Geography’s Curse: India’s Vulnerable ‘Chicken’s Neck’

[asad71]

Not geography's but this is the curse of Mountbatten-Radcliffe-Gandhi-Nehru. Either Greater Bengal should not have been partitioned or E Bengal-Assam should have become a sovereign unit.

 

[NP-complete]

Thanks god pakistan does not have strategist like you. India has army on both east and west of east pakistan, Also heavy navy presence along with air force. You accept india to be sit idle after being attack on sikkim...

sikkim was independent before 1975 wasnt it ?
Anyway the situation in 1947 from a military point of view was that pakistan was not a single country. it was two countries united as a single country. now if india is the rival of this country, then the question arises of the two which country will do the bulk of fighting. the obvious answer was bengal because of geography, population and density. the other country will play a supporting role. pakistan generals got it all wrong. i hope you understand the idea of "main effort" in war. if you dont then you can read about the german offenses of 1941 and 1942 in soviet union. in 1941 the main effort lied in center but in 1942 it was switched to south.
pakistan's main effort was bound to lie in east. this is something history has proved. pakistan has actually lost all wars with india in the west.

 

[anilindia]

sikkim was independent before 1975 wasnt it ?
Anyway the situation in 1947 from a military point of view was that pakistan was not a single country. it was two countries united as a single country. now if india is the rival of this country, then the question arises of the two which country will do the bulk of fighting. the obvious answer was bengal because of geography, population and density. the other country will play a supporting role. pakistan generals got it all wrong. i hope you understand the idea of "main effort" in war. if you dont then you can read about the german offenses of 1941 and 1942 in soviet union. in 1941 the main effort lied in center but in 1942 it was switched to south.
pakistan's main effort was bound to lie in east. this is something history has proved. pakistan has actually lost all wars with india in the west.

sikkim was independent before 1975 wasnt it ?
Anyway the situation in 1947 from a military point of view was that pakistan was not a single country. it was two countries united as a single country. now if india is the rival of this country, then the question arises of the two which country will do the bulk of fighting. the obvious answer was bengal because of geography, population and density. the other country will play a supporting role. pakistan generals got it all wrong. i hope you understand the idea of "main effort" in war. if you dont then you can read about the german offenses of 1941 and 1942 in soviet union. in 1941 the main effort lied in center but in 1942 it was switched to south.
pakistan's main effort was bound to lie in east. this is something history has proved. pakistan has actually lost all wars with india in the west.

West pakistan does not think east pakistan eligible for fighting. Hence most of pak army at time was from west side. More bengalies in pak army at that time was not accepted by west pak.

 

[Bang Galore]

Not geography's but this is the curse of Mountbatten-Radcliffe-Gandhi-Nehru. Either Greater Bengal should not have been partitioned or E Bengal-Assam should have become a sovereign unit.

Would that be under the argument that 2 Nation theory was incorrect? Surely otherwise, you would be asking of Hindus & others to live under Muslim rule in a Muslim country? How was that idea supposed to work? Mr.Jinnah did argue on those lines for both for the Punjab & Bengal & he was soundly rebuffed by Mountbatten who said either India was a united country or that by Mr. Jinnah's own logic of the 2NT Punjab & Bengal would also have to be partitioned.

 

[eastwatch]

We are talking about defence related misadventures of India

Indeed Indians are sleepless over rising Muslim sentiments politically in BD. ANyway that is another debate.

come back to the topic and that is Siliguri Corridor indeed is vulnerable for India.

When suffocation takes place it wont remain specifically to India but other neighbors are bound to involve

Did anyone noticed?? The place from BD's distance to Nepal is 25KM (narrow most in chicken neck) is itself a very tiny strip(hardly 3-5 KM wide and 25-30KM long). And they threaten us to cut off chicken's neck. LOLs.

Yes, it is only a 25 km distance that will cause your troops' position there vulnerable. This 25 km stretch will also cause your NE to separation.

 

[INDIC]

Not geography's but this is the curse of Mountbatten-Radcliffe-Gandhi-Nehru. Either Greater Bengal should not have been partitioned or E Bengal-Assam should have become a sovereign unit.

You were already given almost all Muslim majority areas, The insignificant piece of land called East Bengal wasn't going to get Hindi majority Assam and West Bengal.

 

[eastwatch]

India made trespassing of West Pakistan into East Pakistan impossible both through sea through naval blockage and air. Your geography benefited you in your liberation war and same can become curse if you dream of harming India.

