Former Army Chief General (Retd) V P Malik on Friday said that the days of interaction with the Army through the bureaucracy are over. There needs to be direct communication between the defence personnel and the politicians. Malik was speaking at the book reading session of India-Pakistan War 1971,Military Triumph and Political Failure by Major General (Retd) Kuldip Singh Bajwa. Malik said the strategic culture of the country is weak. There have been political failures despite the victory that our troops have achieved. We take pride in all the sacrifices that the military has made. There is no pride in what the politicians have done, he said. He further said that the nature of warfare is changing. We are passing through an era of unpredictability. The line between military strategy and political strategy has blurred. The decisions have to be fast and the preparation should be in advance. Now,there is no interaction between the politicians and defence personnel. Referring to the recent controversy involving Army Chief General V K Singh writing a letter to the Prime Minister about the operational capabilities of the Army,Malik said,Why should the Army Chief write a letter. Why cannot he talk directly? He said that unless there was a change in the mindset at the political level,there would be major problems in decision making. Citing instances of the alleged political failures,the former Army Chief said that in 1954 the then home minister Sardar Patel had sent a letter to the Prime Minister about China intruding in Tibet. No action was taken then and the situation now is for all to see. He also said Haji Pir was captured and then returned. Maximum infiltration takes place from here. A peaceful nuclear explosion was done in 1974,but to carry out a proper test it took another 24 years, he added. Book doubts Lt Gen Jacobs theory on Bangla surrender Chandigarh: Major General (Retd) Kuldip Singh Bajwas book India-Pakistan War 1971,Military Triumph and Political Failure states that the only time when India fought as a nation was in 1971. The book terms the account given by the Lt Gen (Retd) J FR Jacob about the war as incorrect. Maj Gen Bajwa alleged that Lt Gen Jacob has claimed that he is the creator of Bangladesh and received honours in the country. Major Gen Bajwa alleged that Dhaka could have been captured on December 12. However it was due to advise given by Lt Gen Jacob to the then Army Commander that this could be done only on December 16. Praising the role of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,he says that she visited the capitals of various countries to build international opinion in Indias favour. Instead of attacking first,a strategy was adopted to provoke Pakistan to launch an attack. Apart from Gandhi,the book is dedicated to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.
