The Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world and the postcard tourist place of India, has been in the headlines for water leakage from its dome and adjacent gardens getting inundated because of heavy rainfall.

But this is not the first time the alluring Taj Mahal has faced water woes because of heavy downpours.&nbsp;

The tomb was in similar conditions centuries ago when Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi and his visits to the tomb had somewhat declined.

The incident has been vividly captured by British author Fergus Nicoll in his book "Shah Jahan: The Rise And Fall Of The Mughal Emperor".&nbsp;

<h2>Shah Jahan's gaze shifts from Agra to Delhi</h2>

In his book, Nicoll explains that after "Agra was usurped as seat of the caliphate", the emperor made rare visits to the tomb.

Because of this, the tomb did not go through even basic maintenance. The dilapidated condition of the entire tomb complex was discovered by the then Mughal prince Aurangzeb - who was en route to the Deccan states in December 1652.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/agra-water-leakage-in-taj-mahals-main-dome-after-heavy-rain-lashes-north-india-758668">Agra: Water leakage in Taj Mahal's main dome after heavy rain lashes North India</a>

The prince had decided to halt in Agra and pay respect to the cenotaph of his mother but was shocked to see the Taj Mahal in bad condition less than 10 years after it was completed, as narrated by Nicoll in his book.

The prince is said to have noticed water leakage and cracks on the walls of the revered tomb and also inundation of the Mehtab Garden because of the flooding in the Yamuna River.

<h2>Aurangzeb's letter to Shah Jahan about the Taj Mahal's adverse conditions</h2>

Seeing the condition of the revered Taj Mahal, which once was his father's most cherished monument, the prince wrote a letter to the emperor informing him about the damage.

<h3>Here's the content of the letter written by Aurangzeb:</h3>

The buildings of this shrine enclosure of holy foundation are still firm and strong...except that the dome over the fragrant sepulchre leaks during the rainy season in two places on the north side. Likewise the four arched portals, several of the recessed alcoves on the second storey, the four small domes...have become dampened. The marble-covered terrace of the large dome has leaked in two or three places during this past rainy season and has been repaired. Let us see what happens in the coming rainy season...

Long-living protector! An extraordinary evil eye has struck this model of lofty buildings. If the rays of your august attention fall on the remedy to ward it off, it will be proper...

May the world-illuminating Sun of the Caliphate [Shah-Jahan] remain shining upon the heads of the people of the world!

This letter, which is dated December 9, 1652, was recorded in Ruka'at-i-Alamgiri. The last time Shah Jahan visited the tomb was on December 27, 1654, and he was accompanied by his son and heir apparent, Dara Shikoh.

Confirming this event to WION, professor Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, the author of Fathpur Sikri Revisited, said, "In the initial years after the building of the Taj, there were some leakages reported which find mention in the records. The problem was rectified and it never occurred again."

The Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world and the postcard tourist place of India, has been in the headlines for water leakage from its dome and adjacent gardens getting inundated because of heavy rainfall.

The Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world and the postcard tourist place of India, has been in the headlines for water leakage from its dome and adjacent gardens getting inundated because of heavy rainfall. But this is not the first time the alluring Taj Mahal has faced water woes because of heavy downpours. The tomb was in similar conditions centuries ago when Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi and his visits to the tomb had somewhat declined. The incident has been vividly captured by British author Fergus Nicoll in his book "Shah Jahan: The Rise And Fall Of The Mughal Emperor". Shah Jahan's gaze shifts from Agra to Delhi In his book, Nicoll explains that after "Agra was usurped as seat of the caliphate", the emperor made rare visits to the tomb. Because of this, the tomb did not go through even basic maintenance. The dilapidated condition of the entire tomb complex was discovered by the then Mughal prince Aurangzeb - who was en route to the Deccan states in December 1652. Also Read: Agra: Water leakage in Taj Mahal's main dome after heavy rain lashes North India The prince had decided to halt in Agra and pay respect to the cenotaph of his mother but was shocked to see the Taj Mahal in bad condition less than 10 years after it was completed, as narrated by Nicoll in his book. The prince is said to have noticed water leakage and cracks on the walls of the revered tomb and also inundation of the Mehtab Garden because of the flooding in the Yamuna River. Aurangzeb's letter to Shah Jahan about the Taj Mahal's adverse conditions Seeing the condition of the revered Taj Mahal, which once was his father's most cherished monument, the prince wrote a letter to the emperor informing him about the damage. Here's the content of the letter written by Aurangzeb: The buildings of this shrine enclosure of holy foundation are still firm and strong...except that the dome over the fragrant sepulchre leaks during the rainy season in two places on the north side. Likewise the four arched portals, several of the recessed alcoves on the second storey, the four small domes...have become dampened. The marble-covered terrace of the large dome has leaked in two or three places during this past rainy season and has been repaired. Let us see what happens in the coming rainy season... Long-living protector! An extraordinary evil eye has struck this model of lofty buildings. If the rays of your august attention fall on the remedy to ward it off, it will be proper... May the world-illuminating Sun of the Caliphate [Shah-Jahan] remain shining upon the heads of the people of the world! This letter, which is dated December 9, 1652, was recorded in Ruka'at-i-Alamgiri. The last time Shah Jahan visited the tomb was on December 27, 1654, and he was accompanied by his son and heir apparent, Dara Shikoh. Confirming this event to WION, professor Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, the author of Fathpur Sikri Revisited, said, "In the initial years after the building of the Taj, there were some leakages reported which find mention in the records. The problem was rectified and it never occurred again."

Not just in 2024, Shah Jahan's Taj Mahal once leaked when monarch sat in Delhi centuries ago

Ten years after Hollywood Director Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption&nbsp;(1994) redefined the meaning of 'hope' for the world — "hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies" — a 43-year-old Barack Obama turned up to sell the 'politics of hope' at 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston while endorsing John Kerry on the presidential ticket that year.<img alt="Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is joined by US Senate candidate Barack Obama" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b172c231-54cf-4128-9072-452a88a8685a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/CastFromThePast.png" />

Barack Obama endorsed John Kerry for president in 2004 | AFP

Until then, the third-term senator from Illinois was little known outside his pocket borough. The Philadephia Daily News&nbsp;notoriously headlined on the morning of Obama's keynote address: 'Who the Heck Is This Guy?'

Before 2004, the first and the last time that Obama attended a DNC was in 2000. Fresh off his loss in the Democratic primary for the Illinois First Congressional District seat, he was "more or less broke". When he landed in Los Angeles to attend the DNC, his American Express card had been maxed out, Obama mentioned in his autobiography 'The Audacity of Hope'.

When he finally got to the convention hall, he could not get a floor pass and had to watch on the TV screens around Boston's FleetCenter.

Obama recalls the episode in 'The Audacity of Hope': "Given the distance between my previous role as a convention gate-crasher and my newfound role as convention keynoter, I had some cause to worry that my appearance in Boston might not go very well."

Flashing his signature smile amid sounds of the 1964 civil rights anthem 'Keep On Pushing', Obama took the DNC center stage shortly after 9 PM on July 27, 2004. Obama began by stating that his presence on the stage was unlikely that night due to the challenging upbringing his father Barack Obama Sr. had in Kenya.

"My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant," Obama said with stiff, methodical hand gestures.&nbsp;<img alt="Democratic National Convention keynote speaker Barack Obama, US Senate candidate for Illinois, speaks 27 July 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="618952ec-c6f0-4924-b3a7-03f040b29640" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/CastFromThePastObama.png" />

Democratic National Convention keynote speaker Barack Obama speaks on 27 July 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts | AFP

"But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son," Obama continued.&nbsp;

"Through hard work and perseverance, my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place: America, which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before."

Minutes later, as Obama began recounting what "hope" means for an ordinary American amid the US invasion of Iraq and war in Afghanistan, his shoulders settled down. His pitch modulated effortlessly as his line of sight navigated between the teleprompter and the thousands in audience at Boston's FleetCenter and millions across the United States watching the 43-year-old senator on their TV sets.

The speech took a life of its own.&nbsp;

At one breakout point of his DNC address, Obama threw a rhetorical question in the air. "Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or do we participate in a politics of hope?” he asked the audience.&nbsp;

The audience roared back: "Hope!"

The cheers turned to ovations. From there on, Obama devised repetition to his advantage. The most repeated word, 'hope'.&nbsp;

"I'm not talking about blind optimism here - the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it," he said.

A theatrical but remarkably natural Obama, in his husky and baritone pitch, continued.&nbsp;

"No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope," he said, the last phrase — 'the audacity of hope' — came from a sermon once delivered by his pastor.

By the time Obama finished, he had been interrupted by applause 33 times.&nbsp;

Obama immediately knew that he had struck a chord. The speech captured the attention of ordinary Americans and opened the way for his run for the presidency in 2008.&nbsp;

When Obama entered the White House in 2008 as the first Black US president, the speech had survived the scrutiny of time.&nbsp;

On August 20, 2024, as Barack Obama turned to yet another Democratic National Convention in Chicago, his appearance was preceded by a face not as obscure as his was in 2004, when social media was still in its infancy.&nbsp;<img alt="Former US President Barack Obama arrives onstage after his wife and former First Lady Michelle Obama introduced him on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 20, 2024" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="62ed5bf3-7fde-4221-86b6-810f00eabc55" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/CastFromThePastObama2024DNC.png" />

Former US President Barack Obama arrives onstage after his wife and former First Lady Michelle Obama introduced him on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 20, 2024 | AFP

The former first lady Michelle Obama remarked in her 20-minute DNC speech that &nbsp;"hope is making a comeback".&nbsp;

By no measure did Michelle in Chicago of 2024 pull off what Barack did in Boston of 2004.&nbsp;

But her keynote address has reignited a question that has been lingering in American political circles for quite some time.&nbsp;

Did Michelle use her endorsement of Kamala Harris for her own rise to a possible presidential ticket in 2028, just like Barack paved the path for his presidency in 2008 by endorsing John Kerry in 2004?&nbsp;

Time will tell.

Ten years after Hollywood Director Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption (1994) redefined the meaning of 'hope' for the world — "hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies" — a 43-year-old Barack Obama turned up to sell the 'politics of hope' at 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston while endorsing John Kerry on the presidential ticket that year.

