As a prisoner of war, your mind goes blank. The only thing on your mind is, “What will happen to me?”Retd. Wing Commander MS Grewal
With Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan announcing that the nation would release Wing Commander Abhinandan on 1 March, in a gesture of peace, The Quint spoke to two former Indian prisoners of war who were arrested by Pakistan during India’s 1965 and 1971 wars.
Listen to The Quint’s exclusive interview with former Air Marshal KC “Nanda” Cariappa and former Wing Commander MS Grewal.
Former Air Marshal KC Cariappa – Prisoner of War in Pakistan in 1965
Former Air Marshal Cariappa’s aircraft was shot down over Pakistani soil on 22 September 1965.
I ejected and I landed in the midst of a Pakistani army unit. I was paralysed below the waist because I hurt my spine in the ejection. I was admitted in a field hospital in Lahore. After being admitted, I spent some time in solitary confinement in Rawalpindi.Former Air Marshal Cariappa
Former Air Marshal Cariappa said that the treatment they received from Pakistani armed forces was not inhuman at all. He added that their treatment improved by leaps and bounds once they were declared prisoners of war (POW) by the Red Cross.
We received Red Cross parcels. We were given the princely sum of Rs 65 as pay per month with which you bought your toiletries and condiments for food. The food could have been better (laughs).Former Air Marshal Cariappa
Listen to the podcast for the full interview.
Former Wing Commander MS Grewal – Prisoner of War in Pakistan in 1971
You don’t know whether people at home know you’re alive or not. Once you get to be with your own lot, your morale skyrockets by leaps and bounds. If the civilians catch you, you’re in trouble. Like Abhinandan. In any situation like this, the civilians do the most damage.Former Wing Commander MS Grewal
Former Wing Commander Grewal was shot down on 10 December 1971. He, along with 500 to 600 other Indian prisoners of war were held in Pakistan during the 1971 war.
He told us that they spent a year in Pakistan’s custody. Interestingly, both Former Wing Commander MS Grewal and Former Air Marshal KC Cariappa said that civilians were far more threatening than the enemy’s armed forces.
In the subcontinent, the villagers are always the first to get you. They have no mercy, they’ll bash you up. They haven’t signed any Geneva Convention.Former Wing Commander MS Grewal
Listen to the podcast for the full interview!
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)