We do not have to harm our great friend India. Bd will just take a neutral role in a possible Sino-Indo war. Indian troops cannot trespass our land, sea, river and sky. The only route open to India is that hair-thin road through chicken Neck.

How do you plan to counter a PLA attack with only one option open through that impossible terrain?
So, India should be nice to BD and woo for its friendship. Good behavior may pay back with interest compounded by.

 

[INDIC]

Yes, it is only a 25 km distance that will cause your troops' position there vulnerable. This 25 km stretch will also cause your NE to separation.

There are mountainous barrier to the North of this land and the country south of the corridor can't do anything.

 

[asad71]

Would that be under the argument that 2 Nation theory was incorrect? Surely otherwise, you would be asking of Hindus & others to live under Muslim rule in a Muslim country? How was that idea supposed to work? Mr.Jinnah did argue on those lines for both for the Punjab & Bengal & he was soundly rebuffed by Mountbatten who said either India was a united country or that by Mr. Jinnah's own logic of the 2NT Punjab & Bengal would also have to be partitioned.

The Two Nation Theory was/IS correct. Pakistan and Assam-Bengal would have been Muslim majority units even without division of Punjab and Bengal. 

There are mountainous barrier to the North of this land and the country south of it can't do anything.

When an opportunity arises to plug the Siliguri Corridor, be assured China and BD will cooperate on a joint op to be supported by NE FFs.

 

[Bang Galore]

The Two Nation Theory was/IS correct. Pakistan and Assam-Bengal would have been Muslim majority units even without division of Punjab and Bengal..

That was my point & was a repeating of what was Mountbatten's too. If Muslims were a separate nation that they had to have their own country, then Mountbatten argued, surely the non-Muslims of these two states had a right to require a partition on such grounds.

But," he said, "you must give me a viable Pakistan. You must give me the whole of Punjab as well as Sindh and NWFP and Bengal and Assam, and I shall want a corridor to unite them."

I said, "Look, Mr. Jinnah, you have said that you won't agree to having a minority population ruled by a majority population."
"Absolutely."

"Alright, I happen to know that in the Punjab and Bengal there are wide areas where the opposite community is in the majority. It happens also that they just about divide east and west. So I'm afraid that if you want Pakistan, I shall have to arrange for the partitioning of both the Punjab and Bengal. You cannot take into Pakistan the Hindus of Punjab and Bengal."
"Your Excellency doesn't understand that the Punjab is a nation. Bengal is a nation. A man is a Punjabi or a Bengali first before he is a Hindu or a Muslim. If you give us those provinces you must, under no condition, partition them. You will destroy their viability and cause endless bloodshed and trouble. "

"Mr. Jinnah, I entirely agree."
"Oh, you do."
"Yes, of course. A man is not only a Punjabi or a Bengali before he is a Muslim or Hindu, but he is an Indian before all else. What you're saying is the perfect, absolute answer I've been looking for. You've presented me the arguments to keep India united."

"Oh, you don't understand. If you do that..." and so we'd start all over again.
"Look, Mr.Jinnah, it is a fact you want partition?"
"Yes, of course."
"Well, if you want partition then you must have partition of Punjab and Bengal."

You know, not only did this go on for hours, it went over several discussions. He simply was caught in his own trap. He finally gave up and said, "So you insist on giving me a moth-eaten Pakistan."
I said,"You call it a moth-eaten Pakistan. I don't even want you to take it at all if it's as moth-eaten as that. I'd really like you to leave India unified."

 

[INDIC]

When an opportunity arises to plug the Siliguri Corridor, be assured China and BD will cooperate on a joint op to be supported by NE FFs.

China and Pakistan cooperated in 1971 but still even bird was unable to trespass into East Pakistan in 1971without India's permission making your liberation quite easy.  

The Two Nation Theory was/IS correct. Pakistan and Assam-Bengal would have been Muslim majority units even without division of Punjab and Bengal.

But Assam and West Bengal were not Muslim majority to be sacrificed for the Muslim homeland of Pakistan. Indian National Congress was the most popular political party of India, Muslim League was at distant second, Pakistan got more than enough it deserved during partition.

 

[third eye]

The Two Nation Theory was/IS correct. Pakistan and Assam-Bengal would have been Muslim majority units even without division of Punjab and Bengal. 


When an opportunity arises to plug the Siliguri Corridor, be assured China and BD will cooperate on a joint op to be supported by NE FFs.

Is it the small boy syndrome or a wish to stand up to be counted ?

Wars finish but nations & memories don't.

