1965 War, The Great PM OF INDIA And An
Incompetent Army Head
SARASIJ MAJUMDER
Pakistani General Ayyub Khan said “ Hindu
morale would not stand more than a couple of hard blows at the right time and
place.”
After 1 month 2 weeks and 5 days of
fighting , Pakistan’s dream of capturing Kashmir from India was crushed to dust.
From invading Kashmir , they were forced
to defend Lahore and Sialkot with tail in between legs. And desperately was
seeking USA’s intervention to pressurize India to stop the war.
And USA complied , asked USSR to use it’s
good office with India for a CEASEFIRE.
India generously agreed to the ceasefire after repeated
pleas from the major powers, at a time when it was crushing Pakistan. At that
time Indian Army chief was General Jayanta Nath Chaudhuri—commonly known as MUCHCHU CHAUDHURI. The Kolkata-born general came from
an affluent background and had become army chief purely on the back of
family connections and pure luck. Predictably he lacked war fighting qualities
and usually fell in to depression, in tight situations. Whenever Indian Army
suffered a setback, he would run to the Defence minister’s office afraid and
each time the minister had to revive the General with some pep talks !!!.
However, it was a well-known fact that MUCHCHU CHAUDHURI
used to GHOST WRITE Défense columns for
an English Daily.
On September 20, 1965-- Prime Minister asked General
Chaudhuri whether India could expect to gain if the war continued for a few
days more. Mr. Shastri was emphatical that he can hold pressure of USA, and
RUSSIA for a few more days, if we can recover POK. General informed the PM that the army was coming to an
end of its ammunition holdings and could not sustain fighting for much longer. Muchchu
Chaudhuri thus advised acceptance of the ceasefire proposal, and it was
accepted.
A VERY BIG BLUNDER! We know what happened thereafter.
It was later
discovered in overall terms only 20% of
the Indian Army’s ammunition stock had been used up. In contrast, Pakistan had
expended 80% of its ammo. It had also lost 250 of its latest US-supplied PATTON
tanks, and India’s air dominance was complete, after SARGODHA massacre tied
down Pakistan’s Sabre Jets. At
the moment of our greatest advantage the army chief’s non-comprehension of the
intricacies of the long-range logistics deprived India of a more decisive
victory, and may be the first chance to recover POK after 1948.
Another interesting fact about this General is that he is
the one who ordered the Army Commander Har Baksh Singh to
withdraw when Pakistan Army attacked Khem Kharan Sector in
Punjab. The commander refused, and what followed was the Battle of Asal Uttar – the greatest tank battle
since Battle of Kursk in 1943. The
Indian counter attack on the night of September 10 was so ferocious that by the
morning they had knocked out 70
Pakistani tanks. And those were Patton Tanks!
Funny coincidence is that Pervez Musharraf, later Pakistani Army Chief of
Staff and President of Pakistan, participated
in this battle as a lieutenant of artillery in the 16 (SP) Field
Regiment, 1st Armoured Division Artillery. No wonder why he could
never win any more wars in his life again. !!!
Some links are attached to the TEXT, for more information on
the subject. However—the referred books are with more information.
References:-
1.0 India Pakistan
War1965—G.D.BAKSHI
2.0 1965 War, the inside
story—Y.B.Chavan
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