Vijay Diwas 2023: The historical surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers in the 1971 Bangladesh war is undoubtedly the crowning achievement of the great Indian Army. Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora was the man of the moment when Pakistani Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi signed a historic agreement for the unconditional surrender of 93,000 Pakistani troops in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 16, 1971.One of the images that has remained in India's memory of Lt Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora is one of the tall, turbaned figure sitting next to a gloomy and hesitant Pakistani Lt Gen. A.A.K. Niazi who signed the instrument of surrender on 16 December 1971.Lt Gen. Aurora was known as the ‘Liberator of Bangladesh’ after India’s 1971 victory, however, he also fiercely pushed for India and Pakistan's peaceful coexistence.Also Read | Vijay Diwas: Remarkable and lesser-known facts about Vijay Diwas- December 16, 1971 | Unveiling the untold Here's all you need to know about Lt Gen Aurora:- Born on 13 February 1916 in Kalle Gujjran in Jhelum district, now in Pakistan, Aurora was commissioned into the 1st battalion of the 2nd Punjab Regiment in 1939 and served in all three Indo-Pak wars.- From Captain in 1947 to General in 1966, his military career carried him to the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) as a Brigadier, Director General Military Training (DGMT) during the 1962 Indo-China War. A series of staff and field assignments followed before he reached his pinnacle in 1971 when he was tasked with planning and executing the Bangladesh Liberation War.- “So innovative was his operational planning and so meticulous its execution that Lt-Gen J.S. Aurora did not forsake his daily round of golf even once during the 12-day (13-day) battle to ‘liberate’ East Pakistan…” an obituary in the British Independent read.- Aurora used a novel strategy of leaving the highways for byways, avoiding traditional battle engagements. He formed small, mobile units that surrounded the Pakistanis, cutting them off from each other and their extensive supply lines. Aurora also used air power creatively and effectively in support of ground forces, adding an element of surprise by employing newly raised mechanised infantry battalions.The Liberation WarThe planning for the war started in June 1971.“As far as I remember, we started deploying our forces in large numbers from June 1971, Aurora wrote in an article for Rediff. We started moving our military administrative staff too because our depots were not well equipped to fight Pakistani troops on the eastern border, he added.“Whatever depots we had were set up during World War II. We also deployed more troops on the Assam and Tripura borders. Because we did not want to be caught with our trousers down if we were attacked on that front by Pakistani forces.Also Read | Vijay Diwas: Remembering Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw whose strategic acumen led to decisive victory for IndiaAurora stated that he planned the army's offensive and defensive strategy and was confident that the war would be over in three weeks. He also admitted openly that Indian forces benefited from the cooperation of the local population.“This made our burden much less. In all these 13 days, we were on the attacking side rather than being defensive. Our Russian-made tanks were also superior to the Pakistani tanks.Later lifeAurora retired two years after the war.Almost a decade later, he emerged from the shadows to condemn then-prime leader Indira Gandhi for allowing Operation Blue Star, which was designed to eliminate Sikh militants stationed in Amritsar's Golden Temple.Aurora sought to rehabilitate the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.He became a Rajya Sabha MP as an Akali Dal nominee in 1986.In addition to the Param Vishist Seva Medal, he received the Padma Bhushan for his role in the 1971 operations.He passed away on May 3, 2005, at the age of 89.Also Read | Vijay Diwas 2023: History, significance, and importance of the day