During the 1971 war against Pakistan in Bangladesh, General Jagjit Singh Arora and the Sikhs made a 90,000 strong Pakistani army surrender without any causalities. The Singhs shouting Jaikare (Sikh Slogan) Bole So Nihal ! Sat Sri Akal approached the war site.

After looking at the Sikhs and hearing the Jaikare the Pakistani General A. A. K. Niazi surrendered and all 90,000 Pakistani troops became prisoners of war.

The Pakistani army fled the villages they had occupied along with many of the villagers. A Sikh soldier found a woman who was left behind in a Pakistani village. The soldier took care of the old lady, provided her with food, and tried to locate her family. This act of kindness was recorded in governmental files.

When the Sikh troops entered further into East Pakistan which is now Bangladesh, they found hundreds of woman left behind who were abducted by enemy troops and were raped. The Sikh Soldiers took off their jackets and many removed their turbans to cover the naked bodies of the woman.

One Bengali person who watched the incredible humanitarian effort unfold stated, “They took off their turbans and used them to wrap around the naked bodies of the women who were raped and left abandoned by the opposing forces.”

The Sikh troops provided protection for the women while they were under control of the country. The Sikhs soldiers made sure the woman were safe and returned them to their villages before leaving the country.

This kind act on part of the Sikh Soldiers is mentioned in the 1971 government files.

Sikhs have a very long history of protecting women on enemy grounds. Sikhs led the charge in the 1700s of bringing back abducted woman by Ahmed Shah Abdali from Delhi to be sold in Afghan markets. The Sikhs would attack the caravans of Abdali and bring back them women to their villages.

The Sikh faith teaches to help those in need with any means possible, it’s the essence of Sikhi and the Sikhi spirit.











