In this episode of Sibling Rivalry, we look at how India and Pakistan came dangerously close to war between 1984 and 1987. From the battle for the icy heights of Siachen to the massive military mobilisation during Operation Brasstacks, tensions escalated as both sides struggled to read each other’s intentions. Pakistan’s nuclear warning raised the stakes even further, but an unexpected visit by General Zia-ul-Haq to watch a cricket match in Jaipur helped defuse the crisis. We explore how military ambition, nuclear brinkmanship and cricket diplomacy shaped the rivalry—and how these events helped set the stage for future conflicts, including Kargil.

Sources -

A History of the Pakistan Army - Brian Cloughley

Shooting for a Century - Stephen P. Cohen

Eating Grass - The Making of the Pakistani Bomb - Feroz Hassan Khan

From Kargil to the Coup - Events that shook Pakistan - Nashim Zehra

India-Pakistan in War & Peace - JN Dixit

General Brasstacks - Probal Dasgupta

#HistoryPodcast #IndiaPakistan #Zia #Siachen #Geopolitics #Strategy #Brasstacks1

History repeating itself is not a cliche. There is an eerie resemblance between the current state of affairs between US and Pakistan as it existed under General Zia. In this episode we explore these similarities, seeing how international events changed Pakistan's fortunes on both occasions.

Sources

Eating Grass - The Making of the Pakistani Bomb - Feroz Hassan Khan

Memories & Reflections Of A Pakistani Diplomat - Ḵẖān, Sult̤ān Muhammad

Pakistan's Drift into Extremism - Hassan Abbas

Politics In Pakistan- The Struggle For Legitimacy - Louis D Hayes

Memoirs of a Bystander - A Life in Diplomacy Iqbal Akhund

Working with Zia - Gen Khalid Mahmud Arif

#HistoryPodcast #IndiaPakistanWar #Geopolitics #Diplomacy #Zia #JimmyCarter #Reagan #Afghanistan #SovietUnion

At the peak of his power, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto promoted Zia above the heads of others and appointed him as the Pakistan Army Chief. It was a fatal mistake, because the so far servile Zia soon toppled his mentor. He went on to ensure Bhutto was executed and continued to rule for the next 11 years as the unchallenged dictator of Pakistan.

Sources -

The Struggle for Pakistan - Ayesha Jalal

Working with Zia - General Khalid Mahmud Arif

Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan- His Life & Times - Stanley Wolpert

A History of the Pakistan Army - Brian Cloughley

Eating Grass - The Making of the Pakistani Bomb - Feroz Hassan Khan

Memories & Reflections Of A Pakistani Diplomat - Ḵẖān, Sult̤ān Muhammad

#HistoryPodcast #IndiaPakistan #ZiaUlHaq #Bhutto #PakistanArmy #Geopolitics #SouthAsia

The 70s decade saw a great reversal in the internal politics of India and Pakistan. India, thus far a stable democracy, slid into autocracy under Mrs Indira Gandhi during the emergency. Pakistan, meanwhile, was flirting with fledgling democracy, with its first real constitution being promulgated in 1973.

But it was not long before status quo ante prevailed. Listen to the strange tale of the temporarily exchanged identities of the subcontinental rivals.

Sources -

People, Passions and Politics - Mohammed Younis

Military, State and Society in Pakistan - Hasan Askari Rizvi

War, Coups and Terror - Pakistan's Army - Brian Cloughley

The United States and Pakistan, 1947-2000 - Dennis Kux

Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan- His Life & Times -- Stanley Wolpert

Generals in Politics in Pakistan - Asghar Khan

Bhutto - Salman Taseer

#HistoryPodcast #IndiaPakistan #Bhutto #IndiraGandhi #Emergency #1975 #GenZiaUlHaq #Democracy #Dictatorship

Pakistani Prisoners of War were more than bargaining counters between the two countries. They were soldiers, once proud but now coping with humiliation of laying down their arms and indignity of captivity. This episode takes a closer look at their lives in captivity, several escape attempts, and the psychological trauma on return. Back in their own country they faced suspicion and disdain. The psychological trauma of 1971 and the resolve of the prisoners to redeem themselves changed Pakistani outlook and strategy towards India.

