Today is December 16, the day when India celebrates Vijay Diwas every year remembering the bravery of its soldiers. It was on this day that India forced Pakistan to kneel in the 1971 war. On this occasion, we are going to remember the heroes who are known as 'The Missing 54'. These are Indian jawans who have been forgotten by governments. However, whenever there is a mention of the war between Pakistan and India, then these soldiers become teased and come into the minds of the countrymen.
India and Pakistan fought in 1971 to liberate Bangladesh, Pakistan suffered a severe setback in the 13-day war. India has believed that 54 Indian soldiers who went missing during the war were imprisoned and imprisoned by Pakistan. Of these 54 soldiers, 30 were army soldiers and 24 were Air Force soldiers. India also captured 93,000 Pakistani soldiers in this war but was abandoned by the then PM Indira Gandhi. But Indira Gandhi did not ask for the return of 54 Indian soldiers. However, there has been no answer to why he did so. In 2019, the Modi government informed Parliament that 83 Indian soldiers, including Missing 54, were lodged in Pakistani jails. It is possible that the rest of the soldiers may have either strayed to the border or been jailed for alleged espionage. However, Pakistan has been rejecting the fact that any Indian prisoners of war have been kept. But one thing that is more incomprehensible is that why did the Government of India strangely "accept" that 15 out of 54 were "confirmed dead" by filing two affidavits in response to a petition in a local court in the early 1990s? And, if so, why is the Government saying today that all the 54 soldiers are still missing?
The brother of one of the missing soldiers said that the then Government of India has failed in its work. He said, 'In the victory of war we forgot these jawans. I blame successive governments and defense establishments for their complete apathy. We wanted a third party to mediate the matter and reach out to the truth about these soldiers, but it didn't happen.'
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1971 Vijay Diwas when Pakistan army surrender before India in just 13 days