Ten years after Hollywood Director Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption (1994) redefined the meaning of 'hope' for the world — "hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies" — a 43-year-old Barack Obama turned up to sell the 'politics of hope' at 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston while endorsing John Kerry on the presidential ticket that year. Barack Obama endorsed John Kerry for president in 2004 | AFP Until then, the third-term senator from Illinois was little known outside his pocket borough. The Philadephia Daily News notoriously headlined on the morning of Obama's keynote address: 'Who the Heck Is This Guy?' Before 2004, the first and the last time that Obama attended a DNC was in 2000. Fresh off his loss in the Democratic primary for the Illinois First Congressional District seat, he was "more or less broke". When he landed in Los Angeles to attend the DNC, his American Express card had been maxed out, Obama mentioned in his autobiography 'The Audacity of Hope'. When he finally got to the convention hall, he could not get a floor pass and had to watch on the TV screens around Boston's FleetCenter. Obama recalls the episode in 'The Audacity of Hope': "Given the distance between my previous role as a convention gate-crasher and my newfound role as convention keynoter, I had some cause to worry that my appearance in Boston might not go very well." Flashing his signature smile amid sounds of the 1964 civil rights anthem 'Keep On Pushing', Obama took the DNC center stage shortly after 9 PM on July 27, 2004. Obama began by stating that his presence on the stage was unlikely that night due to the challenging upbringing his father Barack Obama Sr. had in Kenya. "My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant," Obama said with stiff, methodical hand gestures. Democratic National Convention keynote speaker Barack Obama speaks on 27 July 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts | AFP "But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son," Obama continued. "Through hard work and perseverance, my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place: America, which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before." Minutes later, as Obama began recounting what "hope" means for an ordinary American amid the US invasion of Iraq and war in Afghanistan, his shoulders settled down. His pitch modulated effortlessly as his line of sight navigated between the teleprompter and the thousands in audience at Boston's FleetCenter and millions across the United States watching the 43-year-old senator on their TV sets. The speech took a life of its own. At one breakout point of his DNC address, Obama threw a rhetorical question in the air. "Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or do we participate in a politics of hope?” he asked the audience. The audience roared back: "Hope!" The cheers turned to ovations. From there on, Obama devised repetition to his advantage. The most repeated word, 'hope'. "I'm not talking about blind optimism here - the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it," he said. A theatrical but remarkably natural Obama, in his husky and baritone pitch, continued. "No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope," he said, the last phrase — 'the audacity of hope' — came from a sermon once delivered by his pastor. By the time Obama finished, he had been interrupted by applause 33 times. Obama immediately knew that he had struck a chord. The speech captured the attention of ordinary Americans and opened the way for his run for the presidency in 2008. When Obama entered the White House in 2008 as the first Black US president, the speech had survived the scrutiny of time. On August 20, 2024, as Barack Obama turned to yet another Democratic National Convention in Chicago, his appearance was preceded by a face not as obscure as his was in 2004, when social media was still in its infancy. Former US President Barack Obama arrives onstage after his wife and former First Lady Michelle Obama introduced him on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 20, 2024 | AFP The former first lady Michelle Obama remarked in her 20-minute DNC speech that "hope is making a comeback". By no measure did Michelle in Chicago of 2024 pull off what Barack did in Boston of 2004. But her keynote address has reignited a question that has been lingering in American political circles for quite some time. Did Michelle use her endorsement of Kamala Harris for her own rise to a possible presidential ticket in 2028, just like Barack paved the path for his presidency in 2008 by endorsing John Kerry in 2004? Time will tell.

Cast From The Past: When Barack Obama's 2004 DNC speech propelled him to White House in 2008

Pakistan Elections 2024: Remember the dawn of July 21, 1988? That day, an announcement came from Rawalpindi-based Pakistan Army General Headquarters (GHQ).

General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who had captured power in a coup after ousting Benazir Bhutto's father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto from premiership in 1977, declared that the scheduled elections in the country would be held on party-less basis. Zia's logic? Party-based elections were "against the spirit of Islam".

July 21, 1988 was exactly two months before Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the present-day chief of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was prematurely born to the future prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari, who went on to become president in 2008 months after his wife's assassination.<img alt="Zia Ul Haq" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c2105790-d2b9-4081-aba2-4a66a6fe6563" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Zia%20%281%29.png" />&nbsp;

Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto rests inside the presidential car with husband Asif Ali Zardari cuddling their baby son Bilawal, age 1 on 17 October 1989 | AFP

Zia's order on that day meant the candidates in 1988 elections were decreed to contest as independents.&nbsp;

<h2>Déjà vu in 2024?</h2>

Yes, the 1988 decree is much like the one being suffered by the candidates backed by ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan's party Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). They contested the elections on Feburary 8 without PTI's election symbol: the cricket bat.&nbsp;<img alt="PTI Bat" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="48f08219-1639-40df-a4ed-744ded3336e2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/PTI_Bat.png" />

Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) hold a giant cricket bat with the colours and initials of the party&nbsp; on July 20, 2018 | AFP

The only difference is that in 1988&nbsp;— Zia's ninth year in power&nbsp;— the Islamist dictator&nbsp;did not spare any political party at the time; he wanted all of them out of the election race, not just one.&nbsp;<img alt="Pakistani dictator Muhammad Zia-Ul-Haq addresses the nation, on June 15, 1988 | AFP" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3a850d0d-60aa-4535-89a0-2427b9a95753" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Zia.png" />

Pakistani dictator Muhammad Zia-Ul-Haq addresses the nation, on June 15, 1988 | AFP

But Zia didn't live to see what happened next.

The move was challenged in the Supreme Court. Before Supreme Court's decision on the party-less elections, Zia was killed in a mysterious plane crash along with 30 others on August 17, 1988.

This included the chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff, the Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Mian Afzaal, eight senior officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces, the US ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Raphel and his wife.&nbsp;

With that ill-fated C-130 aircraft, the nucleus of power in Pakistan also nosedived.

An unexpected wave of celebrations gripped India's western neighbour after Zia's death. Relieved that their country's dictator was gone, "the sweet shops were sold out in Lahore. In Karachi, the pan shops were giving away the betel nut for free. 'Zia is dead! Zia is dead!', screamed newspaper hawkers", wrote Benazir Bhutto in her autobiography Daughter of the East.&nbsp;

On October 5, 1988, a 12-judge bench of Pakistani Supreme Court ruled that all political parties were eligible to contest the elections and that political symbols would be allocated in the polling places to parties rather than to individuals.&nbsp;

"The caretaker administration accepted the court's decision. What else could Zia's men do with the whole world watching? Spontaneous demonstrations of joy broke out all over the country," Benazir added further in her autobiography's chapter titled 'The People Prevail'.&nbsp;

In December 1988, Benazir took oath as Pakistan's prime minister following one of the country's least disputed national elections till date.<img alt="Benazir Bhutto | AFP" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e088e106-8f51-44bf-89ca-ce25d2a95a96" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/BenazirBhutto.png" />

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto (R) takes oath as Prime Minister of Pakistan near President Ghulam Ishaq Khan at the parliament building in Islamabad, 02 December 1988. Benazir Bhutto became the first ever woman to lead a post-colonial Muslim state | AFP

Unlike 2024, Pakistani judiciary emerged as the ultimate arbiter and denied the establishment a party-less election.&nbsp;

<h2>Pakistan elections: Judiciary as ultimate arbiter</h2>

Let's now cut to recent times.

Following his April 2022 ouster in a no-trust vote, Khan repeatedly petitioned the Supreme Court, then led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on a series of election-related disputes over suspension of legislatures in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid his demand for snap polls.&nbsp;

His May 9, 2023 arrest on corruption charges triggered a nationwide protest by PTI supporters, including at GHQ in Rawalpindi, the real power behind the semblance of democracy in Islamabad.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/to-coup-or-not-coup-pakistan-armys-options-after-imran-khans-mini-intifada-592986">To coup or not coup: Pakistan Army’s options after Imran Khan’s 'mini-intifada'</a>

It was Chief Justice Bandial's Supreme Court bench that ordered Khan's release after the May 9 rampage.&nbsp;

"The chief justices in the past have been browbeaten by the army and made to act in their favour. But this one so far has not done so. He would have known that the army was behind Imran Khan's arrest and despite that he ordered his release. He's a bold guy," Sharat Sabharwal, India's former ambassador to Pakistan told WION on May 15, 2023.

Amid all this, the then PML-N-led government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who came to power after Khan's April 2022 ouster, "remained well aware of its sinking popularity," International Crisis Group <a href="https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/pakistan/pakistan/b178-inching-toward-contested-elections">noted</a> in its report ahead of Pakistan Elections, published on February 6.&nbsp;

The PML-N "hoped that its leader, Nawaz Sharif, who was in self-imposed exile in London, would be able to return to Pakistan before the polls, and that his popularity would revive its electoral prospects," it noted.&nbsp;

The report said that the main hurdle, "in the eyes of the PML-N", was the Bandial-led Supreme Court, since Nawaz’s ability to contest the elections depended on the judiciary upholding his appeals of convictions in two corruption cases.&nbsp;

But Judge Bandial retired on September 16, 2023.&nbsp;

Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan a month later after a four-year exile.

And the court lifted the ban against him from holding office.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Jan 13 rejected Imran Khan's plea to retain its traditional electoral symbol of a cricket bat, in the final setback to the incarcerated leader.

Also watch |&nbsp;Pakistan Election Result 2024: Independents backed by Imran Khan party take the lead in Pak polls

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/pakistan-election-result-2024-independents-backed-by-imran-khan-party-take-the-lead-in-pak-polls-688694/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

But now, history is repeating for the military-intelligence establishment and entrenched political parties.

At half-way point of election results, Imran Khan-backed candidates, who contested without the party symbol as independents, are leading. At the time of filing this report, it's clear one of the several scenarios are possible: PTI may emerge victorious but still won't be able to form government, as its MPs are now 'independent'; PPP and PML-N might come together to form a coalition government that might not have people's confidence; independent MPs might become the kingmakers, or form a government with support from other smaller parties.&nbsp;

The military-intelligence establishment is expected to&nbsp;meddle again, like it did so many times in the past.

But the people of Pakistan have spoken. It's up to the politicians to respect it, or not.

Pakistan Elections 2024: Remember the dawn of July 21, 1988? That day, an announcement came from Rawalpindi-based Pakistan Army General Headquarters (GHQ). General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who had captured power in a coup after ousting Benazir Bhutto's father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto from premiership in 1977, declared that the scheduled elections in the country would be held on party-less basis.

