Welcoming the recent understanding between India and Pakistan for cessation of hostilities, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said that prolonging a military conflict with Pakistan is not India’s biggest priority today, drawing a clear distinction between the present situation and the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
“1971 was a great achievement, Indira Gandhi rewrote the map of the subcontinent, but the circumstances were different. Bangladesh was fighting a moral cause, and liberating Bangladesh was a clear objective. Just keeping on firing shells at Pakistan is not a clear objective,” Tharoor said, responding to social media comparisons between the late Indira Gandhi’s wartime leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approach to the current standoff.
He emphasised that the context of the 1971 war, which resulted in the birth of Bangladesh, was unique, as it involved a clear moral imperative to support the liberation of East Pakistan.
“Bangladesh was fighting a moral cause to actually bring people to freedom and liberation. That was a completely different story. This is a different story. We would have ended up with much longer, protracted conflicts with a lot of loss of lives on both sides. Is this the biggest priority for India today? No, it is not,” he added.
Tharoor further noted that the scale of potential destruction in a prolonged conflict today would be significantly higher given the modern military capabilities of both nations.
Also read: 'Ceasefire a pause, not a peace,' says Pakistan's foreign office
Meanwhile, Congress leader Pawan Khera took to social media platform X to post images of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with the caption, “India misses Indira,” reflecting the continued reverence for her wartime leadership.
The 1971 Indo-Pakistani War remains a significant chapter in India’s history, as it marked the creation of Bangladesh following India’s decisive military intervention after Pakistan’s airstrikes on Indian airbases. Indira Gandhi’s leadership was widely credited with India’s victory and the subsequent emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation.
In a significant move towards de-escalation, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations had reached out to his Indian counterpart, leading to an agreement to cease all military actions on land, at sea, and in the air, effective from 1700 hours IST.
However, Misri also noted that Pakistan had violated the understanding by engaging in cross-border firings, prompting India to issue strong instructions to its armed forces to respond firmly to any further provocations.
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