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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Pakistan Helped India During India-China War








Kaldeep Naer in his book "Beyond The Lines" writes that when Govind Panth died on March 07, 1961, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Interior Minister. He changed all his office staff except two persons. One was car racer driver and second was myselg . He used called me "Lambo Press Wala" ( The Tall Press Person).Soon I got near to him. He was very simple and down to earth person. I am ashamed of when I compare today's Indian politicians with him.
During the mid of 1981 Chinese occupied nearly 12000 square miles area in Sangkiang. Therefore, Prime Minister Pandat Nehru ordered the Indian Army Chief general Paran Thapar to push the Chinese back. But general was not ready to tease the honey bees comb.
A meeting under the chairmanship of vice prime minister Krishna Manon was held, who wanted war with China. General Thapar said that India can not fight against China because there was only one Indian soldier for 6 Chinese. Krishna said with full confidence that," I met Chinese vice prime minister Chen Pee in Geneva and he said that China would never fight with India over border conflict."
Kaldeep writes that after a few years he asked Krishna Manon what the general Thapar had told him (Kaldeep) about India China war, were those correct?. He replied," that teeth-less old general does not know how to fight."
In 1960 when general Thapar took over as army chief he sent a note to the government," the arms of Indian army is too old and if we have to fight against Pakistan or China, they can defeat us easily." Kaldeep writes that this note was quite opposite the statement of Nehru given in the assembly that I listened myself in the press gallery. that was," For the first time after the independence our defense is strong and in best condition."
general Thapar decided to talk to prime minister himself. In the Pm House he met with cabinet secretary S.S. Khera who asked him not to meet Pm otherwise PM would think that general was afraid of war. But general was determined to meet the boss and to put all the facts before him. The cabinet secretary had also told the general that if India does not fight then Nehru government would no more remain in power. General realized that war was to be fought on political reasons.
General Thapar, however, met Prime Minister Nehru and told him that Indian army was not ready for war.They have less and old arms and preparation ws not appropriate. Nehru said," Krishna told me that India is manufacturing its own weapons." General said that his information was not correct. Nehru convinced general saying that Chines army will not resist. While, Chinese generals were continuously warning India, if it attacked then it will suffer a lot. So India began preparatons for war with China. Kaldeep writes that on July 29, 1970, general Thapar told me, It was better for him at that time to resign to save India from worst defeat.
Meanwhile, Krishna Manor issued directives that no soldier should conduct movement along Pakistani border. Though from the day one Indian view was that some day war will have to begin with Pakistan. Therefore, ministry of defense had prepared all the detailed plans for war against Pakistan. The border China was kept open as there was no fear of attack.During August 1962, China started intruding into the Indian territory even then Krishna Manon was crying that Pakistan is going to attack.
By chance ambassador to Pakistan Rajeshwar Diyal was in New Dehli during those days. Afterward, Diyal told to me (to Kaldeep) that ministry of defense had called him, when he entered the office of the ministry he was astonished to see that all the Indian army commanders including Krishna Manon and general Thapar were sitting there. Diyal said he was not properly sat down that Krishna asked me," tell the generals that how Pakistan was preparing for war along Indian border." Before that Diyal could say something Thaspar said to him in Punjabi language ," do not be trapped by him, presenting Pakistan a threat to India is a part of his plan." (Krishna was unaware of Punjabi language).
Diyal told them that he did not know about any preparations of Pakistan for war and he did not see any sign of the war preparations on the way. Listening this Krishna was dismayed and asked Diyal that after he returns to Pakistan he must investigate and send a report that Pakistan army was not really preparing for war.
General Thapar wanted to move the army deployed on Pakistan border towards China but due to "specific Indian point of view" was afraid and kept silent, previously. But, now the situation was different so, he demanded the PM to remove one division army from Pakistani border to deploy it on China border. Nehru immediately accepted the request.
The war started during the end of October 1962. Meanwhile, Shah of Iran wrote a letter to General Ayub Khan and sent its copy to Nehru that Kaldeep wrote he had also seen. The letter carried a message to Ayub Khan that Pakistan army should take part in war shoulder to shoulder with India against "Red Devil".
Kaldeep wrote that he recalled his memories when he was studying in Law College Lahore and Muhammad Ali Jinnah visited the college where Kaldeep questioned Jinnah that if third power attacked India what would be the reaction of Pakistan, Jinnah replied that Pakistani soldiers will join India to fight.
At that time Western powers wanted that Pakistan should help India. Ayub Khan told them that India was in a weakest position at that time and "our not attacking India was a reflection of friendship and a way of elping India." When the war was over one day talking to Shastri jee, the letter of Shah of Iran came under discussion, Shastri said that had Pakistan soldiers fought with us against China and shed their blood for us, afterwards if they had demanded Kashmir it would have been difficult for us to say "No" to Pakistan. ( If Pakistan would have done so as Shastri wanted India would have never done so regarding Kashmir because its history shows the negative attitude of India towards Pakistan from the beginning).

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