15th August is the most important day for the Nation
……. the
annals of the history reveal to us that British colonisation of India began in
the second half of the 18th century when the English East India Company
took control of Bengal and gradually expanded its territory to other parts of
India. From Clive’s victory at Plassey in 1757 to the outbreak of the Mutiny of
1857, Britain’s empire on the subcontinent was administered by the East India
Company. A chartered monopoly, the Company significantly expanded its fiscal,
territorial and military grip on the subcontinent in the century before its
abolition in 1858. In 1858 the British Government replaced the role of the East
India Company and became the 'Paramount' ruler of India. It was not until 1947
that India regained its independence - ending nearly 200 years of British rule.
It is not the colonisation alone, History also reminds of the
painful partition that occurred on the eve Independence – the Nation that
shares borders, history and more has been at loggerheads too. Operation Gibraltar was the codename
given to the strategy of Pakistan to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir, and start a
rebellion against Indian rule. If successful, Pakistan hoped to gain control
over Kashmir. ….the Nation needs to
remember the history and the sacrifices of Army 50 years ago ..
In August 1965,
Pakistan Army's 50th airborne paratroopers and Pakistan Army's
guerrillas, disguised as locals, entered Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan with
the goal of fomenting an insurgency among Kashmiri Muslims. However, the
strategy went awry from the outset due to poor coordination, and the
infiltrators were soon discovered. The operation sparked the Indo-Pakistani War
of 1965, the first major engagement between the two neighbours. Much of the war was fought by the countries'
land forces in Kashmir and along the International Border between India and
Pakistan. This war saw the largest amassing of troops in Kashmir since the Partition
of British India - in the end, Pakistan
was made to realise the futility of war, pushed to the corner surrendered.
To commemorate the
Golden Jubilee of 1965 Indo-Pak war, Western Command, Chandi mandir, organised
an ‘Army Equipment Display’ at K-Area, Zirakpur, on Wednesday. Lt Gen K J Singh, GOC-in-C, Western Command,
inaugurated the event by releasing tri-coloured balloons symbolising Indian
victory in the 1965 war. The exhibition included a spectrum of weapons and
equipment including guns, mortars, tanks, bridging equipment, latest
communication equipment and medical facilities. According to reports, there is to be a month-long celebration to honour the soldiers
who fought the war beginning on 28
August - the day India captured the Haji Pir pass in 1965, that is now in
Pakistan Administered Kashmir. According to NDTV, the Rajpath parade will be
held on 20 September, and will include, apart from a show of military might, a
thrilling aerial display with commandos slithering down ropes from helicopters.
A major portion of
the events planned during the "carnival" are discussions on the
post-war negotiations in Tashkent. From 15-20 September, the Indian Army will
organise a commemorative exhibition on Rajpath. The exhibition will have four
arenas – the gallantry arena, the sacrifice arena, the service display arena
and the war trophy arena. The Army has also planned a detailed Festival of
Victory.
Then PM Lal Bahadur
Shastri died during the war negotiation meetings in Tashkent. Only an UN
intervention saved Pakistan the blushes. In the Operation Gibraltar, for over three
weeks, more than 100,000 Indian soldiers fought against Pakistan's 60,000
troops. India captured the key Haji Pir pass - "a major ingress route for
Pakistanis" - and made some big gains in Sialkot and reached the doors of
Lahore in Punjab.
There is news that
there would be no ceremonial exchange of sweets and gifts between BSF and Pak
Rangers during the Independence day celebrations on both the sides, in the wake
of recent ceasefire violations and cross-border terror bids from the Pakistan
side. The Border Security Force headquarters in New Delhi has communicated the
decision in this regard to their formations in the western sector of the
country where its troops guard the International Border (IB) with Pakistan
along Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir independently.
On
this great day of our National Independence, let us dedicate ourselves to the
service of the Nation, remember the patriotic deeds and sacrifices of so many,
because of whom we are breathing free air….
Jai Hind…
Placing
our respect and paying homage to all those patriotic souls
S.
Sampathkumar.
Tail
piece 1 : Gibraltar, is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern
end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. An
Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 during the War of the
Spanish Succession; the territory was subsequently ceded to Britain "in
perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The sovereignty of
Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts
a claim to the territory.
Tailpiece
2 : some theories confound that Indian
Independence day was selected to be 15th August as it was the day
when Japan surrendered to Allied forces after almost 6 years of war. This day is being celebrated as - Victory over Japan Day … subsequently
on Sept.2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was performed in
Tokyo Bay, Japan, aboard the battleship USS Missouri
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