Anwar Singh: Man Who Changed the World
“Help us,” Singh said.
His telegrapher, also called Anwar Singh, nodded. “Help us,” he muttered, using the telegraph as he spoke. “There. Sent. To China and India, right?”
The Maharaja paused. “No, send it to China only. What have you done?”
Anwar had the feeling that he had done something important - something really, really important. Something that would forever alter the course of history.
That much was true. A Chinese army had arrived, though it was very small in comparison to the Indian force. It held several square miles of land past Aksai Chin, though it could barely control the land it had already grabbed. Zhou Enlai knew that its purpose was to gain an advantage over India in negotiations for Arunachal.
The Indian army quickly seized most of Kashmir from Pakistan, driving the Pakistanis across the borders. A Pakistani counterattack pushed the Indians back.
This is basically what Kashmir looked like
Although most of us have grown used to the fights between India and Pakistan, it’s important to note that both nations were still technically part of Britain at this time. However, it was obvious that Britain no longer exerted any control over them. Without further to do, Britain released the whole sub-continent on February 14, refusing to deal with ‘small issues like borders’.
The world would regret it.
China, meanwhile, had not been wasting its time sitting on Ladakh. They had brought reinforcements, and their army swept further west. An Indian counteroffensive against China drove them back almost to their original positions at Ladakh, but their line held.
A Chinese offensive at Arunachal Pradesh caught India off guard, and the province was easily taken. Still, India, China, and Pakistan would remain hostile to each other.
Anwar Singh’s mistake had led to the Triangular War, with China, India, and Pakistan all fighting each other.