Page 69 - Leadership in the Indian Army

replied that if he had his way, he would use the minimum troops to hold the
passes, and with maximum force, attack and capture Lahore. This would compel
Pakistan to withdraw and vacate all occupied territory in Jammu and Kashmir. The
civilians were impressed by the logic of his argument, and when Nehru returned,
they told him that the General had a good plan for getting rid of the invaders.
When Nehru asked him to repeat what he had said, Nathu Singh demurred, since
he knew his plan would not find any favour with the PM. But when Nehru
insisted, Nathu repeated what he had said to the others. Nehru responded angrily,
saying that he was amazed that a responsible senior officer like him could come
up with such a foolhardy scheme which could cause an international crisis. It is
interesting to recall that in 1965, a similar plan was approved by Lal Bahadur
Shastri, who was then the Prime Minister, and it was the threat to Lahore which
saved Kashmir from Pakistani aggression.
In December 1947, Nathu Singh was posted to Lucknow as GOC UP Area.
Sarojini Naidu, who had been appointed Governor of the United Provinces after
Independence, was also in Lucknow. Apart from being a well-known patriot and
freedom fighter, she was a renowned poet and known as the ‘Nightingale of
India’. She was very close to Mahatma Gandhi and other Congress leaders, and
had played a prominent part in the struggle for freedom. Nathu Singh discussed
with her the problems of India’s security and the armed forces. He had put down
his views in a paper entitled ‘Notes on National Security’, of which he gave her a
copy. She forwarded it to Nehru, and prevailed on him to go through the paper.
Nehru’s comments on it make interesting reading. In a handwritten note dated 1
January 1948, he wrote:

…It is axiomatic that India must be strong militarily, etc. or otherwise she will not only not progress but
might break up. How best to build up strength in various sectors is a question of balancing resources….
…Strength, and even purely military strength, depends today far more than before, on our industrial
growth and scientific research. It depends also on internal cohesion and peace in industry, etc. This latter
is a political and economic problem of exceeding complexity and cannot be dealt with simply by military
or police methods.
…The whole question of defence is intimately tied up with international questions as well as economic
questions. The notes (of General Nathu Singh), though they refer to international matters, do not show
an intimate knowledge of the international set-up or economic questions which are of vital importance
today, both internally and externally.
…No British officer will be in operational command in the Indian Army after 31.3.1948.
…Some of the lines of approach in these notes are arguable. They may land us in difficulties. But
generally Major General Nathu Singh’s notes are helpful and it is desirable that urgent thought should be
given to these matters by our senior officers and those in control of the political destinies of the nation.
(Signed)
J. Nehru
1.1.48

The divergence of views between Nehru and Nathu Singh is obvious. The ideals,
so dear to Nehru’s heart, and his consciousness of the international role which he
saw for India, are also evident. However, one cannot help but remark that he also