Page 261 - Leadership in the Indian Army

Wagah on 3 September 1972. This was followed by others at Lahore, on 28
November and 7 December, between the two Chiefs, Sam Manekshaw and
Tikka Khan. The final meeting, at which the agreement was signed, took

place on 11 December 1972 at Suchetgarh. Prem carried out the task with
distinction, winning the admiration of the Pakistani officers for his
forthright manner.
During his tenure in Udhampur, which also proved to be his last, he
undertook a large number of welfare-oriented projects. While visiting an
infantry battalion in the Rajauri sector, he found the men in high spirits and
complimented the CO for this. When Prem asked him if he could do

something for his unit, the CO, after some hesitation, asked for some
transistor radios for the men on the pickets.
‘You will get them,’ said Prem. ‘What else?’
The CO looked at his Subedar Major and then, very diffidently, wondered if
they could have a cinema projector.
‘Okay. What else?’ asked Prem.

By this time the CO was in a sweat. He was not sure if he had already
exceeded the limits of good manners, and a scowl on the face of his brigade
commander did little to bolster his confidence.
He shook his head and said: ‘Nothing, Sir.’
‘Nothing, my foot,’ said Prem. ‘You chaps don’t even know what to ask
from an Army Commander. Tell me, how much time and effort do your
men spend fetching water from the nullah? Wouldn’t you like to have piped

water in each post?’
‘Yes, Sir. But it would cost a lot of money.’
‘That is no concern of yours. If it can make life easier for the men, it is
money well spent,’ said Prem.
After a month, the CO received a letter saying that the Army Commander
had sanctioned a project costing Rs 10 lakh for water supply to the pickets

of his battalion.
Prem’s propensity to spend money often annoyed the auditors, and there
is a story, the veracity of which is suspect, that it was the Finance Ministry
which scuttled the proposal for his appointment as COAS. While this may
not be true, there is no doubt that during his tenures as Army Commander in
Central and Northern Commands, he sanctioned more new projects than
any of his predecessors. He felt that his first duty was towards the safety