Book on 1971 Indo-Pak war released

On a chilly Saturday afternoon at a conference room of India International Centre, the 1971 Indo-Pak war was the hot topic of discussion, thanks to a release function of a book on the topic by veteran Maj. Gen. Kuldip Singh Bajwa.

On a chilly Saturday afternoon at a conference room of India International Centre, the 1971 Indo-Pak war was the hot topic of discussion, thanks to a release function of a book on the topic by veteran Maj. Gen. Kuldip Singh Bajwa.

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Titled India-Pakistan War 1971: Military Triumph and Political Failure, the book was released by Gen. VP Malik amid the presence of Maroof Raza, general editor of the series on military affairs.

The author, Maj. Gen. Bajwa, has served as the chief of staff of various army corps and was involved in three divisions —infantry, engineering and artillery.

Still raring to go even at 88, the army man with a smile on his face pointed out the various facets of the war. “It took me 30-odd years to come up with the book as a lot of reading and research was required before I could form my own conclusions,” he said.

He also stressed on the role of the air force and the navy in the result of the war. “Without them, it wouldn't have been possible for the army alone to be triumphant,” Maj. Gen. Bajwa said.

The book includes chapters regarding the ordeals faced by the armed forces, the things they missed, the corps who did their job exactly according to the plan among other interesting information.

“This is an important piece of Indian military history and has been quite excellently penned by the author. It is about a war in which India fought as a nation after centuries,” Gen. VP Malik said.