Pakistan Elections 2024: Remember the dawn of July 21, 1988? That day, an announcement came from Rawalpindi-based Pakistan Army General Headquarters (GHQ). General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who had captured power in a coup after ousting Benazir Bhutto's father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto from premiership in 1977, declared that the scheduled elections in the country would be held on party-less basis. Zia's logic? Party-based elections were "against the spirit of Islam". July 21, 1988 was exactly two months before Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the present-day chief of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was prematurely born to the future prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari, who went on to become president in 2008 months after his wife's assassination. Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto rests inside the presidential car with husband Asif Ali Zardari cuddling their baby son Bilawal, age 1 on 17 October 1989 | AFP Zia's order on that day meant the candidates in 1988 elections were decreed to contest as independents. Déjà vu in 2024? Yes, the 1988 decree is much like the one being suffered by the candidates backed by ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan's party Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). They contested the elections on Feburary 8 without PTI's election symbol: the cricket bat. Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) hold a giant cricket bat with the colours and initials of the party on July 20, 2018 | AFP The only difference is that in 1988 — Zia's ninth year in power — the Islamist dictator did not spare any political party at the time; he wanted all of them out of the election race, not just one. Pakistani dictator Muhammad Zia-Ul-Haq addresses the nation, on June 15, 1988 | AFP But Zia didn't live to see what happened next. The move was challenged in the Supreme Court. Before Supreme Court's decision on the party-less elections, Zia was killed in a mysterious plane crash along with 30 others on August 17, 1988. This included the chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff, the Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Mian Afzaal, eight senior officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces, the US ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Raphel and his wife. With that ill-fated C-130 aircraft, the nucleus of power in Pakistan also nosedived. An unexpected wave of celebrations gripped India's western neighbour after Zia's death. Relieved that their country's dictator was gone, "the sweet shops were sold out in Lahore. In Karachi, the pan shops were giving away the betel nut for free. 'Zia is dead! Zia is dead!', screamed newspaper hawkers", wrote Benazir Bhutto in her autobiography Daughter of the East. On October 5, 1988, a 12-judge bench of Pakistani Supreme Court ruled that all political parties were eligible to contest the elections and that political symbols would be allocated in the polling places to parties rather than to individuals. "The caretaker administration accepted the court's decision. What else could Zia's men do with the whole world watching? Spontaneous demonstrations of joy broke out all over the country," Benazir added further in her autobiography's chapter titled 'The People Prevail'. In December 1988, Benazir took oath as Pakistan's prime minister following one of the country's least disputed national elections till date. Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto (R) takes oath as Prime Minister of Pakistan near President Ghulam Ishaq Khan at the parliament building in Islamabad, 02 December 1988. Benazir Bhutto became the first ever woman to lead a post-colonial Muslim state | AFP Unlike 2024, Pakistani judiciary emerged as the ultimate arbiter and denied the establishment a party-less election. Pakistan elections: Judiciary as ultimate arbiter Let's now cut to recent times. Following his April 2022 ouster in a no-trust vote, Khan repeatedly petitioned the Supreme Court, then led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on a series of election-related disputes over suspension of legislatures in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid his demand for snap polls. His May 9, 2023 arrest on corruption charges triggered a nationwide protest by PTI supporters, including at GHQ in Rawalpindi, the real power behind the semblance of democracy in Islamabad. Also read | To coup or not coup: Pakistan Army’s options after Imran Khan’s 'mini-intifada' It was Chief Justice Bandial's Supreme Court bench that ordered Khan's release after the May 9 rampage. "The chief justices in the past have been browbeaten by the army and made to act in their favour. But this one so far has not done so. He would have known that the army was behind Imran Khan's arrest and despite that he ordered his release. He's a bold guy," Sharat Sabharwal, India's former ambassador to Pakistan told WION on May 15, 2023. Amid all this, the then PML-N-led government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who came to power after Khan's April 2022 ouster, "remained well aware of its sinking popularity," International Crisis Group noted in its report ahead of Pakistan Elections, published on February 6. The PML-N "hoped that its leader, Nawaz Sharif, who was in self-imposed exile in London, would be able to return to Pakistan before the polls, and that his popularity would revive its electoral prospects," it noted. The report said that the main hurdle, "in the eyes of the PML-N", was the Bandial-led Supreme Court, since Nawaz’s ability to contest the elections depended on the judiciary upholding his appeals of convictions in two corruption cases. But Judge Bandial retired on September 16, 2023. Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan a month later after a four-year exile. And the court lifted the ban against him from holding office. Pakistan's Supreme Court on Jan 13 rejected Imran Khan's plea to retain its traditional electoral symbol of a cricket bat, in the final setback to the incarcerated leader. Also watch | Pakistan Election Result 2024: Independents backed by Imran Khan party take the lead in Pak polls × But now, history is repeating for the military-intelligence establishment and entrenched political parties. At half-way point of election results, Imran Khan-backed candidates, who contested without the party symbol as independents, are leading. At the time of filing this report, it's clear one of the several scenarios are possible: PTI may emerge victorious but still won't be able to form government, as its MPs are now 'independent'; PPP and PML-N might come together to form a coalition government that might not have people's confidence; independent MPs might become the kingmakers, or form a government with support from other smaller parties. The military-intelligence establishment is expected to meddle again, like it did so many times in the past. But the people of Pakistan have spoken. It's up to the politicians to respect it, or not.

Cast From The Past: How Pakistan's bat-less election in 2024 followed Zia-ul-Haq's dictatorship script

The headlines have screamed and the talking-heads have spoken. From the corridors of British royalty, the announcement came on Feb 5, 2024 that King Charles III, &nbsp;the present-day wearer of 'The Crown', &nbsp;has cancer.&nbsp;

But Charles III is not the first in the long line of the family, which currently sits over an estimated wealth of $28 billion, to be diagnosed with such a malady.

Generations of inter-marriage have contributed to the emergence of hereditary diseases in the family. 
<img alt="George IV married his first cousin Caroline of Brunswick in the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, on the evening of 8th April 1795" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f2c66aa4-e588-4eaa-ba19-d85a113654e7" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202024-02-06T205549.249_0.png" />

George IV married his first cousin Caroline of Brunswick on 8th April 1795 | Commons

Furthermore, if the contents of a book are to be believed, the history of King Charles' ancestors dining over human flesh too may have contributed to the emergence of certain acute infections, but that's up for debate.

"Over in continental Europe, where the axe fell routinely on the necks of criminals, blood was the medicine of choice for many epileptics," wrote Richard Sugg in his book Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires: The History of Corpse Medicine from the Renaissance to the Victorians.&nbsp;

The book talks about &nbsp;a series of encounters due to which medieval Europeans believed that consuming embalmed bodies, such as the mummified bodies in Europe, could cure them of disease.

According to the book, the royals too routinely consumed human body products in an effort to stave off anything from headaches to epilepsy and from nosebleeds to gout.

Sugg claimed in the book that the namesake ancestors of present-day King Charles, Charles II made his own 'corpse medicine' while Charles I himself was made into corpse medicine.&nbsp;

But thankfully, the times have changed. King Charles III is living in 2024. Unlike his ancestors, he doesn't have to sermonise a colonial officer to unearth a mummy from Egypt to remit his cancer. Medical Science is well-equipped to do that job.<img alt="An Egyptian mummy-seller in 1875 | Wikimedia Commons" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="62ff146f-df30-49dd-9df4-47b5fb07d060" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/MummiesEgypt.png" />

An Egyptian mummy-seller in 1875 | Wikimedia Commons

The history of colonialism aside, let's take a Cast From The Past of British royal family's history with cancer.

<h2>Elizabeth II to Sarah Fergusson: Cancer a royal constant</h2>

King Charles III ascended to the British throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II last year.

According to her death certificate, she died of the 'old age'. But as per a new biography authored by a friend of her late husband Prince Philip, she battled 'a particularly terrible kind of cancer' during her final years of life. She had bone marrow cancer, it was claimed.&nbsp;

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

Her father, King George VI, who reportedly was a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer.

<img alt="Queen Elizabeth II (then the Princess) with her father King George VI | AFP" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="297e3972-e98c-4531-b105-7af5cec5ad64" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/MummiesEgypt%20%281%29.png" />

Queen Elizabeth II (then the Princess) with her father King George VI | AFP

Another royal member, King Edward VIII (The Duke of Windsor) succumbed to throat cancer in 1972.&nbsp;

Edward VIII, the paternal uncle of Queen Elizabeth II,&nbsp;was the King after his father George V's death in 1936. He died in his home in Paris in 1972. "He died peacefully," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said at the time.

Queen Elizabeth or The Queen Mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer. In 1984, a lump was removed from her breast. Her cancer diagnosis was never made public during her lifetime. She suffered from colon cancer in her 60s and breast cancer in her 80s.

<img alt="Sarah Ferguson | Reuters" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6477d609-5ed4-4fb9-8e3f-1d29b2bd43d8" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/MummiesEgypt%20%282%29.png" />,

Sarah Ferguson | Reuters

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has been diagnosed with skin cancer just months after she battled breast cancer, her spokesperson confirmed on January 22, 2024.

Ferguson, widely known as Fergie, announced she had beaten breast cancer in a New Year's Eve post to social media.&nbsp;

The new malignant melanoma diagnosis was detected when a dermatologist was removing and analysing several moles while Ferguson was undergoing reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy, her spokesperson added.

The headlines have screamed and the talking-heads have spoken. From the corridors of British royalty, the announcement came on Feb 5, 2024 that King Charles III, the present-day wearer of 'The Crown', has cancer.

The headlines have screamed and the talking-heads have spoken. From the corridors of British royalty, the announcement came on Feb 5, 2024 that King Charles III, the present-day wearer of 'The Crown', has cancer. But Charles III is not the first in the long line of the family, which currently sits over an estimated wealth of $28 billion, to be diagnosed with such a malady. Generations of inter-marriage have contributed to the emergence of hereditary diseases in the family. George IV married his first cousin Caroline of Brunswick on 8th April 1795 | Commons Furthermore, if the contents of a book are to be believed, the history of King Charles' ancestors dining over human flesh too may have contributed to the emergence of certain acute infections, but that's up for debate. "Over in continental Europe, where the axe fell routinely on the necks of criminals, blood was the medicine of choice for many epileptics," wrote Richard Sugg in his book Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires: The History of Corpse Medicine from the Renaissance to the Victorians. The book talks about a series of encounters due to which medieval Europeans believed that consuming embalmed bodies, such as the mummified bodies in Europe, could cure them of disease. According to the book, the royals too routinely consumed human body products in an effort to stave off anything from headaches to epilepsy and from nosebleeds to gout. Sugg claimed in the book that the namesake ancestors of present-day King Charles, Charles II made his own 'corpse medicine' while Charles I himself was made into corpse medicine. But thankfully, the times have changed. King Charles III is living in 2024. Unlike his ancestors, he doesn't have to sermonise a colonial officer to unearth a mummy from Egypt to remit his cancer. Medical Science is well-equipped to do that job. An Egyptian mummy-seller in 1875 | Wikimedia Commons The history of colonialism aside, let's take a Cast From The Past of British royal family's history with cancer. Elizabeth II to Sarah Fergusson: Cancer a royal constant King Charles III ascended to the British throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II last year. According to her death certificate, she died of the 'old age'. But as per a new biography authored by a friend of her late husband Prince Philip, she battled 'a particularly terrible kind of cancer' during her final years of life. She had bone marrow cancer, it was claimed. Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. Her father, King George VI, who reportedly was a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer. Queen Elizabeth II (then the Princess) with her father King George VI | AFP Another royal member, King Edward VIII (The Duke of Windsor) succumbed to throat cancer in 1972. Edward VIII, the paternal uncle of Queen Elizabeth II, was the King after his father George V's death in 1936. He died in his home in Paris in 1972. "He died peacefully," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said at the time. Queen Elizabeth or The Queen Mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer. In 1984, a lump was removed from her breast. Her cancer diagnosis was never made public during her lifetime. She suffered from colon cancer in her 60s and breast cancer in her 80s. , Sarah Ferguson | Reuters Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has been diagnosed with skin cancer just months after she battled breast cancer, her spokesperson confirmed on January 22, 2024. Ferguson, widely known as Fergie, announced she had beaten breast cancer in a New Year's Eve post to social media. The new malignant melanoma diagnosis was detected when a dermatologist was removing and analysing several moles while Ferguson was undergoing reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy, her spokesperson added.

