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Military Literature Festival

Zia-ul Haq and Musharraf years. The es-
tablishment used to keep and promote
only those politicians, who were ready highlights unnecessary hype
to follow its diktats, but it did not rule
directly. However, the role of Army is
now much more pronounced. During
the swearing-in ceremony of Imran over surgical strike
Khan, Army chief Bajwa tells the Indian
cricketer-turned comedian and politi-
cian, Navjot Singh Sidhu, that we are
ready to open the Kartar Singh corridor During the discussion at theMilitary Literature Festival 2018, defence expert and commentator Colonel
enabling Sikh pilgrims to visit the place, (Retd.) Ajai Shukla cautioned against the recent trend to colour military achievements with political
where Guru Nanak had breathed his
last. Like a brainless parrot, Sidhu, pro- motives, writes SMRITI SHARMA VASUDEVA
motes this suggestion, and the corridor
was inaugurated amidst the presence t is not often that you witness the hibition, along with Clarion Call Theatre, During the session, Retired Lt Gen
of Khalistanis. Siddhu, who was seen General talks Western countries, in stalwarts of the Indian Defence which too attracted massive crowds. Hooda said that the initial euphoria over
sitting with the Hafiz Saeed, the mas- general, deal directly with the generals forces including war veterans, de- However, the highlight of each of the the success of the surgical strike was
termind of the Mumbai explosions, did in Pakistan fence experts come together at a three days was the stimulating panel dis- natural but the constant hype around it
not mind sharing a place with the Khal- I single platform to discuss and delve cussions on varied topics which left the was unwarranted. “I do think there was
istanis, who are keen to revive the Sikh on several key aspects of the past and visitors completely in awe. too much hype over it. The military op-
militancy in the Punjab in India. present in India. So when the second edi- eration was important and we had to do
They were just lap dogs and if they The GHQ has of the British officer, Major General Sir tion of the Three-day Military Literature Surgical Strikes Hype unnecessary it. Now how much should it have been
ever asserted they were either hanged Robert Cawthrone was deployed in festival kick-started recently in Chandi- One of the most interesting sessions that politicised, whether it is right or wrong is
or exiled. Z.A. Bhutto used to call Gener- succeeded in the Pakistani Army to lead the Muslim garh, it was indeed a huge crowd puller. took place during the festival was on the something that should be asked to politi-
al Ayub Khan “papa” and as a favourite manipulating media. soldiers of the newly created state. The From veterans to serving officers with topic, ‘Role of Cross-Border Operations cians,” he averred.
of the Army he persuaded Ayub Khan’s intelligence agency came into being families in tow to civilians, school chil- and Surgical Strikes’, wherein Lieuten- In fact, many war veterans citing their
successor, Iskander Mirza, to crush the Earlier, the press following the failure of Pakistani forces dren, general public-everyone made a ant General DS Hooda (Retd), who was own examples on how these strikes are
Awami League, which had won major- was assertive and to occupy Jammu and Kashmir in 1948. beeline for the three-day extravaganza heading the Northern Command when a routine affair seconded Lt Gen Hooda’s
ity in the Pakistan National Assembly, During the Zia regime ISI was entrusted which had something for everyone. the much-touted surgical strikes were views and said that the Surgical Strikes’
by its overwhelming victory in the could even dare the to keep a vigil on the country’s political If the food court saw maximum turn- carried out on September 29, 2016, was unnecessarily hyped by the Centre
Eastern wing of Pakistan, now Bangla- military rulers. Now, parties, mainly, the People’s Party and out so did the martial arts display, weap- across the Line of Control (LoC), said to garner political mileage, endangering
desh, where the majority of Pakistanis the leftists. onry and the exhibition of Operation that the hype around these strikes were India’s future defence cross-border re-
were living. These dark complexioned such journalists are Sharif too suffered because he want- Vijay, Military Arts and Photography ex- unwarranted. sponses to inflict enemy damage.
short-highted Muslims, though they ed to establish political superiority in
had led the Muslim homeland move- jailed or picked up the administration. A two-pronged
ment in British India had to be crushed. by ISI operatives strategy was evolved to finally depose • Defence talks Decorated
Their crime was that in spite of being Sharif and his party from the power officers along with defence
Muslims, they declined to snap their structure. The institution of the Na - experts during one of the
traditional culturally Indian identity. tional Accountability Bureau (NAB) sessions at the second
The tall Punjabi Muslims , who believed was elevated as the Army chief super- with the pronounced purpose of pros- edition of the Military
themselves racially superior, not only seding a number of military officers. ecuting corrupt officials and politicians Literature Festival 2018 in
declined to accept the democratically Bhutto’s Peoples’ Party was ousted by was cleverly used to jail Sharif and his Chandigarh
elected Mujibur Rehman, but triggered the Pakistani Muslim League (Noon) daughter Mariam. The current chief
off genocide against the common led by Nawaz Sharif. Earlier, Mushar- justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar, is
Bengali Muslims. The Pakistani Army raf ensured that Bhutto’s daughter, currently in London to raise funds for
having majority Punjabis not only Benazir, too is eliminated by the goons his resource-starved country. Some
massacred half-a-million East Bengal having tacit support of the Pakistani media channels raised that how he
Muslims, also violated 350,000 women Army. During the tenure of the People’s could stay in lavish hotels paying huge
to improve their breed! Party’s rule, Pakistani Army and its in- stay cost estimated to be 1,000 pounds
Bhutto, though initially a favourite of telligence wing, Inter-Services Intel- per day, but the story was withdrawn
the establishment, was hanged by a fake ligence (ISI) continued to promote the within an hour of its circulation. The
judicial process by General Zia-ul-Haq. non-state players, the Jihadis and ter- judiciary too is now a part of the GHQ!
Bhutto, who as the new prime minister rorist mainly focused against India and
of West Pakistan, now named Pakistan, Afghanistan. The ISI was the brain child LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

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