“This day, that year, the buildup of war—August 5, 1971,” the Eastern Command of the Indian Army captioned the post.
A day after US President Donald Trump threatened to “substantially raise” tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, the Indian Army on Tuesday shared an old newspaper article from August 5, 1971, highlighting the US support for Pakistan in the buildup to the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.
The 1971 newspaper article Army shared talks about the massive US Arms export to Pakistan since 1954.
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In the article, then Minister for Defence Production, VC Shukla, stated that as per “Our estimate”, the US supllied arms worth USD 2 billion to Pakistan since they entered into arms pact in 1954.
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“This day, that year, the buildup of war—August 5, 1971,” the Eastern Command of the Indian Army captioned the post.
#IndianArmy#EasternCommand#VijayVarsh #LiberationOfBangladesh #MediaHighlights
“This Day That Year” Build Up of War – 05 Aug 1971 #KnowFacts.
“. $2 ’54”@adgpi@SpokespersonMoD… pic.x.com/wO9jiLlLQf
— EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) August 5, 2025
The post comes a day after Trump threatened to raise tariffs on India for continuing to import Russian oil.
In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump said, “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, but they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits.”
Trump added, “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA.”
Reacting sharply to Trump’s threat, India also called out the US for its own trade with Russia.
The MEA highlighted that the US itself imports uranium hexafluoride, palladium fertilizers, and chemicals from Russia.
In a sharply worded message to Washington, India said it will take “all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security” against the “unjustified and unreasonable” US targeting.
The ties between India and the US have apparently deteriorated under the Trump administration over the US President’s ceasefire claims and imposition of tariffs on Indian goods.
On July 31, Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on India and an unspecified penalty on the country’s trade with Russia.
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