1971 war “that changed both the history and geography of South Asia,” and said India has always stood on the side of truth and justice. In fact, it was a war not against the Pakistan military only but also against injustice and torture, Rajnath stressed.
“This war is a classic example of our morals, our democratic traditions and just treatment. It will be rarely seen in history that after defeating another country in a war, India did not express its dominance over it, but handed over power to the political powers there,” the minister said.
He said the government had planned to conduct this Swarnim Vijay Parv in more glorious manner. "However, due to untimely death of the country's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other armed forces personnel, it was decided to conduct this event with simplicity," he said and paid tributes 13 killed in the helicopter crash last week.
Rawat, his wife and 11 other armed forces personnel were killed when a military helicopter carrying them crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8. Lone survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bengaluru.
Rajnath said he was constantly in touch with the IAF officer’s family and “We all pray that he is relieved from hospital soon after becoming healthy and he does his duty as before."
The minister inaugurated the "Wall of Fame-1971 Indo-Pak war" at India Gate. He also visited the display of military equipment at the event.
He also said "India has never attacked another country and never occupied a single inch of another country. India helped in establishment of democratic traditions in Bangladesh and we are really helpful that in the last 50 years, it is moving really fast on the road of development," the minister said.