india – My Random Ramblings

A Kashmiri woman speaks about post article370 annulment in India

Today, I am beginning a new category in my blog, it will be called as “Jagged corners”. “Jagged corners” will look at things as they are and not as they appear. I am very happy to tell you that a Kashmiri woman, well actually Indian American who belongs to Kashmir has very kindly agreed to get herself interviewed for my blog. I am in deed very grateful to her. In order to protect her privacy I will call her, “Maryum”. There has been a lot of fervour around the world, specially in Indian held Kashmir, and Pakistan off course after the Modi Governemnet decided to annul the article 370 of the constitution thus depriving the Indian held Kashmir of its special status. A status which was given to the Kashmiri people after partition through mutual consent. The status was given till the time the matter was to be resolved according to the auspices of the UN, by holding a plebiscite for the people to Kashmir, in order to decide their fate. The very status was given to preserve the demography of the area, as 80% of the population is Muslims and a mere 20 % Hindu. Too bad the UN till now has shied from its role and no plebiscite has been held there. The two countries India and Pakistan have fought three wars for this very issues, and daily skirmishes are not uncommon. And if anything the annulment of this article 370 is aimed at changing the demography of this very area. Something which will be detrimental to the cause of Kashmir. Read on for an insight in to what the abrogation of this article means to the Kashmiris. This article is written at a time when there’s complete telecom blackout in the Indian held Kashmir.

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Book review. Flight of the Falcon

Book Review: Flight of the Falcon.

When a friend suggested this book to me, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it. That’s because I have stopped reading Military history and stuff, but then one day I ordered it from Vanguard and after reading a few pages I found it was one of those “hard to put down books.”

This is the story of an ace fighter pilot of Pakistan Air Force, Sajjad Haider, and in that he has covered the history of PAF, the training years , the 1965/71 wars, the role of PAF, that of the Army and its operations. It is in fact much more than that. The book dispels myths about our leaders (both military and civilians), it takes a rather good look at our history, where we went wrong, the machinations of the powers that be from 1950’s till the 1980’s and beyond.

I found it to be well researched with relevant references all along. This is one of those books that clears a lot of mist, surronding our history, mostly related ot the wars and the roles of PAF and Army. Since the officer remained at important positions in the PAF and was well respected being a decorated war hero so it carries weight. It is a fisrt hand account of a pilot. The man who lead PAF attack on Pathankot and destroyed 11 enemy aircraft (19th Squadron) and again attacked enemy columns at Lahore, stalling their advance to Lahore in 1965. The narration of various air missions is presented in a detailed and graphic manner, the reader feels being a part of the operation.

It makes a good read for history buffs and anyone interested in knowing more about the Pakistan India wars, operation Gibraltar and Grans Slam. (I would call it the alternative view” that forces you to view a different dimension of our history.)

Book Review: Memories of a Lacerated Heart 1971

Book Review: Memories of a lacerated Heart 1971. Author: Maj (Retd) Iftikhar ud Din Ahmad. Translation by: Moeen A Bhatti, M.D. (USA). Editor” Rida K Bhutta (B.A. Hons)
Hello, hope you all are good. This book has inspired me to take the pen and write my heart out on a subject which has bugged me for a long time. The result was my research in to it, (over the years) it forced me to read books on the subject by our Pakistani authors, mostly (high ranking) Military officers. And before I start it let me please say that the purpose is not critique or to start a tirade of words, neither is it to hurt anyone’s feelings. I came across this book on Facebook and got it shipped from UK, thanks to a dear friend (AJ thanks again 🙂 ). Some of the books that I have read on the subject are (in no particular order) Witness to Surrender, The betrayal of East Pakistan, Dead reckoning, Escape from Oblivion, The story of my struggle, A stranger in my own country , and a few more (over many years time). All the above mentioned books are from Pakistani authors save one from Sharmila Bose.

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Book Review: Undeclared Water War on Pakistan

I saw a small review of the book titled, “Undeclared Water War on Pakistan: Tactical and Strategic Defense Mesaures” in a local paper, just a week ago. Something told me this book carries a message, and so the next natural thing was to google it. That done, an order was deftly placed at Fabingo.com, who delivered it in 48 hours. And naturally it was finished in two sittings, filling me up with loads of info about the water situation threatening to plague planet Earth and off course Pakistan. Authored by Professor Dr Iqbal Ali, who happens to be an expert on the subject, the book adopts a no nonsense approach on the subject using lucid language, yet driving the point across to the reader.

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Book Review: Sahibs Who Loved India by Khushwant Singh

Sahibs Who Loved India is a collection of articles compiled and edited by Khushwant Singh. The articles have been written by people who have been associated with India from 1930’s to 1970’s. Their infatuation, love, likes (mostly) and dislikes about India have been discussed in a (sometimes) witty and at other times in a serious manner. As the book is based on theme, “What India means to them (the authors)”, it is interesting to read the views of Shaibs and Memsahibs who have lived in India and worked there in various capacities. This includes military men, barristers, judges, school masters, news reporters, editors and bureaucrats.

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Flag lowering ceremony at Wahga; Pakistan

Wahga is a small village on the Pakistan-India International border. It is also a Joint Crossing Point between the two countries. The same route is being used for conducting trade between Pakistan – India and also people having visas travel to either side of the divide through this village. It is the shortest link between Lahore (Pakistan) and India (Amritsar). A bus service used to run between the two countries which I believe has now been suspended due to strained relations (not sure though).

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Pakistan Army wins Cambrian Patrol Gold Medal

Pakistan Army team has won the Cambrian Patrol Competition 2010 and has been awarded Gold Medal for best performance. Cambrian Patrol is organized by the British Army in Wales and is hosted by 160 Brigade. It attracts Army teams form across the globe. Over 750 personnel of various countries (16 in all) that include UK, USA, India, France and Canada etc participated in the 10 day long competition that was held from 8th to 17th of October, 2010. During this exercise troops have to carry out surveillance tasks, do patrolling, administer first aid, cross a river with full load. Pakistan Army simply stood out and was declared the BEST. This is a great achievement for the Pakistan Army as it was competing with more advanced countries. If anything this shows the Pak Army’s team work, motivation, resolve and training. Well done boys, keep it up! Watch the video below.