During the Bangladesh liberation war of 1971 when the Pakistan Army tried to establish a bridgehead in Fazilka to launch their Army Reserve South to capture Bathinda, nearly 30,000 residents vacated Fazilka town on bicycles, rickshaws, carts, buses and whatever mode of travel they could get within two hours of ensuing action by the Indian Army on the Indo-Pak border, recounted Swaran Singh Boparai, a Punjab cadre IAS officer who was posted as deputy commissioner of the border district of Ferozepur during the war, as people in some border villages of Ferozepur district on Wednesday begun moving to safer areas amid soaring tensions between India and Pakistan.
The Indian armed forces early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (Pok), including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke. In the retaliatory action, Pakistan targeted the civilian population residing near the Line of Control, killing at least 11 people and leaving 40 injured.
“Amazingly, they all packed their belongings in two hours and none of them was to be seen, except for 70 odd people who gathered at the Sadar police station,” said Boparai, who was conferred with the Padma Shri for his distinguished contribution to helping the Indian Army during the 1971 war.
Boparai camped in Fazilka, then part of Ferozepur district, for three days during the Indian Army’s counteraction on the border despite the then Punjab chief secretary’s orders to return to the Ferozepur district headquarters. “I stayed put to help the Indian Army. I did not return. They feared an Indian DC would be a prized catch for the enemy.”
During the Indian Army’s counteraction against the Pakistan Army, which took over the Beriwala bridge, GOC-in-charge Major General Ram Singh suffered three bullet injuries. “We took him to the local hospital where he was operated upon. He was a brave man. After coming out of the operation theatre, he got up from the bed. The doctor asked him to lie down. But the officer told the doctor, ‘I followed your orders in the OT.’ He then left the hospital and went to the war zone, injured. He told me that it was important to boost the morale of his troops.”
As blackouts were ordered in the border districts of Punjab on Wednesday evening brought back memories of the 1971 war, Boparai, then a young IAS officer, recalled that blackouts were ordered from December 3 to 17, 1971. “The civilians were asked to switch off their lights or put thick and heavy curtains on the windows or cover them with blinds. This was done to prevent aircraft from passing over unloading ammunition,” he said.
Noting that people are always advised to follow the government advisory, Boparai said, “It is not a favour that one is doing. It is a favour that one is doing to oneself. It is not for national security but for their own safety. I presume there will not be a war this time, but if the situation escalates, I advise people to follow the advisory. They can sit inside their homes and work, but follow the advisory.”
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Boparai further recounted that he was unable to sleep for the first 36 hours. “I was running around day and night, and could sleep for only 1 hour and 30 minutes the next day. I am good at catching sleep. We were so tired, but had to manage with scant sleep. The SSP at that time told me that he didn’t sleep at all.”
It was after his being at the forefront of the war zone, helping the Army, providing medical services, langar and other amenities by staying put at the Fazilka border that earned him the Padma Shri. “When I look back, I find it was a great time. India won the war. It was a great contribution of the Army. Those two days were very satisfying. The Army invited me for their 50th year celebrations of the 1971 war, and I participated.”
Praising Punjabis, he said, “The way they are ready to help soldiers by providing them with all kinds of help, it is amazing. When one is fighting in Punjab, it becomes a cooperative movement. People are so cooperative and helpful.”
The former IAS officer hailed the Indian armed forces’ “Operation Sindoor”, but hoped the situation would not escalate further. “A war is not in the interest of either of the two nations. I am not in favour of war. For us, it is not a good time to go to war. We have not made many good friends in the neighbourhood. Since both countries are nuclear powers, the cost of war will be too high for the region. It is in the interest of both countries that this does not turn into a full-fledged war,” Boparai told The Indian Express.
