Skip to main content
Loading…

Chamber and committees

80th Anniversary of VJ Day and the Contributions of Sikh, Muslim and Hindu Communities During the Second World War

  • Submitted by: Foysol Choudhury, Lothian, Scottish Labour.
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 August 2025
  • Motion reference: S6M-18459

That the Parliament recognises the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan (VJ) Day on 15 August 2025 and the sacrifices of the British Indian Army during the Second World War; understands that 2.5 million British Indian Army soldiers from Sikh, Muslim and Hindu communities, in what are now Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, fought to secure victory against Japan during the Second World War; notes that the 14th Army, which liberated Burma (now Myanmar), was composed mostly of troops from the British Indian Army, as well as African, British and Gurkha units; further notes that the contribution of soldiers from Sikh, Muslim and Hindu communities in both the First and the Second World Wars was marked during an event at the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Edinburgh on 20 July 2025; believes that the contributions of soldiers from British colonies in the First and Second World Wars are sometimes neglected or omitted; thanks all those, including soldiers from pre-partition India, for their sacrifice and service during wars, and commends those who continue to serve in the Armed Forces today.


Supported by: Clare Adamson, Jeremy Balfour, Colin Beattie, Miles Briggs, Sharon Dowey, Tim Eagle, Bill Kidd, Fulton MacGregor, Ben Macpherson, John Mason, Stuart McMillan, Alexander Stewart, Kevin Stewart, Paul Sweeney, Mercedes Villalba, Annie Wells, Brian Whittle