Cast From The Past: How cancer remains a royal constant in Britain

On September 25, 1990, a 63-year-old Lal Krishna Advani addressed a sea of people near Gujarat's Somnath Temple, rebuilt just 39 years ago in 1951 right after India's independence from the British Empire.

A Shiva temple symbolising a jyotirlinga or the most sacred devotional representation of God Shiva stood in Somnath as early as 2,000 years ago. The last demolition of the holy site came at the hands of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1665. It lay in ruins until India's independence in 1947, following which its reconstruction began under the orders of the first Deputy Prime Minister of India&nbsp;Vallabhbhai Patel upon receiving approval for reconstruction from Mahatma Gandhi.

"Why is the government unwilling to rebuild a grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya?" Advani asked the crowd at Somnath as he began his 'rath yatra' or chariot procession on September 25, 1990, pointing towards the Somnath precedent which stood close to that site of address.&nbsp;

<img alt="BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani near Gujarat's Somnath Temple on Sept 25, 1990" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0c6ebb4d-c042-45fd-882c-e4dd20cad5ee" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202024-01-22T221359.618.png" />

BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani near Gujarat's Somnath Temple on Sept 25, 1990 | via X

From Somnath, riding on a DCM Toyota mini-truck designed to look like a chariot, Advani set himself on course to travel on it for 10,000 km from Somnath to Ayodhya. October 30, 1990, was scheduled as the concluding day of the Rath Yatra to "begin building a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya".&nbsp;

At the disputed site in Ayodhya existed a 16th-century mosque which Hindus believed, and archaeological evidence later reportedly confirmed, was built on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Ram.&nbsp;

On his way, Advani's procession covered 10,000 km across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and later Bihar after a brief halt. Helping him for the Gujarat leg of the yatra was a 40-year-old Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

"The choice of Somnath as the starting point of the yatra had a powerful symbolic value," Advani later wrote of the Rath Yatra in his 2008 autobiography My Country My Life, adding that the intent was to "seek legitimacy for Mandir movement by drawing a parallel" with the history of Islamic conquests in Indian subcontinent vis-a-vis the destruction of pre-existing places of worship, mostly Hindu and Jain temples.

<h2>How did people respond to Advani's&nbsp;Rath Yatra?</h2>

In the countryside of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, journalists described a lot of womenfolk lining up on either side of the road with a copper plate and with ritual material&nbsp;like lamps, flowers, and coins which were thrown at the DCM Toyota 'Rath.'&nbsp;

"Advani's rath got expensive offerings, like received in temples," writes Vinay Sitapati in his 2020 book Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi.&nbsp;

"One young man even stabbed his hand and smeared the blood on Advani's forehead as a Tilak. Advani blanched, his discomfort evident," Sitapati added.&nbsp;

As the rath rolled on across western and central India, "it became increasingly clear that the question of building a Ram Temple touches an emotional chord," NM Ghatate quoted former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a close Advani contemporary, as saying in his book Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Four Decades in Parliament.&nbsp;

Advani was arrested in Bihar's Samastipur by the then&nbsp;chief minister Lalu Yadav on October 23, 1990.&nbsp;

The procession to Ayodhya continued without him.

In a public statement, Vajpayee said that Advani was going to Ayodhya to do penance, "not fight Ravana".&nbsp;

"But many time (sic) the vanara sena (monkey army) that followed Ram did not know where they were going," Vajpayee said.&nbsp;

On October 30, 1990, Uttar Pradesh police opened fire on Karsevaks (Hindu volunteers) in Ayodhya. The mosque at the site believed to be Ram's birthplace was damaged but stood nonetheless.&nbsp;

Two years later, at 1:55 pm&nbsp;on December 6, 1992, Advani heard a loud thud. A 200,000-strong mob razed one of the domes of the mosque they believed stood at Ram's birthplace. Advani and others were at Ram Katha Kunj, an elevated platform 200 metres from the mosque.

"Rather than witness the final journey he had commenced from Somnath in September 1990, Advani spent the next few hours on the platform. The journalist Chandan Mitra was also on the platform. He remembers that Advani 'went downstairs and just sat silently through the evening. Once or twice when he did come up, he kept repeating that it is unfortunate'," Sitapati writes.&nbsp;

After 27&nbsp;years, India's Supreme Court gave its judgment on the title suit for Ayodhya's site of contention.&nbsp;

'Temple gets site, mosque a plot', said the front page of a leading English newspaper on November 10, 2019.&nbsp;

Within the next three months, as per the court's order, a Temple Trust was constituted by the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the same man who was key to galvanisation of support for Advani's Rath Yatra during its Gujarat leg in 1990.&nbsp; 
<img alt="Narendra Modi (first from right) with LK Advani (third from right) during Gujarat leg of Ram Rath Yatra | File" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="31cee258-eecf-43b7-8657-567150cfb346" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202024-01-22T222951.231.png" />

Narendra Modi (first from right) with LK Advani (third from right) during Gujarat leg of Ram Rath Yatra in September 1990 | File

About a year later in September 2020, Advani and 31 others were acquitted of charges related to December 6, 1992 violence in Ayodhya.&nbsp;

"Anti-social elements brought down the structure. The accused leaders tried to stop these people," said the special judge.&nbsp;

In January 2024, the Ram Temple was consecrated in Ayodhya by Advani's 1990 disciple, Narendra Modi, elected India's Prime Minister since 2014.

Also watch |&nbsp;Ram Mandir Ayodhya: Ram not just belongs to us but everyone, says PM Modi at inauguration

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ram-mandir-ayodhya-ram-not-just-belongs-to-us-but-everyone-says-pm-modi-at-inauguration-682532/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

At 96, as Advani chose to give temple consecration a miss due to "cold weather", Modi announced the arrival of Ram at his birthplace.&nbsp;

Modi is "the devotee chosen by Lord Ram to consecrate his temple", Advani said on January 15. "I was just a charioteer."

On September 25, 1990, a 63-year-old Lal Krishna Advani addressed a sea of people near Gujarat's Somnath Temple, rebuilt just 39 years ago in 1951 right after India's independence from the British Empire.

On September 25, 1990, a 63-year-old Lal Krishna Advani addressed a sea of people near Gujarat's Somnath Temple, rebuilt just 39 years ago in 1951 right after India's independence from the British Empire. A Shiva temple symbolising a jyotirlinga or the most sacred devotional representation of God Shiva stood in Somnath as early as 2,000 years ago. The last demolition of the holy site came at the hands of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1665. It lay in ruins until India's independence in 1947, following which its reconstruction began under the orders of the first Deputy Prime Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel upon receiving approval for reconstruction from Mahatma Gandhi. "Why is the government unwilling to rebuild a grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya?" Advani asked the crowd at Somnath as he began his 'rath yatra' or chariot procession on September 25, 1990, pointing towards the Somnath precedent which stood close to that site of address. BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani near Gujarat's Somnath Temple on Sept 25, 1990 | via X From Somnath, riding on a DCM Toyota mini-truck designed to look like a chariot, Advani set himself on course to travel on it for 10,000 km from Somnath to Ayodhya. October 30, 1990, was scheduled as the concluding day of the Rath Yatra to "begin building a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya". At the disputed site in Ayodhya existed a 16th-century mosque which Hindus believed, and archaeological evidence later reportedly confirmed, was built on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Ram. On his way, Advani's procession covered 10,000 km across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and later Bihar after a brief halt. Helping him for the Gujarat leg of the yatra was a 40-year-old Narendra Modi. "The choice of Somnath as the starting point of the yatra had a powerful symbolic value," Advani later wrote of the Rath Yatra in his 2008 autobiography My Country My Life, adding that the intent was to "seek legitimacy for Mandir movement by drawing a parallel" with the history of Islamic conquests in Indian subcontinent vis-a-vis the destruction of pre-existing places of worship, mostly Hindu and Jain temples. How did people respond to Advani's Rath Yatra? In the countryside of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, journalists described a lot of womenfolk lining up on either side of the road with a copper plate and with ritual material like lamps, flowers, and coins which were thrown at the DCM Toyota 'Rath.' "Advani's rath got expensive offerings, like received in temples," writes Vinay Sitapati in his 2020 book Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi. "One young man even stabbed his hand and smeared the blood on Advani's forehead as a Tilak. Advani blanched, his discomfort evident," Sitapati added. As the rath rolled on across western and central India, "it became increasingly clear that the question of building a Ram Temple touches an emotional chord," NM Ghatate quoted former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a close Advani contemporary, as saying in his book Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Four Decades in Parliament. Advani was arrested in Bihar's Samastipur by the then chief minister Lalu Yadav on October 23, 1990. The procession to Ayodhya continued without him. In a public statement, Vajpayee said that Advani was going to Ayodhya to do penance, "not fight Ravana". "But many time (sic) the vanara sena (monkey army) that followed Ram did not know where they were going," Vajpayee said. On October 30, 1990, Uttar Pradesh police opened fire on Karsevaks (Hindu volunteers) in Ayodhya. The mosque at the site believed to be Ram's birthplace was damaged but stood nonetheless. Two years later, at 1:55 pm on December 6, 1992, Advani heard a loud thud. A 200,000-strong mob razed one of the domes of the mosque they believed stood at Ram's birthplace. Advani and others were at Ram Katha Kunj, an elevated platform 200 metres from the mosque. "Rather than witness the final journey he had commenced from Somnath in September 1990, Advani spent the next few hours on the platform. The journalist Chandan Mitra was also on the platform. He remembers that Advani 'went downstairs and just sat silently through the evening. Once or twice when he did come up, he kept repeating that it is unfortunate'," Sitapati writes. After 27 years, India's Supreme Court gave its judgment on the title suit for Ayodhya's site of contention. 'Temple gets site, mosque a plot', said the front page of a leading English newspaper on November 10, 2019. Within the next three months, as per the court's order, a Temple Trust was constituted by the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the same man who was key to galvanisation of support for Advani's Rath Yatra during its Gujarat leg in 1990. Narendra Modi (first from right) with LK Advani (third from right) during Gujarat leg of Ram Rath Yatra in September 1990 | File About a year later in September 2020, Advani and 31 others were acquitted of charges related to December 6, 1992 violence in Ayodhya. "Anti-social elements brought down the structure. The accused leaders tried to stop these people," said the special judge. In January 2024, the Ram Temple was consecrated in Ayodhya by Advani's 1990 disciple, Narendra Modi, elected India's Prime Minister since 2014. Also watch | Ram Mandir Ayodhya: Ram not just belongs to us but everyone, says PM Modi at inauguration × At 96, as Advani chose to give temple consecration a miss due to "cold weather", Modi announced the arrival of Ram at his birthplace. Modi is "the devotee chosen by Lord Ram to consecrate his temple", Advani said on January 15. "I was just a charioteer."

