Page 123 - Leadership in the Indian Army

set to work the following morning. Within a few days, the DTLs began to
be used.
After just six months in Delhi Area, Thorat was asked to take over the

East Punjab Area from Thimayya, who was being sent to Kashmir. He
moved to his new HQ in Jullunder, where the problems of refugees,
evacuee property and border defences kept him quite busy, and he had to
visit Lahore several times. The C-in-C of the Pakistani Army, General
Gracy, had been Thorat’s guardian at Sandhurst, and the CGS, Major
General Hutton, his brigade commander in Burma. As a result, Thorat was
always treated as a VIP in Pakistan and was received at the Wagah check-

post with a ceremonial guard of honour. On every visit, he made it a point
to visit the men of his parent battalion, 1/14 Punjab, which was fighting in
Kashmir but had its rear party in Lahore.
In March 1950, Thorat was asked to take over as CGS at Army HQ in
Delhi. Thorat was surprised by the appointment, which was normally held
by a senior lieutenant general. He was only a major general, and that too

one of the junior ones. However, the C-in-C, General Cariappa, had selected
him and he had to go. During this time the strength of the army was about
500,000, which the bureaucrats in the Ministry of Defence wanted to reduce
to 300,000. In spite of vehement opposition from Army HQ, the Defence
Secretary and Financial Adviser succeeded in persuading the Cabinet to
accept this measure. As soon as the process started, Pakistan started virulent
propaganda against India. Army HQ wanted the Armoured Division to be

moved to Amritsar as a precautionary measure, but Prime Minister Nehru
did not agree. Finally, General Cariappa went to meet the President, Dr
Rajendra Prasad, accompanied by Thorat. Dr Prasad listened to them and
asked Nehru to re-examine the proposal. A meeting was called to discuss
the issue, but Nehru was not in a good mood. At the end, he said: ‘I refuse
to believe that Pakistan will go to war. How can I take a warlike stance,

when I am myself trying to maintain peace in the world?’
Thorat requested the Prime Minister for a hearing. He showed him a map
of Punjab and explained the strategic importance of the river Beas. If
Pakistan decided to capture Amritsar, it would not be possible to reinforce it
since there was only one bridge on the Beas, and that too of limited
capacity. Nehru grasped the situation and rescinded his earlier decision. The
concentration of troops in Amritsar was completed and Pakistani

propaganda died down.