By IANS
Chandimandir (Haryana) : The Western Command of the Indian Army headquartered here, which has given the highest number of army chiefs to the country, is celebrating its 60th anniversary on Saturday (Sep 15).
Troops of the command were instrumental in blunting Pakistani aggressions into India in 1947, 1965 and 1971 and also in fighting the Chinese in 1962.
“We remain a nightmare for any adversary who dares; for we fight to win. Put to an acid test, there shall be only one outcome – a victory,” general officer commanding in chief (GOC-in-C) Lt. Gen. Daljeet Singh said here.
“We are a frontline army with immense responsibility. On this occasion, we rededicate ourselves to work towards sustaining and building the indomitable spirit and tradition of valour that is our hallmark,” the army commander said, here at Chandimandir, about seven kilometres from Chandigarh.
The present Army Chief General J.J. Singh was also the army commander here till January 2005 before taking over as the country’s first Sikh army chief.
Two of the past army commanders here, K.M. Cariappa and S.H.F.J. Manekshaw, not only went on to command the Indian Army but were the only ones to be made Field Marshall – the highest rank in the Indian Army.
Founded on Sep 15, 1947 – exactly a month after India’s Independence – the command was called the Delhi and East Punjab command with its headquarters at Delhi. It was given to command all territories of the country’s northern and western frontiers.
Various programmes have been lined up to celebrate the occasion.
The command was re-designated as the Western Command in January 1948. Its headquarters were moved to Shimla in 1954 where it remained for over three decades. In 1985, the command was moved to its present headquarters here in the Shivalik foothills of the Himalayas.
The Chandimandir cantonment is located in over 3,600 acres of land on a forested hill with the Kasauli hills in the backdrop.
The Western Command was, at one stage, virtually guarding the country’s northern and western frontiers from Ladakh in the north to the borders in Gujarat. After the creation of the Northern Command headquartered at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir in 1972, the northern frontiers of Jammu and Kashmir were put under the new command.
The command remained active in anti-insurgency operations in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Operation Bluestar, the army’s operation to flush out terrorists from the holy Golden Temple complex was also carried out by the Western Command.
The command continues to man the borders along Tibet-China in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti areas.
“The foundation of our command rests on the sacrifices of our martyrs and veterans. We pay tribute to them,” Gen. Daljeet Singh said.