scorecardresearch
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeDefenceNew book claims Indira Gandhi wanted to recapture Pak-occupied Kashmir after 1971...

New book claims Indira Gandhi wanted to recapture Pak-occupied Kashmir after 1971 war

Follow Us :
Text Size:

A. Parthasarathi’s book claims Indira Gandhi received a secret telegram from then Soviet President Brezhnev who pledged military support if she decided to ‘re-take’ PoK.

New Delhi: A new book by Ashok Parthasarathi, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s science adviser, claims that she was seriously considering using the momentum of India’s 1971 victory to recapture Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the Northern Areas of Gilgit, Skardu and Baltistan.

Parthasarathi says that Gandhi received a secret telegram from Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev on 16 December, 1971 congratulating her for the victory of the Indian armed forces in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The telegram also urged her to take the crucial decision about what to do with West Pakistan, and apparently pledged the unconditional support of the Soviet forces — no matter what she decided to do.

“She didn’t tell anyone about the message,” Parthasarathi told ThePrint. “She gave it to me one month later.”

Starting a new war

The Pakistani forces surrendered at 5 pm on 16 December, immediately after which Gandhi called a meeting with the inner cabinet. It was apparently attended by defence minister Jagjivan Ram, external affairs minister Swaran Singh, finance minister Y.B. Chavan and then chief of army staff Sam Maneskhaw, among others. Parthasarathi and his father, renowned diplomat on whom the book is based, G. Parthasarathi, were also present.

Gandhi opened the meeting by asking Sam Manekshaw how long it would take to reach Peshawar, to which he replied three days. He admitted being prepared for the question. Gandhi then asked for everyone’s opinion.

“Everyone said go to Peshawar,” Parthasarathi said. “The only person who said no was P.N. Haksar.”

Haksar was Gandhi’s principal secretary, and a close adviser. He counselled against going to war with West Pakistan, and said that anarchy would ensue if they did. India would also be answerable to international scrutiny, and subject to scrutiny when the people in Pakistan protested, which he said was an eventuality.

At this point, Parthasarathi says that Jagjivan Ram clarified what they meant. He said that the Indian Army should “correct the losses of 1948”, and “re-take” Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the northern areas.

On the way back to Gandhi’s residence from the meeting, Parthasarathi says he tried to persuade her to take the “historic step” of re-taking these territories. “Mrs. Gandhi looked at me and said that when prime ministers and presidents have to take such decisions, they have to make them alone,” he said.

The final decision

As history tells us, Gandhi chose not to go to war with West Pakistan. This decision was announced to her inner cabinet via All India Radio, which announced a ceasefire at 8 pm, bringing a close to the India-Pakistan war.

“I don’t know why she didn’t. If I was in her place, I wouldn’t have waited,” said Parthasarathi. “We lost an irretrievable opportunity to change Asia.”

“She also had the ace of trumps in her hand – Brezhnev’s letter,” he said.

Parthasarathi says he still cannot understand why Gandhi chose to do what she did, calling it an enigma. “I asked my dad why she didn’t — and he said that in history there are many instances where logic cannot be applied. This was one of them,” he said.

Parthasarathi’s book on his father, commonly known as GP, is an account of his experiences as a diplomat, journalist, and educationist during India’s formative years as a nascent democracy.

The book, G.P.: 1912-1995, will be launched Saturday by noted historian Romila Thapar, former union minister Natwar Singh and senior journalist N. Ram, among others.

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

1 COMMENT

  1. Title of article is misleading for reasons best known to ThePrint.. it should be “Indira lost chance to recapture POK”…

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular