‘Pic of Pak surrendering before India removed from Army HQ’

New Delhi : Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday claimed in Lok Saba that a photograph of Pakistan surrendering before India has been removed from the Army headquarters.

In her Zero Hour reference, Priyanka Gandhi said the picture has been re-moved on Monday, which also happens to be Vijay Diwas.

“Today, that picture has been removed from the Army headquarters where the Pakistan Army is surrendering before the Indian Army,” she said.

The Wayanad MP remembered the role of soldiers and martyrs who fought the war of 1971 between India and Pakistan. Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on December 16 to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. The war also resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh.

The Congress paid tributes to the armed forces on Vijay Diwas, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying it was a momentous occasion for humanity under the decisive leadership of then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Vijay Diwas marks the surrender of Pakistani forces to the Indian Army in 1971. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, “On the glorious occasion of Vijay Diwas, I salute the valour, dedication and resolve of our armed forces.” The nation will always remember the indomitable courage and supreme sacri-fice of all the heroes of the 1971 war who liberated Bangladesh from injustice while protecting India’s sovereignty, he said. Kharge said, “On this day in 1971, the geography of the world changed when our valiant Indian military force defeated Pakistan and liberated Bangladesh.”

“It was a momentous occasion for humanity under the able, farsighted and decisive leadership of Smt. Indira Gandhi,” he said in a post in Hindi on X. “We pay our tributes to the indomitable courage, valour and valour of our armed forces and Mukti Bahini,” he said.

The grateful nation will never forget the sacrifice and dedication of the brave sons of Mother India, Kharge said. The Congress, on its official X handle said, that on the strength of its indomitable courage and valour, the Indian Army de-feated Pakistan on December 16, 1971 and played an important role in the creation of Bangladesh, bringing the Pakistani army to its knees. “Many sa-lutes to the brave sons of Mother India on Vijay Diwas,” the party said in its post in Hindi on X. PTI ASK

Meanwhile, Priyanka Vadra staged a protest in the Parliament premises on Monday, demanding justice for Hindus facing atrocities . “The fight that we had fought (in 1971) was about principles, for democracy, against the atrocities that were being committed. These principles made India great. Our independ-ence struggle was also based on these principles. We were alone at that time. “She (Indira Gandhi) travelled across the globe, saying this atrocity must be stopped. Nobody stood up but our country did. Indira ji did, our army did and our people stood up,” she said.