AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 4 – War Diary CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 35 of 167 The surrendered PAK troops witnessed the entire proceeding in awe. Having finished my responsibility for my troops, I turned my attention towards the assembled and disarmed Pak prisoners and I addressed them that they would be treated as per the Geneva Convention. I ordered the Pak officer among them to immediately attend to their wounded and plan for the burial of their dead soldiers since it would get dark soon. I observed that the officer was not receptive and was gruff in his behaviour. He was also a Major and I did not appreciate his disinterest towards his men. In a commanding voice I told him to “GETUP”. He slowly got up and I further asked him “What are your plans to bury your dead comrades lying in the open field?” He was casual and replied “I do not have Implements to dig graves”. I lost my cool and in anger told him “YOU #@$!% , It is not that you have no implements, You do not have the Will either”. He was shocked to get a rebuff from an Indian officer. In front of the surrendered Pak troops, I called my company Senior JCO Subedar Jarnail Singh and told him “Saab, Inko Kabar Khodne ke liye Hamare Entrenching tools dekar madad karo, Andhera hone wala hai”. (Give them our entrenching tools and help them, it is getting dark soon. Subedar Jarnail Singh quickly mobilized the tools and ordered his boys in assisting the PAK troops to dig mass graves as the number was quite a few. The sulking and miffed Pak Major told his JCO and men very arrogantly and derogatively “Kutton, Tumhara Dushman Tumhare Jawanon ke liye Kabar khod raha hai, Sharam Karo (You dogs, your enemy is digging graves for your comrades, are you not ashamed’. The PAK JCO felt humiliated by his own officer calling him with utter disrespect and told me in front of his men “Saab, Hamare Army mein agar Aap Jaise Officer Hote, to ham Kabhi Nahi Hartey (Sir, if we had officers like you in our Army, we would have never lost the war)”. The PAK JCO paid compliments to our Indian Army for the officer-man relationship that we are proud about. When the four graves were completed, I announced that the Pak soldiers would be shown due respect and the bodies were lowered down carefully after the Pak Officer and JCOS had identified each one of them and listed their personal belongings to be carried by them for handing over to the next of kin. We organized a section of our troops to pay respects in the same manner as we had done for our two soldiers. I personally put a shovel of earth in each of the graves to show respect and saluted the graves of Pak soldiers. The PAK Major had mellowed down by our humane acts of help and respect and embraced me and said ‘Thank you, Sir’, to me and Subedar Jarnail Singh. Moral Of The Story: Morale Of Troops Is A Winning Factor In War. Goodness Costs Nothing, It Earns Good Will.