Articles By Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD
Was it possible to capture Pak Occupied Kashmir in 1949
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 04 Jan , 2021
It is often argued that India should not have accepted the UN sponsored ceasefire on 09th January 1949 since it was only a matter of few months before Indian forces captured Pak occupied Kashmir...
Enduring Mysteries of 1971 War
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Date: 05 Dec , 2020
The lightning campaign launched by the Indian Army in Dec 1971 which resulted in the birth of a new nation — Bangladesh, is surely the greatest feat of arms in our history. As happens in any...
Article 370: The untold story
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol 26.1 Jan-Mar 2011 | Date: 14 Feb , 2019
It is often not realized that among the causes of Kashmir problem – inclusion of plebiscite in the Instrument of Accession, reference of Kashmir to UN, halting Indian offensive when it was...
1962 War: A Critical Analysis
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Courtesy: CLAWS | Date: 30 Mar , 2018
We in India are perhaps perplexed to this day, over half a century later, as to why the Chinese attacked us in October–November 1962 despite our continued efforts to befriend....
When Chinese were given a Bloody Nose
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 22 Feb , 2018
After the debacle of 1962, nothing could have enhanced the self esteem of India Army than the mauling that was given to the Chinese at Nathu La in Sikkim on 11th September 1967 and at Chola on...
China: A Threat or A Challenge?
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Book Excerpt: China: Threat or Challenge? | Date: 24 Jul , 2017
Introduction China remains a complex and paradoxical country and people to understand; even in this age of globalization and information – communication revolution. Perhaps it had much to do with...
The PLA Army: Vision 2025
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol. 32.2 Apr-Jun 2017 | Date: 05 Jul , 2017
The Chinese have long realised that technology is the cutting edge in modern combat. Accordingly, China has embarked on an ambitious programme to revamp its technological capability and this...
Insurgency in The Northeast: Is there Light at the End of the Tunnel?
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol. 31.4 Oct-Dec 2016 | Date: 17 Dec , 2016
When the Constitution was framed, a sub-committee headed by Gopinath Bordoloi was appointed to examine and recommend the constitutional arrangements that would fulfill the aspirations of the...
The Challenges of Global Terrorism
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol. 29.3 Jul-Sep 2014 | Date: 05 Oct , 2015
There should be no distinction between a good and a bad terrorist which is what some countries are trying to do. The scourge will consume all unless it is ruthlessly eliminated. Countries...
Return of Haji Pir Pass in 1965 – Myth and the Reality
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 29 Aug , 2015
In 1965 war, Indian Army had captured the strategic Haji Pir Pass. During the Tashkent talks between Indian and Pakistan, held through the good offices of Soviet Union, India agreed to return...
Tibet: The Real Issue
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol 22.4 Oct-Dec 2007 | Date: 18 Sep , 2014
“Following the logic of power, empires in their expansive phases push out their frontiers until they meet the resistance of a strong neighbour, or reach a physical barrier which makes a natural...
Lengthening Malevolent Chinese Shadow
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol 25.4 Oct-Dec 2010 | Date: 07 Jun , 2014
“It is astonishing that we have never till date asked China to vacate our territory occupied by it in Aksai Chin. We go out of our way, even today, to explain away every Chinese intrusion into...
Creation of Bangladesh: Shining Moment or Strategic Blunder
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 06 May , 2014
“DURGA ASTRIDE A TIGER”. This is how Atal Behari Vajpayee described Indira Gandhi immediately after India’s lightening victory in the 1971 war, which resulted in creation of Bangladesh. ...
Taking on the Dragon
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol. 27.4 Oct-Dec 2012 | Date: 06 May , 2014
A defeat in a future conflict with China will be a disaster for India. Apart from the economic ruin, it will substantially damage India’s standing in the comity of nations and degrade her...
Strategic Importance of Siachen
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol 21.1 Jan-Mar 2006 | Date: 30 Mar , 2014
“I took over as Corps Commander in 03 Aug 1983. In Sep-Oct, I briefed Prime Minister Indira Gandhi about the strategic importance of Siachen and Pak design to capture Khardungla and dominate Leh...
India's Foreign Policy : A Muddle for Sixty Two Years
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol 24.4 Oct-Dec 2009 | Date: 17 Aug , 2013
The India-Pakistan joint statement at Sharm-al-Sheikh during the NAM conference in which Balochistan was mentioned for no rational reasons has once again brought into sharp focus, lack of...
Chinese Goal: India's isolation and encirclement
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 19 Jul , 2013
Recorded history shows that India and China have loomed large in each other’s consciousness from well before the first millennium. As both nations became independent almost at the same time, it...
The Transition of Power in China
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Courtesy: CLAWS | Date: 30 Mar , 2013
In a remarkable bloodless leadership transition for a communist country, China’s new leader, 59 years old Xi Jinping is set to take over the reins of power in March next year along with Li...
Implications of China's Rise
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol 25.3 Jul-Sep 2010 | Date: 20 Oct , 2012
The English geographer Sir Halford Mackinder ended his famous 1904 article, “The Geographical Pivot of History,” with a disturbing reference to China. After explaining why Eurasia was the...
Nuclear and Missile Threat from China
By: Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, PhD | Issue: Vol 23.3 Jul-Sep 2008 | Date: 14 Jun , 2012
Founded in 1966, the PLA’s dedicated missile force was named the Second Artillery Corps by former Premier Zhou En Lai. It has been an independent branch of the PLA since 1974 and controls the...