Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said the 1965 battle was the first "major war" that India won, as a six-day exhibition, showcasing major battle scenes and captured tanks of the Pakistani Army during the war, started at Rajpath on Tuesday.
As part of the golden jubilee commemoration of the war, the exhibition, 'Shauryanjali', will give the public a chance to view captured Pakistani Patton and Sherman tanks as well as the milestone reading "Lahore 13 km" that was brought back by the Indian Army, showcasing how deep the troops had entered into Pakistan.
Asserting that India won the war "hands down", Parrikar said that a nation which remembers its history and <g data-gr-id="19">martyrs,</g> is a nation which develops and is secure.
It is for the first time that the Indian government is celebrating the war on such a large scale. A "nostalgic" Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley recalled that as a school child he had witnessed the war. "I remember as a young school boy, when our armed forces were defending our borders, the whole country used to be tuned into the radio, supporting the armed forces emotionally and materially," he said on the opening ceremony of the exhibition at Rajpath.