Cast From The Past | Rath Yatra to Ram Mandir: Between Advani of 1990 and Modi of 2024

Born in the boom of telegraphs and trunk calls in Germany's Bavaria region in May 1923, the immensely controversial and equally consequential US foreign policy practitioner Henry Kissinger <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/henry-kissinger-the-most-controversial-and-influential-american-of-20th-century-dies-at-100-664470">died in the hyperconnected times of internet</a> on November 30, 2023. The scholar-turned-diplomat was serving as the US National Security Advisor to President Richard Nixon in the December of 1971 when New Delhi&nbsp;intervened in the erstwhile East Pakistan after millions of refugees poured into India in the wake of atrocities committed by Punjabi-dominated West Pakistan military against their own Bengali brethren.&nbsp;

With an indecipherable ink of a Harvard scholar acting as the signature of his diplomacy, Kissinger also shaped the geopolitics of Indian subcontinent during that strife, which later came to be known as Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/web-stories/south-asia/bangladesh/meet-lieutenant-general-js-aurora-sam-bahadur-manekshaw-jfr-jacob-the-liberator-of-bangladesh-1700980577673">Meet Lieutenant General J.S. Aurora: The 'Liberator of Bangladesh'</a>

India's military intervention in Bangladesh began on December 3 that year. Ducca (now Dhaka) fell in 12 days. The then West Pakistan Army signed an Instrument of Surrender on December 16, 1971, leaving about 93,000 Pakistani soldiers effectively under New Delhi's control in the newly-created Bangladesh.&nbsp;

But one of the most curious things about this war was the 'Chinese intervention' that never happened.

According to the US state department Archives, the then US President Richard Nixon instructed Kissinger "to ask the Chinese to move some forces toward the frontier with India" in December 1971.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Kissinger should have apologized to people of Bangladesh , Bangladesh Foreign Minister Momen recounts his support to West Pakistan that led to genocide in the then East Pakistan. Details: <a href="https://t.co/02DvWHl8C1">https://t.co/02DvWHl8C1</a>
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) <a href="https://twitter.com/sidhant/status/1730208439035675072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"Threaten to move forces or move them, Henry, that's what they (Chinese) must do now," Nixon told Kissinger inside Oval Office on December 10, 1971.

The US did not share formal ties with Communist Party-led mainland China between 1949 to 1972, with absolute resumption of diplomatic relations only coming in 1979 — one of the most significant geopolitical events of the second half of 20th century which effectively tilted the balance of Cold War in Washington's favour.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/dubious-strategist-ruthless-diplomat-south-asian-loser-kissingers-bull-run-was-stopped-by-indian-defiance-664604">Dubious strategist, ruthless diplomat, South Asian loser: Kissinger's bull run was stopped by Indian defiance</a>

Kissinger's efforts to establish diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing were being aided by Pakistan as a channel of communication at least since December 1970.

In April 1971, a month after Sheikh Mujibur Rehman proclaimed the birth of Bangladesh in the territory of erstwhile East Pakistan, and Pakistan reacted by launching 'Operation Searchlight', the Pakistani ambassador delivered Chinese leader Zhou Enlai's reply to Washington. This correspondence paved the way for Kissinger's secret trip to Beijing in July 1971 and beginning of events that fully restored US-China&nbsp;ties in 1979. The rest as they say, to use a cliche, is history.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/web-stories/features/sam-manekshaw-and-indira-gandhi-and-that-one-cabinet-meeting-1701332854821">Sam Manekshaw and Indira Gandhi, and That One Cabinet Meeting</a> 
 
In an odd turn of events, while the US cosied up with Communist China, the Soviet Union, another Communist nation that two decades later become Russia, cemented its ties with India after signing&nbsp;a comprehensive treaty of ‘Peace, Friendship and Cooperation’ on August 9, 1971.

In order to aid Islamabad that was facilitating the dialogue between Washington and Beijing — and thereby giving Washington an edge against Moscow in Cold War&nbsp;—&nbsp;the US deployed Task Force 74 of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet in the Bay of Bengal to prevent India from overrunning Pakistan.

In response, the Soviets deployed two groups of cruisers and destroyers as well as a submarine armed with nuclear warheads in the region.&nbsp;

The geopolitical calculations in the Oval Office where Nixon and Kissinger met on December 10, 1971,&nbsp;did not want the dismembering of Pakistan despite its mass atrocities on Bangla-speaking people of erstwhile East Pakistan.

<h2>Henry Kissinger was meeting Chinese at CIA 'safe houses': Benazir Bhutto</h2>

According to former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her father, erstwhile prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,&nbsp;was worried that the Chinese would not&nbsp; intervene militarily on the side of Pakistan. But both Islamabad and Washington were working in tandem&nbsp;to ensure a Chinese military intervention.

"While Papa is planning to ask Yahya to fly to Peking (now Beijing) as a last resort, Henry Kissinger, I read later, is having meetings with the Chinese in CIA 'safe houses' all over New York," the late former prime minister wrote in her autobiography Daughter of the East.

Contrary to the expectations from some corners in US and Pakistan, China did not move its forces towards its unresolved frontier with India during crucial days of Indian operations in present-day Bangladesh.

Peking did not intend to militarily confront Moscow, a fellow Communist nation, even for an all-weather partner like Pakistan and despite the prospect of resumption of ties with Washington at the height Cold War.&nbsp;

Nixon concluded to Kissinger at the end of that discussion on December 10, 1971 that "Russia and China aren't going to go to war."

"India, however, had emerged from the crisis confirmed as the preeminent power on the subcontinent, and Soviet support for India during the crisis had enhanced Soviet influence in India," the US state department concluded in a document on the war. 
 
And Kissinger's secret diplomacy eventually led to American diplomatic recognition of and closer ties with China, only for him to see it all unravel in his own lifetime, in the past decade.

Born in the boom of telegraphs and trunk calls in Germany's Bavaria region in May 1923, the immensely controversial and equally consequential US foreign policy practitioner Henry Kissinger died in the hyperconnected times of internet on November 30, 2023.

Born in the boom of telegraphs and trunk calls in Germany's Bavaria region in May 1923, the immensely controversial and equally consequential US foreign policy practitioner Henry Kissinger died in the hyperconnected times of internet on November 30, 2023. The scholar-turned-diplomat was serving as the US National Security Advisor to President Richard Nixon in the December of 1971 when New Delhi intervened in the erstwhile East Pakistan after millions of refugees poured into India in the wake of atrocities committed by Punjabi-dominated West Pakistan military against their own Bengali brethren. With an indecipherable ink of a Harvard scholar acting as the signature of his diplomacy, Kissinger also shaped the geopolitics of Indian subcontinent during that strife, which later came to be known as Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. Also Read | Meet Lieutenant General J.S. Aurora: The 'Liberator of Bangladesh' India's military intervention in Bangladesh began on December 3 that year. Ducca (now Dhaka) fell in 12 days. The then West Pakistan Army signed an Instrument of Surrender on December 16, 1971, leaving about 93,000 Pakistani soldiers effectively under New Delhi's control in the newly-created Bangladesh. But one of the most curious things about this war was the 'Chinese intervention' that never happened. According to the US state department Archives, the then US President Richard Nixon instructed Kissinger "to ask the Chinese to move some forces toward the frontier with India" in December 1971. Kissinger should have apologized to people of Bangladesh , Bangladesh Foreign Minister Momen recounts his support to West Pakistan that led to genocide in the then East Pakistan. Details: https://t.co/02DvWHl8C1 — Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) November 30, 2023 × "Threaten to move forces or move them, Henry, that's what they (Chinese) must do now," Nixon told Kissinger inside Oval Office on December 10, 1971. The US did not share formal ties with Communist Party-led mainland China between 1949 to 1972, with absolute resumption of diplomatic relations only coming in 1979 — one of the most significant geopolitical events of the second half of 20th century which effectively tilted the balance of Cold War in Washington's favour. Also Read | Dubious strategist, ruthless diplomat, South Asian loser: Kissinger's bull run was stopped by Indian defiance Kissinger's efforts to establish diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing were being aided by Pakistan as a channel of communication at least since December 1970. In April 1971, a month after Sheikh Mujibur Rehman proclaimed the birth of Bangladesh in the territory of erstwhile East Pakistan, and Pakistan reacted by launching 'Operation Searchlight', the Pakistani ambassador delivered Chinese leader Zhou Enlai's reply to Washington. This correspondence paved the way for Kissinger's secret trip to Beijing in July 1971 and beginning of events that fully restored US-China ties in 1979. The rest as they say, to use a cliche, is history. Also read | Sam Manekshaw and Indira Gandhi, and That One Cabinet Meeting In an odd turn of events, while the US cosied up with Communist China, the Soviet Union, another Communist nation that two decades later become Russia, cemented its ties with India after signing a comprehensive treaty of ‘Peace, Friendship and Cooperation’ on August 9, 1971. In order to aid Islamabad that was facilitating the dialogue between Washington and Beijing — and thereby giving Washington an edge against Moscow in Cold War — the US deployed Task Force 74 of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet in the Bay of Bengal to prevent India from overrunning Pakistan. In response, the Soviets deployed two groups of cruisers and destroyers as well as a submarine armed with nuclear warheads in the region. The geopolitical calculations in the Oval Office where Nixon and Kissinger met on December 10, 1971, did not want the dismembering of Pakistan despite its mass atrocities on Bangla-speaking people of erstwhile East Pakistan. Henry Kissinger was meeting Chinese at CIA 'safe houses': Benazir Bhutto According to former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her father, erstwhile prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was worried that the Chinese would not intervene militarily on the side of Pakistan. But both Islamabad and Washington were working in tandem to ensure a Chinese military intervention. "While Papa is planning to ask Yahya to fly to Peking (now Beijing) as a last resort, Henry Kissinger, I read later, is having meetings with the Chinese in CIA 'safe houses' all over New York," the late former prime minister wrote in her autobiography Daughter of the East. Contrary to the expectations from some corners in US and Pakistan, China did not move its forces towards its unresolved frontier with India during crucial days of Indian operations in present-day Bangladesh. Peking did not intend to militarily confront Moscow, a fellow Communist nation, even for an all-weather partner like Pakistan and despite the prospect of resumption of ties with Washington at the height Cold War. Nixon concluded to Kissinger at the end of that discussion on December 10, 1971 that "Russia and China aren't going to go to war." "India, however, had emerged from the crisis confirmed as the preeminent power on the subcontinent, and Soviet support for India during the crisis had enhanced Soviet influence in India," the US state department concluded in a document on the war. And Kissinger's secret diplomacy eventually led to American diplomatic recognition of and closer ties with China, only for him to see it all unravel in his own lifetime, in the past decade.

