By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: War memories came alive as Armed Forces Officers, Ex-Servicemen and Jawans assembled at the War Memeorial Cantonment, Shillong to pay homage to those who made supreme sacrifice to uphold the honour of the nation, on the occasion of Vijay Diwas on Sunday.
To commemorate the day, a wreath laying ceremony was observed at the War Memorial, at Shillong Cantonment to pay homage to the brave countrymen who laid down their lives during the 1971 war.
Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Indian Armed Forces and Ex-Servicemen, by Senior Officers from Army, Air Force, Assam Rifles and Ex-servicemen.
A combined Guard of 58 Gorkha Training Centre and Air Force conducted a solemn ceremonial parade and observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the martyrs.
Major General RK Sharma, Brigadier Harcharan Singh, Air Commodore Gharpure, Brigadier Gawas, Brigadier D Sharma, Brigadier M Thomas and other senior serving and retired officers of the Indian Armed Forces, paid tributes to the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in honour of the country, during the 1971 war with Pakistan, which liberated Bangladesh.
It may be mentioned that Vijay Diwas (Victory Day) is commemorated every year on December 16 in India as it marks its military victory over Pakistan in 1971 during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971.
The end of the war also resulted in the unilateral surrender of the Pakistan Army and subsequent secession of East Pakistan into Bangladesh. On this day in 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General A A K Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the Indian Army led by General Jagjit Singh Aurora, in Dhaka after their defeat in the war.