Prime Minister Narendra Modi lit the 'Swarnim Vijay Mashaal' at the National War Memorial on Wednesday to mark the 50th-anniversary of the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Sarmila Bose's book on the 1971 Bangladesh War -- Dead Reckoning -- has triggered a heated debate about the myths and realities of the conflict that had engulfed East Pakistan, West Pakistan and India.
The ISI strategy has been to use its proxies to target Hindus in India. They want an outrage and counter-targeting of India's minorities. Further, even the whiff of it restores the Pakistan army's popularity, especially when it's in the dumps, like now, points out Shekhar Gupta.
'The Pakistan army feels it can inflict a similar defeat on India in Kashmir and make it "India's Bangladesh".' 'But comparing Bangladesh of 1971 with the Kashmir valley of 2017 is like equating chalk and cheese!'
Arshad Warsi and Meher Vij came together to promote their new film, Bandaa Singh Chaudhary, based on the events of 1971 War, a movie that is being produced by Arbaaz Khan.
'Our politicians solely depend on bureaucrats who are unaccountable and follow their own agenda.' 'Our politicians would dare not dream of establishing a DOGE,' argues Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
The China threat continues to resonate in the strategic partnership between India and the USA, points out Rup Narayan Das.
Mukherjee said welfare of soldiers and ex-servicemen was the "top priority" of his ministry.
'A large number of people from Sindh province will now opt to migrate to India as they would be granted citizenship through an easy process.'
'Five hours of bombardment by the Pakistanis should not have happened.' 'India should have sent the air force to bomb the Pakistanis where they were raining fire on us.'
Unless each attack drone can be neutralised, India will be literally deploying elephants to stamp out ants -- and the ants may still survive! points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The scaling up of the India-US strategic partnership to the level of non-NATO ally with defence deals, sharing and transfer of defence technology, interoperability, joint collaboration and joint production of defence equipment has exacerbated Moscow's anxiety, notes Rup Narayan Das.
'We do not want to fall into a trap of uncontrolled escalation or all out conflict.' 'When the need arises we will do that.'
Disengagement from the LAC will remain a chimera because China has given enough indications that the PLA will not move back any more. China has even deployed drones to monitor and deny any patrolling by Indian troops even in the buffer zones which are all in Indian Territory, explains Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (SAD), which led protests against Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has launched itself as a political party called the National Citizen Party (NCP). The new party, which aims to 'dismantle constitutional autocracy' and establish a 'second republic,' has pledged to create a 'solely Bangladesh-oriented' political system, with no room for 'pro-India and pro-Pakistan politics.' The NCP's inaugural rally was attended by representatives of various political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and envoys from the Vatican and Pakistan.
A controversy has erupted over A R Rahman's rendition of a popular patriotic song of legendary Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam in a new Bollywood film, with the litterateur's family and singers expressing outrage over the 'distortion' in rhythm and tunes.
India has much paranoia in India about a new 'Terroristan' coming up between Pakistan and a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Pakistan has zero ability economically, diplomatically, geostrategically or militarily to create one. If they try, it will be great for India as they will destroy themselves yet again, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam lists the major operational takeaways from the 1971 War in his new book 'India's Wars, A Military History, 1947-1971'.
'It could take the form of sporadic LoC violation through heavy artillery and mortar fire, focusing on border villages where the Hindu Dogra population is predominant.'
Musharraf, 79, was suffering from amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body, The Express Tribune reported.
Lieutenant General J F R Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command during the 1971 war, revealed how, armed with only a draft surrender document and an aide, he made the Pakistani army led by Lieutenant General A A K Niazi surrender.
Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is the only Indian Air Force warrior to be decorated with the Param Vir Chakra. 'My admiration for his gallant action remains undiminished,' says M P Anil Kumar. 'It was not his day, yet he made it his own.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the Navy personnel, saying their service and sacrifice has made India safer.
China does not have to give up what it took in 2020, it will never give up its claim to Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and other areas, and it has all the time now to plan its next surprise, points out Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
'I propose to finish it soon, but till then you all will ensure that we strike hard at our enemy.' 'I will not accept any shortcomings or cowardice.'
Naidu said terrorism is the enemy of humanity as it has no religion and it has unfortunately become Pakistan's state policy.
'Pakistan will try to escalate covert operations through terrorism,' says Dr Shalini Chawla.
'We don't know what the reasons were that we gave back the Haji Pir Pass which was strategically very important. Today the entire infiltration into Kashmir takes place from that area. If we had retained that post that we had captured, things could have been different.' 'A lesson we need to learn is if you start losing the gains of war at the negotiating table, they become a disincentive for future wars,' says Lieutenant General D B Shekatkar (retd), reviewing the lessons from the 1965 War.
'My relationship with the Pataudi family was to help me to survive in 1971.'
'Imagine for a soldier -- first you conquer territory after fighting a fierce battle, suffer casualties and then you are ordered to come back to your side of the International Border in India.'
Ladakh has put up a seven-feet high statue of two-time Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) awardee and hero of the battle of Turtuk, Colonel Chewang Rinchen, at his native Sumoor village in Leh, officials said on Monday.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur on Friday ruled out any possibility of resumption of India-Pakistan cricketing ties after the recent Pakistan-backed terror attack on Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. Thakur called Pakistan a 'sponsor of terrorism' and said there was 'no question of playing cricket with such a nation'. "Priority is to expose Pakistan as a country which sponsors terrorism. No question of playing cricket which such a nation", Thakur said
Burdened with a troubled history and a present steeped in conflict, five small villages on the India-Pakistan border in Ladakh, have many untold stories, finds Narayan Tushar Kaudinya
'India was in no position to wage another war in 1965, having suffered a morale-shattering defeat in 1962. The three services were in the middle of a modernisation and expansion phase and therefore not fully trained or battle-ready.'
''At this stage we are closer to military confrontation than at any time since 1971.' 'Given the known positions of the two governments, it will not be surprising if this happens sooner rather than later,' says Vice Admiral Premvir Das (retd).
A court in Bangladesh has issued fresh arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wajed, and 16 others in two cases related to alleged irregularities in allocating residential plots on the outskirts of the capital. The warrants were issued based on chargesheets filed by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), which alleges that Hasina and her family members illegally acquired plots in Purbachal New Town by abusing state power. The court has ordered police to submit a report by April 29 on the progress of executing the warrants. This is the latest in a series of legal actions against Hasina and her family members since her Awami League regime was toppled last year in a student-led mass uprising.
During a war, there are just four possibilities a soldier faces. One: Victorious and safe. Two: Wounded. Three: Killed in action. Four: Prisoner of War. It was my fate to face the fourth, says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) on the year spent as a prisoner of war in Pakistan during the 1971 War.
While India today is vastly different from the India of 1975, the need for vigilance against authoritarianism remains the same, asserts Utkarsh Mishra.
He said India was 'very careful' while taking action against terror camps in Balakot across the border after the Pulwama attack.
The Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate in New Delhi was merged with the eternal flame at the National War Memorial on Friday.
