Dehradun, Dec 22: Alumni of the 1947 batch of Indian Military Academy, the first batch to be commissioned post India-Pakistan partition in 1947, gathered for their diamond jubilee reunion in Dehradun.

Thirty-one officers travelled from India, Pakistan and other parts of the world after six decades to recall the halcyon days they spent at the Academy.

Two batchmates from Pakistan, Brigadier M.M. Kareem and Brigadier Anwar-ul-Haq, recollected how 41 of them could not finish the course and were sent to Pakistan on October 14, 1947 nearly two months prior to the passing out parade on December 21.

A nostalgic Brigadier M.M. Kareem from Pakistan said, "We had very good friends here. It was very sad the night that we left. But it had to be, so that was it."

Brigadier Kareem added that frequent communal riots taking place after the India-Pakistan partition and fear for their safety made authorities at the Academy send them to Pakistan before they completed their course.

But as Pakistan had no academy where they could continue training, all of them were immediately commissioned in the army.

Alumni of the military academy went down memory lane leafing through their old photographs preserved at Chetwood Hall in the Academy.

Brigadier Amar Cheema remembers his good old days and says, "It reminds me of the old days. It feels as though I've become a cadet again. We'll take a walk around now. It reminds me of matters like, this is the place I had my parades, and here is the hall where my name was called out aloud one day, 370 Amar Cheema."

While posing for a group photo and looking through old photographs, they remembered old friends who are no more and observed two minutes' silence in their memory.

On this occasion, Brigadier M.M. Kareem, on behalf of the Pakistan military force, handed over the Army Aviator Badges of Pakistan to his Indian friends and counterparts.

At the function on Friday saw several old friends who became rivals during their military career, trying to rekindle their friendship for good. (ANI)