00:00This was at Lahore. The governor invited me for lunch, gave me a martini before lunch, wines at lunch.
00:07And during lunch, he said, General, can you really do me a favor?
00:10So I said, if I can, Mr. Governor, I will.
00:13Strategic experts from Pakistan and people in Pakistani social media, even their high commission in London,
00:19constantly harked back to the Abhinandan Bartaman tea episode,
00:22fearing a military offensive by India in the wake of the Pahlgam terror attack.
00:26I hope you like the tea. The tea is fantastic. Thank you.
00:30Just hours after they offered that cup of tea, Pakistan, wary of punishing response from India,
00:36released Wing Commander Abhinandan Bartaman.
00:38But decades before that, during the 1971 war, India held over 90,000 Pakistani soldiers as prisoners of war.
00:46The chief of the Indian Army back then, Sam Manakshaw,
00:49first Indian military officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.
00:53Manakshaw was key to India's victory in the 1971 war.
00:57A war that lasted just 13 days, but ended with the surrender of Pakistan's forces,
01:01resulting in the creation of an independent Bangladesh.
01:04The 1971 victory made Manakshaw a national icon.
01:08He personally oversaw the care of 90,000 Pakistani POWs
01:11and earned a name for treating them with rare compassion.
01:15This footage you see next is part of an excellent documentary made by UNESCO parser and directed by Jessica Gupta.
01:21It's called In War and Peace, The Life of Field Marshal Sam Manakshaw.
01:25The Field Marshal recounts an interesting anecdote here about the Pakistani prisoners of war.
01:29I went to Pakistan about two months after the conflict and they really gave me a first-class welcome.
01:37The governor, this was at Lahore, the governor invited me for lunch,
01:41gave me a martini before lunch, wines at lunch.
01:46And during lunch, he said, General, will you do me a favor?
01:50So I said, if I can, Mr. Governor, I will.
01:52I thought he was going to ask me about some relation of it.
01:55He said, my staff is outside.
01:57They want to shake hands with you.
01:59I went out.
02:00And there they were all lined up.
02:02About the 11th man took his pagari off and put it at my feet.
02:05So I picked it up.
02:07They gave it to him.
02:08I said, why did you do it?
02:09He said, Mr. You were, then we are saved.
02:12There are five men of your loved ones.
02:15They tell me that you gave all the Quran and the Bible.
02:18That people sleep in the barracks.
02:20Your children sleep out on the beach.
02:22They sleep in the forest.
02:23They sleep in the forest.
02:25Your children sleep in the forest.
02:27When you go, you get your hands with your kids.
02:29They go to the hotel and eat food.
02:31They say, turn around and the governor was with me.
02:34Now we will never believe that there is a Hindu harm.
02:37Back home, Manikshar was criticized. Bureaucrats and ministers accused him of pampering the enemy.
02:42But here's how he responded to those criticisms.
03:07I'm looking after the soul wolf.
Comments