#THREAD

𝟭𝟵𝟳𝟭 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗮𝗿

As we celebrate #VijayDiwas2020 & get ready for the Golden Jubilee in 2021, over the years, we have forgotten at least 54 Indian Prisoners of War (PoW) who haven’t still returned home !!

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The then Indira Gandhi govt. released 93,000 Pakistani prisoners but failed to ensure the safe return 54 Indians, who continued to languish in Pak jails..

Until 1989, Pakistan denied having Indian prisoners in their jails !!

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Former PM Benazir Bhutto had told visiting Indian officials that the men were in their custody.

During the regime of President Pervez Musharraf, the claim was denied.. he allowed a delegation comprising relatives of the PoWs to visit Pakistani jails but it was futile..

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According to Brigadier (Retd) Harwant Singh, the absence of documentation of faulty details made by Pakistan authorities during the 1971 Indo-Pak War when these soldiers and officers were taken PoWs is responsible for their illegal detention by Pakistan..

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One such braveheart is Havaldar Dharam Pal Singh, who was captured by Pakistan Army in 1971.

However, the then Government of India and the Indian Army treated him as a martyr as he was reported missing on December 5, 1971 !!

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A civil writ petition was filed by Havaldar Dharam Pal Singh's wife Pal Kaur who hails from Village Lehra Dhurkot, Bathinda, Punjab.

However, the then government only condoled the death of Dharam Pal Singh by writing a letter to Pal Kaur!

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One Satish Kumar of Ferozepur told Pal Kaur that Dharam Pal Singh was alive and was lodged in Kot Lakhpat Rai Jail, Lahore which is also known as Central Jail Lahore. Satish Kumar in his affidavit had said he was an inmate of the same jail between 1974 to 1976.

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The war prisoner's wife had approached the Government of India to file a case in International Court of Justice for repatriation of Havaldar Dharam Pal Singh.

Indian High Commission had written two letters to the Pakistan Government on July 7 and 25, 2017 respectively.

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Another such case is that of Major Ashok Suri, captured in the 1971 war.
The army declared him martyred but December 26, 1974, RS Suri received a hand-written note dated December 7, 1974, from his son !!

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In August 1975, he received another missive, postmark dated ‘June 14/15/16, 1975, Karachi’

The then defence secretary had the handwriting confirmed as Ashok’s and changed the official statement from “killed in action” to “missing in action”

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Even today, the family members of those missing 54 Indian prisoners of war (PoW) of 1971 long to see them return home someday..

Salute to each one of those 54 bravehearts & the martyred souls of the war of 1971..
#IndianArmy #JaiHind

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