Cast From The Past: When Kissinger failed to make China attack India during 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War

India-Canada relations hit rock bottom after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a shocking claim about "Indian agents' involvement" in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 
 
Canada stood accused of sheltering “Khalistani terrorists and extremists”, as the Indian government said that the “inaction of the Canadian government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern”. 
 
What followed was a series of tit-for-tat actions which included the tit-for-tat ousting of diplomats, a pause in free trade talks, back-to-back travel advisory updates and halting of visa processing, and raking up of the issue in national and international fora. 
 
Khalistanis taking shelter in Canada is not new. It has remained a thorn between the two nations for years. 
 
Here's how an ideology, which failed to gain traction in India, grew into a synchronised terror network that proliferated for more than 40 years.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pro-khalistan-protests-grip-indian-mission-in-vancouver-as-diplomatic-tensions-over-nijjar-killing-continue-639617">Pro-Khalistan protest held at Indian mission in Vancouver as diplomatic tensions over Nijjar killing continue</a>

<h2>Khalistani movement finds roots in Canada</h2>

Khalistan refers to an imagined homeland of Sikhs in India, incorporating Punjab with parts of other northern states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. 
 
In 1971, two years before a separatist resolution in India's Anandpur Sahib town formalised the purported demand for Khalistan, politician and dentist Dr. Jagjit Singh Chauhan had already declared himself the president of Khalistan while residing in Canada. 
 
An advertisement was run by him in The New York Times which proclaimed the birth of Khalistan. "We are going to wait no more. Today we are launching the final crusade. We are a nation in our own right," the advertisement read. 
 
In December 1971, Pakistan's Zulfikar Ali Bhutto extended a supporting hand to the Khalistani leaders. Canadian journalist Terri Milewski in his book "Blood for Blood: Fifty Years of the Global Khalistan Project" wrote about Bhutto's meeting with a delegation of Sikhs, where he quoted the Pakistani leader as saying, "Sardarji, you have the keys to Nankana Sahib. Come there, we'll help you and make it the capital of Khalistan. Start a movement from here."

<h2>Khalistan's shared legacy: From Pierre to Justin Trudeau</h2>

At a time when Khalistan was growing its roots in Canada, the relations between Ottawa and New Delhi were strained with the detonation of India's first nuclear weapon at the Pokhran test site. It was the use of plutonium from the CIRUS reactor, which was commissioned in July 1960 with Canadian collaboration, that left Ottawa miffed. 
 
India claimed that it was a "peaceful nuclear explosion" and that the country did not violate the terms of the agreement with Canada. However, Canada's then prime Minister Pierre Trudeau - father of current PM Justin Trudeau who lit off the Nijjar row some days ago - withdrew all support from India's nuclear energy programme and the Canadian officials, who were working on another reactor, were recalled. 
 
"Most of the Khalistanis started settling in Canada in the regime of Pierre Trudeau in the late 70s and 80s," former ambassador of India to Canada Vishnu Prakash told WION. "Trudeau and India's then prime minister Indira Gandhi shared differences of opinions." 
 
For years, Canada was a safe haven for Khalistan supporters who have been accused of terrorism by India. "Canada was known to harbour people of all kinds. So, separatists from even other countries like Sri Lanka found refuge in Canada," Prakash said.

<h2>Kaniskha flight bombing: A dark chapter</h2>

In June 1985, after Khalistani terror organisation Babbar Khalsa orchestrated the bombing of Air India Kanishka, which killed 329 people - mostly Canadians- the head of the terror group Talwinder Parmar was shielded by Pierre Trudeau, which made things worse for bilateral ties. 
 
"The meek Canadian response to the Khalistani challenge was a frequent target of Indian politicians as far back as 1982 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi complained about it to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau," Milewski wrote in his book, stressing Canada's weak response to the growing Khalistani terror. 
 
"It was Pierre Trudeau’s government which refused the 1982 Indian request to extradite Talwinder Parmar to India for murder, on the quaint grounds that India was insufficiently deferential to the Queen," he wrote, referring to Britain's Queen Elizabeth. 
 
Today, Justin Trudeau seems to be simply following the steps of his father.

WATCH |&nbsp;Who is Khalistan supporter Jagmeet Singh and Why is Trudeau dependent on him to be in power?

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/who-is-khalistan-supporter-jagmeet-singh-and-why-is-trudeau-dependent-on-him-to-be-in-power-639837/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<h2>Why 770,000 Sikhs are important to Canada government</h2>

Canada's "vote bank politics," as mentioned by India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, is the likely reason for the meek response of its government, and lack of action against increasing Khalistani extremism on its soil. 
 
There are around 770,00 Sikhs in Canada, which is not a large number. So how do they become a factor in 'vote bank politics'? 
 
"The Sikh community is concentrated in a few areas and they control 8 to 10 seats in the parliament indirectly," pointed out Ambassador Prakash. 
 
He pointed out that at least 80 per cent of them voted for Trudeau and his Liberal Party. 
 
"So, they have political influence much beyond their numbers and they are very well organised. They have funding through gurudwaras. So there is fund flow. They provide material and manpower to support the Liberal Party's campaigns. They also allegedly provide finances. So it is vote bank politics." 
 
He noted that almost all political parties in Canada support the Khalistanis, "but the Liberals have gone out of the way to sup with them." 
 
The former envoy emphasised that not all Sikhs are in support of Khalistani extremism, which gained roots on Canadian soil. 
 
They are rather fearful of the violence these extremists may unfold, he added. 
 
"Overwhelming percentage of Sikhs are peace-loving, they like India and see it as their cultural home. They are religious people, they go to gurudwaras and donate liberally, without necessarily knowing if it is controlled by a Khalistani. This makes the fund flow quite robust within Khalistani organisations and there is no scrutiny over the flow of the funds in Canada," he said. 
 
"The Sikh masses in Canada are afraid of the capability of Khalistanis to commit violence. These extremists control the streets, they have the muscle and the government supports them, which further makes them more active and belligerent in their behaviour," the former ambassador said.

You can&nbsp;now write for&nbsp;wionews.com&nbsp;and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

India-Canada relations hit rock bottom after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a shocking claim about "Indian agents' involvement" in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India-Canada relations hit rock bottom after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a shocking claim about "Indian agents' involvement" in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada stood accused of sheltering “Khalistani terrorists and extremists”, as the Indian government said that the “inaction of the Canadian government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern”. What followed was a series of tit-for-tat actions which included the tit-for-tat ousting of diplomats, a pause in free trade talks, back-to-back travel advisory updates and halting of visa processing, and raking up of the issue in national and international fora. Khalistanis taking shelter in Canada is not new. It has remained a thorn between the two nations for years. Here's how an ideology, which failed to gain traction in India, grew into a synchronised terror network that proliferated for more than 40 years. ALSO READ | Pro-Khalistan protest held at Indian mission in Vancouver as diplomatic tensions over Nijjar killing continue Khalistani movement finds roots in Canada Khalistan refers to an imagined homeland of Sikhs in India, incorporating Punjab with parts of other northern states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. In 1971, two years before a separatist resolution in India's Anandpur Sahib town formalised the purported demand for Khalistan, politician and dentist Dr. Jagjit Singh Chauhan had already declared himself the president of Khalistan while residing in Canada. An advertisement was run by him in The New York Times which proclaimed the birth of Khalistan. "We are going to wait no more. Today we are launching the final crusade. We are a nation in our own right," the advertisement read. In December 1971, Pakistan's Zulfikar Ali Bhutto extended a supporting hand to the Khalistani leaders. Canadian journalist Terri Milewski in his book "Blood for Blood: Fifty Years of the Global Khalistan Project" wrote about Bhutto's meeting with a delegation of Sikhs, where he quoted the Pakistani leader as saying, "Sardarji, you have the keys to Nankana Sahib. Come there, we'll help you and make it the capital of Khalistan. Start a movement from here." Khalistan's shared legacy: From Pierre to Justin Trudeau At a time when Khalistan was growing its roots in Canada, the relations between Ottawa and New Delhi were strained with the detonation of India's first nuclear weapon at the Pokhran test site. It was the use of plutonium from the CIRUS reactor, which was commissioned in July 1960 with Canadian collaboration, that left Ottawa miffed. India claimed that it was a "peaceful nuclear explosion" and that the country did not violate the terms of the agreement with Canada. However, Canada's then prime Minister Pierre Trudeau - father of current PM Justin Trudeau who lit off the Nijjar row some days ago - withdrew all support from India's nuclear energy programme and the Canadian officials, who were working on another reactor, were recalled. "Most of the Khalistanis started settling in Canada in the regime of Pierre Trudeau in the late 70s and 80s," former ambassador of India to Canada Vishnu Prakash told WION. "Trudeau and India's then prime minister Indira Gandhi shared differences of opinions." For years, Canada was a safe haven for Khalistan supporters who have been accused of terrorism by India. "Canada was known to harbour people of all kinds. So, separatists from even other countries like Sri Lanka found refuge in Canada," Prakash said. Kaniskha flight bombing: A dark chapter In June 1985, after Khalistani terror organisation Babbar Khalsa orchestrated the bombing of Air India Kanishka, which killed 329 people - mostly Canadians- the head of the terror group Talwinder Parmar was shielded by Pierre Trudeau, which made things worse for bilateral ties. "The meek Canadian response to the Khalistani challenge was a frequent target of Indian politicians as far back as 1982 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi complained about it to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau," Milewski wrote in his book, stressing Canada's weak response to the growing Khalistani terror. "It was Pierre Trudeau’s government which refused the 1982 Indian request to extradite Talwinder Parmar to India for murder, on the quaint grounds that India was insufficiently deferential to the Queen," he wrote, referring to Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Today, Justin Trudeau seems to be simply following the steps of his father. WATCH | Who is Khalistan supporter Jagmeet Singh and Why is Trudeau dependent on him to be in power? Why 770,000 Sikhs are important to Canada government Canada's "vote bank politics," as mentioned by India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, is the likely reason for the meek response of its government, and lack of action against increasing Khalistani extremism on its soil. There are around 770,00 Sikhs in Canada, which is not a large number. So how do they become a factor in 'vote bank politics'? "The Sikh community is concentrated in a few areas and they control 8 to 10 seats in the parliament indirectly," pointed out Ambassador Prakash. He pointed out that at least 80 per cent of them voted for Trudeau and his Liberal Party. "So, they have political influence much beyond their numbers and they are very well organised. They have funding through gurudwaras. So there is fund flow. They provide material and manpower to support the Liberal Party's campaigns. They also allegedly provide finances. So it is vote bank politics." He noted that almost all political parties in Canada support the Khalistanis, "but the Liberals have gone out of the way to sup with them." The former envoy emphasised that not all Sikhs are in support of Khalistani extremism, which gained roots on Canadian soil. They are rather fearful of the violence these extremists may unfold, he added. "Overwhelming percentage of Sikhs are peace-loving, they like India and see it as their cultural home. They are religious people, they go to gurudwaras and donate liberally, without necessarily knowing if it is controlled by a Khalistani. This makes the fund flow quite robust within Khalistani organisations and there is no scrutiny over the flow of the funds in Canada," he said. "The Sikh masses in Canada are afraid of the capability of Khalistanis to commit violence. These extremists control the streets, they have the muscle and the government supports them, which further makes them more active and belligerent in their behaviour," the former ambassador said. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Cast From The Past: How Khalistan movement took root in Canada before getting rejected in India

