Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 is one of the few wars in history that was fought not to acquire territory or grab power but to protect the dignity of humanity and democracy.

The Defence Minister further said that when the conflict started on 3rd December 1971, India was prepared politically, diplomatically and militarily.

Congruence of our nation’s politico-military thought and actions gave birth to a new nation in Asia, he added.

Singh gave this statement while speaking at the IAF conclave as part of the Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations today.

IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who was also present on the occasion called the 1971 war one of the shortest and swiftest victories ever recorded in the history of military warfare and termed the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani troops the largest ever surrender by an Army after World War 2.

He further said that the Indian Forces fought synergistically on western and eastern fronts and demonstrated prowess in the air, over the land and on the sea.

Indian Army, Navy and Air Force dominated all domains of warfare to compel Pakistani forces to surrender in the shortest time, he added.

CDS General Bipin Rawat called the 1971 Indo-Pak war a landmark event that altered geography of the South Asian subcontinent.

In the span of just 14 days the war was successfully concluded and a sovereign nation Bangladesh was born with its liberation from Pakistan rule, the CDS said.

While addressing the event, CDS Rawat also batted for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data.

India’s future inductions must aim at introducing new disruptive technologies such as AI, big data analysis, quantum computing, hypersonic weapons, robotics, nanotechnology, autonomous unmanned system and directed energy weapons to remain ahead of its adversaries, he said.

The IAF conclave was organised to celebrate the Swarnim Vijay Varsh marking the 50th anniversary of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, which led to the liberation of Bangladesh.