Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today, paid homage to the martyrs of 1971 war, on the occasion of 50th Vijay Diwas. The Lt Governor laid a floral wreath at the Balidan Stambh War Memorial in Jammu to mark the occasion and said that the unmatched gallantry of our brave hearts will continue to inspire generations to come.
“Today, I pay my tributes to the brave soldiers, officers of Army, Navy and Air force, who exhibited amazing valor and sacrifice in the 1971 war. I bow down with reverence to all the brave hearts, who attained martyrdom in that war. Our nation will always be indebted to their supreme sacrifice”, he added.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor also paid his respects to Army Veterans and Veer Naris. While addressing all ranks, veterans and their family members, he exhorted them to carry forward the rich legacy of our armed forces.
“On this day in 1971, our brave soldiers and officers had not only changed the geography, but took a giant leap in establishing our country as a global super power”, the Lt Governor observed.
The Lt Governor noted that India has been a supporter of peace since ancient times and has never adopted the policy of expansionism despite being a super power.
We have lived the values of peaceful coexistence, mutual harmony and believed in the philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’. But, we never lowered our guard and successfully conquered every challenge, he said.
Earlier, the Lt Governor also paid homage to the country's first Chief of Defense Staff, General Bipin Rawat, his wife and all 11 officers and Jawans who were martyred in an air tragedy recently.
Taking note of the nefarious designs of the neighboring country to create instability in J&K, the Lt Governor said that the capability of our brave soldiers is proof that we are determined to protect our motherland. The neighboring country running the biggest terror factory in the world must remember the crushing defeats of 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999.
“We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will continue with our mission to develop Atma-Nirbhar Jammu Kashmir. But, we will not forget and we will not forgive those behind breeding terrorists. We are determined to completely dismantle their terror ecosystem,” the Lt Governor asserted.
Later, the Lt Governor released a ‘Special Cover’ and unveiled the mural of Ashok Chakra Awardee, Late ASI Babu Ram of J&K Police in presence of his family members.
Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Lt Gen YK Joshi, GOC-in-C Northern Command; Dilbag Singh, DGP J&K; Lt Gen PN Ananthanarayanan, GOC Rising Star Corps; Lt Gen Manjinder Singh, GOC White Knight Corps; Divisional Commissioner, Dr Raghav Langer; Maj Gen Neeraj Gosain, GOC Tiger Division who were present on the occasion also laid wreath and paid homage to bravehearts.
Several Army veterans including Hon Capt Bana Singh PVC, Lt Col Rishma Sarin wife of Late Major Mohit Sharma and other military and civil dignitaries also paid homage to brave hearts.