Letters: Lessons from history

Apropos Kishan S Rana’s article “A message for Mr Nehru’s ears only” (October 20), the nation must draw useful lessons from history and resolve to regain our lost prestige as a service to the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru and the soldiers we lost in the 1962 war. The Indian political class must realise that we cannot afford another attack on our sovereignty.

In this context, the Indian leadership must: (a) regain our natural strategic shield in the north and create a peaceful environment for the safe return of Tibetans; (b) discourage the import of arms, and instead work on indigenous weapon development; (c) boost border area development — all the 11 front-line states should be developed for security reasons; (d) develop a national mobilisation plan under the prime minister; (e) give a free hand to professionals to practise tactical exercises with troops; and (f) organise military campaigns to rehearse airborne operations with ground troops at least twice a year to tackle a blitzkrieg.

J C Joshi Lucknow

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