Please share your comments and feedback at rohit@rohitagarwal.in

Sources -

The origins of war in South Asia- Indo-Pakistani conflicts - Sumit Ganguly

South Asian Crisis- India, Pakistan, And Bangla Desh - A Jackson

Through the 1971 Crisis- An Eyewitness Account by a Soldier - Hakeem Arshad Qureshi

Military, State and Society in Pakistan - Hasan Askari Rizvi

War, Coups and Terror - Pakistan's Army - Brian Cloughley

#IndianHistory #HistoryPodcast #IndiaPakistanWar #OperationSindoor #prisonersofwar #PakistanArmy #Bhutto

In Episode 16 of Sibling Rivalry, we unravel the bitter trilateral impasse between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Discover how 93,000 Prisoners of War became a diplomatic "wasting asset" and explore Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's dramatic post-Simla pivot.

Tune in to the high-stakes diplomatic chess game that finally settled the tragic fallout of the 1971 war. 🎙️♟️

Sources -

South Asian Insecurity and the Great Powers -- Barry Buzan, Gowher Rizvi, Rosemary Foot, Nancy Jetly, B. A

THE SIMLA ACCORD || THE KASHMIR DISPUTE AND THE SIMLA -- Zubeida Mustafa -- Pakistan Horizon

Memoirs of a Bystander - A Life in Diplomacy Iqbal Akhund.

India-Pakistan in War & Peace - Dixit, J. N

Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan- His Life & Times -- Stanley Wolpert

Haskar Papers

Interview with History -- Oriana Fallaci

Declassified US State Department and CIA Documents

#SimlaAgreement #1971War #BangladeshLiberation

#HistoryPodcast #MilitaryHistory #IndianHistory

#HistoryPodcast #India #Pakistan #Bangladesh #ZulfikarAliBhutto #IndiraGandhi #Geopolitics #SouthAsia #Diplomacy

After the lightening campaign in East Pakistan and liberation of Bangladesh, the post war negotiations took place at Shimla in Jun-Jul 1972. A reported verbal agreement between the two prime ministers which was never formalised meant that the Shimla agreement was more significant for what was unsaid rather than what was included in the document.

Haskar Papers

India-Pakistan in War & Peace - JN Dixit

Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan- His Life & Times - Stanley Wolpert

Pakistan’s Foreign Policy 1947-2019 - Abdul Sattar

Shooting for a Century - Stephen P. Cohen

THE SIMLA ACCORD -- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto -- Pakistan Horizon

Declassified US State Department and CIA documents

#History #International Relations #Geopolitics #Indiaworldrelations #Indianneighbourhood #IndianHistoryPodcast #HistoryPodcast #ShimlaAgreement #IndiaPakistanWar #1971

The domestic shockwaves in Pakistan following the humiliating defeat lead to Yahya Khan's ouster and Bhutto's assumption of power as a civilian dictator. Bhutto’s ruthlessly purged the military top brass to consolidate control, and releasee Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to clean up his international image. Preliminary dialogues at Muree in preparation of the Shimla Summit remained inconclusive.

Sources -

Bhutto - a political biography - Salmaan Taseer

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto - Six Steps to Summit - Kamaleshwar Sinha

Eating Grass - The Making of the Pakistani Bomb - Feroz Hassan Khan

The Struggle for Pakistan - Ayesha Jalal

India-Pakistan in War & Peace - JN Dixit,

Memoirs of a Bystander - A Life in Diplomacy - Iqbal Akhund

Declassified US State Department and CIA Documents

#IndianHistoryPodcast #IndiaPakistan #ShimlaAgreement #SouthAsia #Geopolitics #History #1971War