1971 Vijay Diwas: When Pakistani soldier said ‘Agar India ke officers aur Pakistan ke jawan sath mil jaye to...'

DEHRADUN: Major General Lakhwinder Singh (retd), 77, hung up his boots in 2006 after nearly four decades of service in the Army. Commissioned in Dec 1967, he fought the 1971 Indo-Pak war as a 23-year-old captain attached to Field Regiment in the Dera Baba Nanak sector of Punjab. As the country prepares to celebrate Vijaya Diwas on Tuesday, he recalls an episode involving a Pakistani soldier that he says remains etched in his memory.

Maj Gen Singh, who is also credited with the innovative use of artillery during the Kargil War that turned the tide in India's favour, shared the anecdote with TOI over the phone from his Delhi home.




"I fought the adversary in the Dera Baba Nanak sector opposite Kartarpur Sahib on the western border. A few days after the war ended on Dec 16 with the declaration of a ceasefire, I was asked to lead a small contingent to exchange sweets and pleasantries with Pakistani counterparts to mark Eid," he said.

"After reaching a common spot near the border, we exchanged greetings and sweets. After a few minutes, one of them asked about the officer handling artillery on our side, which was me. No one from our side revealed my name, but asked why they wanted to know. They said it was because artillery had caused heavy damage to them," Maj Gen Singh added.

He recalled that soon after, a Pakistani soldier looked towards him and said, "Agar India ke officers aur Pakistan ke jawan mil jaayen to duniya mein koi humein shikast nahi de sakta (If Indian officers and Pakistani soldiers come together, no one in the world could defeat us)." "I simply smiled and thanked him," he said.

Maj Gen Singh described the moment as a testament to the ingrained ethos of Indian Army officers to lead from the front, unlike most of their Pakistani counterparts.

"Having said that, it is not that Indian soldiers are not brave — they are extremely courageous. But the statement surprised us. We heard something similar again more than two decades later during the Kargil War, which suggested that stories about Indian Army officers were passed down generations on the other side," he said.

"In the 1971 war, we largely encountered Pakistani JCOs and NCOs fighting at the front, which further reinforced that soldier's remark," he added.

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Lt Gen Mohan Bhandari (retd), who served alongside Maj Gen Singh during the Kargil War, echoed the Pakistani soldier's observation.

"It is well known that Pakistani officers rarely lead their men from the front, unlike Indian Army officers. Indian officers are trained to lead from the front, not issue orders from behind," he said.

"That is why the proportion of Indian Army officers making the supreme sacrifice during conflicts is higher. They are prepared to kill and to die for their men without a second thought," Lt Gen Bhandari added.

The septuagenarian veteran also recalled another incident from the 1971 war in the Dera Baba Nanak sector, describing it as "something divine".

"It was Dec 6, 1971. I, along with soldiers including those from 1/3 Gorkha, was tasked with attacking an enclave held by the Pakistani Army. The operation began in darkness, with heavy firing from our side," he said.

"While advancing, we encountered a Pakistani pillbox, which we fired upon for three to four minutes — a significant duration in combat. We were certain that anyone inside would have been killed. Just then, a Pakistani soldier emerged from the pillbox and ran towards safety. We froze and could not bring ourselves to pull the trigger. It felt like the Almighty had willed that he live," Maj Gen Singh said.