Pakistan with all its might has not been able to sever NH1A - the jugular to J&K what chance does BD stand to advance any distance when all of its northern bulge is within Artillery range ?

Get real.

 

[akand bharat]

wet dreams

 

[anilindia]

Why side should India take in case of Bangladesh- Myanmar war? I think we should be neutral...

 

[eastwatch]

sikkim was independent before 1975 wasnt it ?
Anyway the situation in 1947 from a military point of view was that pakistan was not a single country. it was two countries united as a single country. now if india is the rival of this country, then the question arises of the two which country will do the bulk of fighting. the obvious answer was bengal because of geography, population and density. the other country will play a supporting role. pakistan generals got it all wrong. i hope you understand the idea of "main effort" in war. if you dont then you can read about the german offenses of 1941 and 1942 in soviet union. in 1941 the main effort lied in center but in 1942 it was switched to south.
pakistan's main effort was bound to lie in east. this is something history has proved. pakistan has actually lost all wars with india in the west.

Your two posts make good strategic sense. The then Pakistani generals should have caused the then weaker IA troops to the water-soaked wet/marsh land quagmire of Bengal. But, even if they could understand it, they were not to accept it as a reality, only because it would have required them to give up their monopolistic supremacy over the affairs of military as well as the politics of the country.

Then, they lost in 1971 and lost the only strategic advantage Pakistan had. Today's Pakistan is too a straight line that cannot probably counter an Indian offensiv 
SUJAN DUTTA

Dec. 12: The Indian Army is relocating a division of troops to North Bengal from Jammu after the security establishment has taken stock of a Chinese move into a high plateau in Bhutan named Dolam.

Major elements of the 27 Mountain Division have already moved out and among these are units of the 164 Mountain Brigade based in Kalimpong, an army headquarters source has confirmed to The Telegraph.

A Chinese move into Dolam means that India’s border with China gets distorted at Sikkim’s tri-point with Bhutan. It also means that Chinese forces move a few kilometres south from where they originally were. It brings them closer to North Bengal’s Siliguri Corridor. China has always laid claim to Dolam. There is a suspicion that it has now extended its claim line.

But the Indian Army does not want to ring alarm bells. This is the season of confidence-building measures with China. Defence minister A.K. Antony posed for happy pictures with Chinese soldiers in Nathu-la on December 2, minutes before he took off from the Sherathang helipad for an aerial survey of the area that is disputed.

The move to relocate the 27 Mountain Division to Kalimpong is also based on an assessment of lowered threat perceptions along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

At least three flag meetings between Chinese and Indian Army officers have taken place in Nathu-la since August this year.

In the last flag meeting on November 27, days before Antony visited Sikkim, the Indian side showed pictures and video footage of perceived transgressions to the Chinese. The visuals were also shown to the defence minister during an operational briefing in Nathu-la.

The decision to relocate the 27 Mountain Division was taken following consultations involving the Eastern Command, the Northern Command and briefings for Antony, national security adviser M.K. Narayanan and army chief General Deepak Kapoor.

Antony was taken on a helicopter survey of the frontage of the border with China in Sikkim. Indian troops manning posts along the ridgeline that defines the border were asked to light smoke-emitting candles from their bunkers for the defence minister to be able to distinguish the positions during his visit to Nathu-la.

Antony was given a detailed appreciation on the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction (bordering Sikkim). It was pointed out to him that the Dolam Plateau in Bhutan lay immediately east of the tri-junction. A stream called the Torsa Nullah flows west to east across it.

On the east the Dolam Plateau is skirted by the Amo Chhu stream that flows north-south from the Chumbi Valley to Bhutan and then enters Bengal at Jaldhaka where the state government has a hydel project.

The tri-junction was identified as roughly equidistant from the two Indian posts at Dokala (bordering Bhutan) and Batang La (bordering China). Dokala overlooks Dolam which is at a lower altitude.

The relocation of troops comes ahead of an Indian Army contingent’s visit to Kunming in China for a first joint drill next week. The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit China in January.

The army emphasises that the movement of the division is a defensive measure. The 27 Mountain Division is moving to its original base, about seven years after it was deployed under the Northern Command.

But the army’s Eastern Command is disconcerted that the Dolam Valley — a largely-barren 20sqkm plateau that an officer in the capital described as “less than the size of Lutyen’s Delhi” — has become the venue of frequent Chinese patrols.

The valley is in Bhutan. The army wonders why Bhutan is not making an issue of the Chinese presence that may have been incrementally scaled up from frequent patrolling to frequent camping.