Army Chief Recalls When Pakistani War Prisoners Praised Indian Officers

Honouring the contributions of legendary officer Lt Gen PS Bhagat, Indian Army chief Gen Manoj Pande on Wednesday said the treatment of Pakistani prisoners of war post-1971 war was so good that they wished that their officers were as good as their Indian counterparts in ensuring the welfare of the troops.

"After the 1971 Indo-Pak War, 90,000 Pakistani Prisoners of War were to be housed in camps in central command (with Lt Gen Bhagat as commander in chief). This entailed urgent construction of shelters, provision of amenities, putting the logistics in place, ensuring security arrangements and coordination," Gen Pande said while addressing a memorial lecture.

He said Lt Gen Bhagat ensured that every amenity that the POWs were entitled to, including canteen stores, postal facilities, and medical coverage, was made available in the true spirit of the Geneva Convention.

He said in some cases, Lt Gen Bhagat even ordered an accommodation occupied by his own troops, vacated for the prisoners of war.

"Hence, it was no surprise that Pakistani POWs had only praise for the way they were treated in India, and often remarked that they wished their officers were like Indian officers in the way they took care of their troops," Gen Pande said.

After the crushing defeat in the 1971 war, India had taken 90,000 Pakistan Army troops as prisoners after they surrendered before them.

The defeat of the Pakistan Army led to the creation of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan.

Lt Gen Niazi was the senior-most officer to surrender and had stayed in India for many months during which he, along with fellow prisoners of war, were well looked after by the neighbour.

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