An inquisitive Dr Abdul Kalam once asked, 'Why not land on the Moon'. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-3-is-a-success-a-soft-landing-for-vikram-lander-a-giant-leap-for-indias-space-odyssey-628404">India is now the first country in the world to land on the south pole of Moon</a>, a new chapter&nbsp;for the history books witnessed by the world on the evening of August 23rd, 2023.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan3</a> lands on the Moon's south pole 
 
We've achieved the soft landing on the Moon. India is on the Moon: ISRO Chief S. Somanath <a href="https://t.co/LA0GgPf2RS">pic.twitter.com/LA0GgPf2RS</a>
— WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/1694327942455963890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Nearly two decades before an Indian spacecraft successfully landed on Moon, in 2004, top scientists of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) met the then President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at a seminar in Udaipur. Dr Kalam, popularly regarded as 'Missile Man of India' for his distinguished contribution to India's civilian space programme, intently listened to the scientists.&nbsp;

The topic of deliberation was a lunar mission aimed at orbiting moon, an event that occurred four years later after the success of Chandrayaan-1 space mission in 2008.&nbsp;

But Dr M. Annadurai, the then project director of Chandrayaan-1 mission, revealed one suggestion by Dr Kalam stood out.

"Why not land on Moon!,"&nbsp;Dr Kalam is reported to have suggested Annadurai, according to a Times of India report.

"Kalam was talking about the Chandrayaan-3 programme, much before it was conceptualised," Annadurai was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The late scientist president, who heralded an era of generation-defining achievements in space science for India, remains an inspiration to hundreds of scientists across a dozen ISRO centres involved in the design, development, testing and realisation of Chandrayaan-3 mission.

In his 2012 book Turning Points: A journey through challenges, Kalam described Chandrayaan mission "just the first step towards India's further planetary explorations and manned missions".&nbsp;

<h2>The birth of Moon Impact Probe</h2>

Now that Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3 mission has safely landed on lunar surface, many would believe that this is the first Indian object on Moon. Neither are the crash landed remnants of the lander of Chandrayaan-2 mission launched four years ago.&nbsp;

The first Indian object on lunar surface is the Moon Impact Probe which, upon Kalam's suggestion to the then ISRO chief G. Madhavan Nair, went with Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2008. 
 
<img alt="File photo of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0274513c-9092-4717-9c2d-82933c13e0ca" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202023-08-23T223810.502.png" />

File photo of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Chandrayaan lunar mission was announced by Vajpayee during Independence Day address on August 15, 2003 | AFP

Dr Kalam wrote in 'Turning points': "In 2006, the then chairman of ISRO briefed me on his future space plans including the Chandrayaan mission to explore the moon, which I am sure is just the first step towards further planetary explorations and manned missions... I suggested that the mission could include a combined entry package to the moon with at least one telemetry channel, with density or pressure measurement or tone ranging. This payload would enable us to gather data directly from the moon’s surface. The chairman promised to include this payload. This led to the birth of the Moon Impact Probe as a part of the Chandrayaan mission. To my delight, the probe landed on the moon’s surface on 14 November 2008 exactly in the pre-determined area."&nbsp;

The Moon Impact Probe had the Indian tricolour inscribed on it, and just like Kalam had suggested, contained a high-resolution spectrometer and other instruments to probe the lunar surface. One of them, the Chandra's Altitudinal Composition Explorer (CHACE) recorded evidence of water in 650 mass spectra readings gathered during 25 minutes of its descent.

In his memoir Rocketing Through The Skies, the then ISRO chief G. Madhavan Nair describes the moment when Moon Impact Probe touched the lunar surface.&nbsp;

"An hour before the MIP was to be detached from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India and my guru, strode into the control room flashing his trademark smile."

"I arranged spiced buttermilk, his favourite, for him and explained the details of the mission... Dr Kalam was excited to see the most modern set-up and remarked that he felt as if he was in a wonderland," wrote Nair in a reference to the humble beginnings of India's space programme that Kalam led during its years of infancy. 
<img alt="The then chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair on October 22, 2008, after the successful launch of India's first Lunar probe Chandrayaan-1 | AFP" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ce58296f-ae7c-4ade-a578-baa84983984f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202023-08-23T020500.043_0.png" />

The then chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair on October 22, 2008, after the successful launch of India's first Lunar probe Chandrayaan-1 | AFP

"As we looked anxiously at the screens in the control room, the MIP descended on the Moon and finally impacted at a spot near the pole, beside the Shackleton crater. The flag on the MIP inscribed India's presence on the Moon forever," Nair wrote further.

"It was heartening that this moment was witnessed by Dr Kalam, who had originally put forth the idea that India must place its flag on the moon."&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

An inquisitive Dr Abdul Kalam once asked, 'Why not land on the Moon'. India is now the first country in the world to land on the south pole of Moon, a new chapter for the history books witnessed by the world on the evening of August 23rd, 2023.

An inquisitive Dr Abdul Kalam once asked, 'Why not land on the Moon'. India is now the first country in the world to land on the south pole of Moon, a new chapter for the history books witnessed by the world on the evening of August 23rd, 2023. #BREAKING | #Chandrayaan3 lands on the Moon's south pole We've achieved the soft landing on the Moon. India is on the Moon: ISRO Chief S. Somanath pic.twitter.com/LA0GgPf2RS — WION (@WIONews) August 23, 2023 × Nearly two decades before an Indian spacecraft successfully landed on Moon, in 2004, top scientists of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) met the then President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at a seminar in Udaipur. Dr Kalam, popularly regarded as 'Missile Man of India' for his distinguished contribution to India's civilian space programme, intently listened to the scientists. The topic of deliberation was a lunar mission aimed at orbiting moon, an event that occurred four years later after the success of Chandrayaan-1 space mission in 2008. But Dr M. Annadurai, the then project director of Chandrayaan-1 mission, revealed one suggestion by Dr Kalam stood out. "Why not land on Moon!," Dr Kalam is reported to have suggested Annadurai, according to a Times of India report. "Kalam was talking about the Chandrayaan-3 programme, much before it was conceptualised," Annadurai was quoted as saying by the newspaper. The late scientist president, who heralded an era of generation-defining achievements in space science for India, remains an inspiration to hundreds of scientists across a dozen ISRO centres involved in the design, development, testing and realisation of Chandrayaan-3 mission. In his 2012 book Turning Points: A journey through challenges, Kalam described Chandrayaan mission "just the first step towards India's further planetary explorations and manned missions". The birth of Moon Impact Probe Now that Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3 mission has safely landed on lunar surface, many would believe that this is the first Indian object on Moon. Neither are the crash landed remnants of the lander of Chandrayaan-2 mission launched four years ago. The first Indian object on lunar surface is the Moon Impact Probe which, upon Kalam's suggestion to the then ISRO chief G. Madhavan Nair, went with Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2008. File photo of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Chandrayaan lunar mission was announced by Vajpayee during Independence Day address on August 15, 2003 | AFP Dr Kalam wrote in 'Turning points': "In 2006, the then chairman of ISRO briefed me on his future space plans including the Chandrayaan mission to explore the moon, which I am sure is just the first step towards further planetary explorations and manned missions... I suggested that the mission could include a combined entry package to the moon with at least one telemetry channel, with density or pressure measurement or tone ranging. This payload would enable us to gather data directly from the moon’s surface. The chairman promised to include this payload. This led to the birth of the Moon Impact Probe as a part of the Chandrayaan mission. To my delight, the probe landed on the moon’s surface on 14 November 2008 exactly in the pre-determined area." The Moon Impact Probe had the Indian tricolour inscribed on it, and just like Kalam had suggested, contained a high-resolution spectrometer and other instruments to probe the lunar surface. One of them, the Chandra's Altitudinal Composition Explorer (CHACE) recorded evidence of water in 650 mass spectra readings gathered during 25 minutes of its descent. In his memoir Rocketing Through The Skies, the then ISRO chief G. Madhavan Nair describes the moment when Moon Impact Probe touched the lunar surface. "An hour before the MIP was to be detached from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India and my guru, strode into the control room flashing his trademark smile." "I arranged spiced buttermilk, his favourite, for him and explained the details of the mission... Dr Kalam was excited to see the most modern set-up and remarked that he felt as if he was in a wonderland," wrote Nair in a reference to the humble beginnings of India's space programme that Kalam led during its years of infancy. The then chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair on October 22, 2008, after the successful launch of India's first Lunar probe Chandrayaan-1 | AFP "As we looked anxiously at the screens in the control room, the MIP descended on the Moon and finally impacted at a spot near the pole, beside the Shackleton crater. The flag on the MIP inscribed India's presence on the Moon forever," Nair wrote further. "It was heartening that this moment was witnessed by Dr Kalam, who had originally put forth the idea that India must place its flag on the moon." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Cast From The Past: When Dr Abdul Kalam proposed, 'Why not land on Moon'

It was in March 1947 when Lord Louis Mountbatten was made the last viceroy of British India and assigned the tough task to give power back into the hands of a country which they had colonised for more than three hundred years. Mountbatten, who was still learning and understanding the sub-continent, had spoken against the division of the country and emphasised the need for a unified India.

