Sunday, 16 February 2025 Ahmedabad:Air Force Association Gujarat Branch organised Eighth Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon Param Vir Chakra Annual Memorial Lectures with three senior veteran Defence Officers sharing insights on the multiple strategic aspects of national security in Neelambar Auditorium at HQ South Western Air Command, Gandhinagar on 16 February 2025.
Hon’ble Home Minister of Gujarat Shri Harsh Sanghavi was the Chief Guest He has given his guidance and support to AFA Gujarat’s initiative to enhance awareness of the security issues that Gujarat in particular faces. Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari PVSM AVSM VM, AOC-in-C, HQ SWAC, Gandhinagar was the Guest of Honour.
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The speakers and their topics of lecture were as follows:
- Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari PVSM AVSM VM (Retd) -“Strategic Lessons from ongoing Conflicts”.
- Lieutenant General Pradeep Chandra Nair PVSM AVSM YSM (Retd) “The Strategic Relevance of North East India and our distributed immediate East”.
- Rear Admiral Sudarshan Y Shrikhande AVSM (Retd) – “An Indian perspective on QUAD Dialogue”.
Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is the sole member of the Indian Air Force to be awarded the Param Vir Chakra. It was in honour of his courage, valour and flying skills in engaging Pakistan F-86 Jets in unequal combat during the 1971 war. His aircraft was shot down by the gunfire of one of the F-86 Jets and he was martyred.
It takes tremendous courage and resilience to face the kind of threats that we do – terrorist maritime and border threats – and remain on the path of long-term peace and economic stability, says Air Marshal PK Desai PVSM AVSM VSM (Retd) President Air Force Association, Gujarat Branch. That is the reason behind naming the Annual Memorial Lectures after Flying Officer Sekhon.
The Air Force Association is a registered association of retired Indian Air Force Personnel established by Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Arjan Singh, DFC (Marshal of the Indian Air Force). AFA today has over 1,00,000 members including over 8000 widows.
AFA Gujarat was establised in 2007 and is managed by a panel of Ex Air Foce personnel and their families settled in Gujarat in the form of financial and legal assistance to ex-servicemen and their families, including widows and children.