In a radio broadcast on 4 June 1947, Viceroy Lord Mountbatten announced, "A statement will be read to you tonight giving the final decision of his Majesty’s Government as to the method by which power will be transferred from British to Indian hands. Nothing I have seen or heard in the past few weeks has shaken my firm opinion that with a reasonable measure of goodwill between the communities a unified India would be far the best solution of the problem."

However, the negotiations&nbsp;with Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was once considered “the Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity" and shared differences with Gandhi over 'mixing religion with politics', ended in a disaster and it was soon made clear Partition was the only way out.

Pushing independence ten months earlier than expected, Mountbatten in early June announced 15 August 1947, as the date for the transfer of power.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-asi-shares-images-of-prominent-heritage-monuments-of-india-awash-in-tricolour-625246">ASI shares images of prominent heritage monuments of India awash in tricolour</a>

<h2>40 days and hanging fate of 390 million people</h2>

The man chosen for the momentous task of striking a line between the country and defining the borders of India and Pakistan was a British judge, Cyril Radcliffe, who clearly had no understanding of the country's sociopolitical culture and had never visited India before.

After getting appointed as the chairman of the Border Commission, Radcliffe was granted merely 40 days to decide the fate of approximately 390 million people, who were about to lose their loved ones, houses, and wealth and endure&nbsp;horrifying&nbsp;scars of rape, brutalisation, killing and unnamed atrocities.

In the later years, while speaking to journalist Kuldip Nayar, Radcliffe said, “I had no alternative; the time at my disposal was so short that I could not do a better job. Given the same period, I would do the same thing. However, if I had two to three years, I might have improved on what I did."

“If aspirations of some people had not been fulfilled, the fault must be found in political arrangements with which I am not concerned," he had said.

WATCH |&nbsp;India to celebrate its 77th Independence day

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-to-celebrate-its-77th-independence-day-625101/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<h2>Two days of eerie silence over new borders</h2>

Amid the riots, brutal killings, rape, looting and the greatest displacement of all time, historic speeches by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Pt Jawaharlal Nehru declared Pakistan and India as independent nation-states on August 14 and 15. While independence was granted to people, their future remained blurred and locked inside the files where the actual border lines were drawn and the country was partitioned.

The confusion and mayhem in such circumstances are difficult to explain when people, especially those living in states like Punjab, which were divided, fail to understand if they are in India or Pakistan and whether they should run towards overwhelming refugee camps or wait for clarity from the authorities.

"While people knew that Punjab would be partitioned, it wasn’t until two days after independence that the fate of Lahore was announced. Until then, most people were unsure where Lahore would go. It was a strategic city because apart from being the capital of Punjab, it was divided between Hindu/Sikhs and Muslims almost equally," said Harleen Singh, founder of The Lost Heer Project while speaking to WION.

"I definitely think that keeping the exact borders secret until the last minute really added to the confusion and mayhem. In 2021, I was interviewing the refugee families in Gurdaspur which was briefly part of Pakistan for a few days before being allotted to India. This really caused a lot of violence in the region and a lot of Muslim women were kidnapped in the area and birthed many generations in Gurdaspur. Had people given a fair idea of what to expect with the new borders, there would have been much less violence," he added.&nbsp;

However, Radcliffe was intertwined in his own debate while giving Lahore to India. In the famous interview, he said, "I nearly gave you (India) Lahore. But then I realised that Pakistan would not have any large cities. I had already earmarked Calcutta for India.” The man, who had demarcated India from Pakistan, had also accepted that Lahore had Hindus and Sikhs.

But Jinnah was not happy with the "truncated" state that was given to him, which he had described as “a maimed, mutilated and moth-eaten” Pakistan. The question that lies deeply buried is why the map, which was apparently finalised on August 12, was not made public. Some argue that the step was restricted to ensure that riots and killings do not affect the Independence Day celebrations in India and Pakistan. However, unlike any other country, did India get a fair chance to celebrate the independence it had waited for for hundreds of years?

You can&nbsp;now write for wionews.com&nbsp;and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" data-gtm-yt-inspected-20="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-25="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-30="true" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

It was in March 1947 when Lord Louis Mountbatten was made the last viceroy of British India and assigned the tough task to give power back into the hands of a country which they had colonised for more than three hundred years.

It was in March 1947 when Lord Louis Mountbatten was made the last viceroy of British India and assigned the tough task to give power back into the hands of a country which they had colonised for more than three hundred years. Mountbatten, who was still learning and understanding the sub-continent, had spoken against the division of the country and emphasised the need for a unified India. In a radio broadcast on 4 June 1947, Viceroy Lord Mountbatten announced, "A statement will be read to you tonight giving the final decision of his Majesty’s Government as to the method by which power will be transferred from British to Indian hands. Nothing I have seen or heard in the past few weeks has shaken my firm opinion that with a reasonable measure of goodwill between the communities a unified India would be far the best solution of the problem." However, the negotiations with Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was once considered “the Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity" and shared differences with Gandhi over 'mixing religion with politics', ended in a disaster and it was soon made clear Partition was the only way out. Pushing independence ten months earlier than expected, Mountbatten in early June announced 15 August 1947, as the date for the transfer of power. ALSO READ | ASI shares images of prominent heritage monuments of India awash in tricolour 40 days and hanging fate of 390 million people The man chosen for the momentous task of striking a line between the country and defining the borders of India and Pakistan was a British judge, Cyril Radcliffe, who clearly had no understanding of the country's sociopolitical culture and had never visited India before. After getting appointed as the chairman of the Border Commission, Radcliffe was granted merely 40 days to decide the fate of approximately 390 million people, who were about to lose their loved ones, houses, and wealth and endure horrifying scars of rape, brutalisation, killing and unnamed atrocities. In the later years, while speaking to journalist Kuldip Nayar, Radcliffe said, “I had no alternative; the time at my disposal was so short that I could not do a better job. Given the same period, I would do the same thing. However, if I had two to three years, I might have improved on what I did." “If aspirations of some people had not been fulfilled, the fault must be found in political arrangements with which I am not concerned," he had said. WATCH | India to celebrate its 77th Independence day Two days of eerie silence over new borders Amid the riots, brutal killings, rape, looting and the greatest displacement of all time, historic speeches by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Pt Jawaharlal Nehru declared Pakistan and India as independent nation-states on August 14 and 15. While independence was granted to people, their future remained blurred and locked inside the files where the actual border lines were drawn and the country was partitioned. The confusion and mayhem in such circumstances are difficult to explain when people, especially those living in states like Punjab, which were divided, fail to understand if they are in India or Pakistan and whether they should run towards overwhelming refugee camps or wait for clarity from the authorities. "While people knew that Punjab would be partitioned, it wasn’t until two days after independence that the fate of Lahore was announced. Until then, most people were unsure where Lahore would go. It was a strategic city because apart from being the capital of Punjab, it was divided between Hindu/Sikhs and Muslims almost equally," said Harleen Singh, founder of The Lost Heer Project while speaking to WION. "I definitely think that keeping the exact borders secret until the last minute really added to the confusion and mayhem. In 2021, I was interviewing the refugee families in Gurdaspur which was briefly part of Pakistan for a few days before being allotted to India. This really caused a lot of violence in the region and a lot of Muslim women were kidnapped in the area and birthed many generations in Gurdaspur. Had people given a fair idea of what to expect with the new borders, there would have been much less violence," he added. However, Radcliffe was intertwined in his own debate while giving Lahore to India. In the famous interview, he said, "I nearly gave you (India) Lahore. But then I realised that Pakistan would not have any large cities. I had already earmarked Calcutta for India.” The man, who had demarcated India from Pakistan, had also accepted that Lahore had Hindus and Sikhs. But Jinnah was not happy with the "truncated" state that was given to him, which he had described as “a maimed, mutilated and moth-eaten” Pakistan. The question that lies deeply buried is why the map, which was apparently finalised on August 12, was not made public. Some argue that the step was restricted to ensure that riots and killings do not affect the Independence Day celebrations in India and Pakistan. However, unlike any other country, did India get a fair chance to celebrate the independence it had waited for for hundreds of years? You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Cast From The Past: Radcliffe and his blood-smeared line continue to haunt India since 1947

In February 1999, India's then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee noticed too big a diplomatic slight to be left unnoticed at a helipad near Governor's House in Pakistan's Lahore. Pakistani army chief General Pervez Musharraf, while receiving the visiting Indian prime minister, was wearing his official military uniform and not a ceremonial one as he was supposed to according to the established protocol.&nbsp;

On the Indian side, this was interpreted as the Pakistani deep state's boorish show of disagreement against Vajpayee's unprecedented peace overtures; the Pakistani army's implicit act of resistance to peace with India that it concluded by occupying Indian military posts in Jammu and Kashmir.

A month later in March 1999, Vajpayee called Niaz Naik — Islamabad's emissary for peace talks with New Delhi that were finalised as part of Vajpayee's Lahore visit — and told him to send a message to the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The message was clear. Come summer and Pakistani armed forces would stop giving cover fire to the terrorists crossing over the Line of Control into India's Jammu and Kashmir. But to everyone's surprise in New Delhi, the summer was going to be different from previous summers of decades of prolonged India-Pakistan conflict.&nbsp;

The above two incidents are mentioned in two of Vajpayee's biographies, 'Vajpayee: the years that changed India', authored by his former personal secretary Shakti Sinha, and 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A man of all seasons' authored by Kingshuk Nag.

On 3 May 1999, two weeks after the resignation of the second Vajpayee government, a Buddhist shepherd in Kargil —barely a few kilometres from the Line of Control or LoC, the de facto boundary between India and Pakistan — chanced upon a number of Pakistani soldiers in camouflage.

Soldiers who went to investigate were ambushed, and an ammunition dump was blown up.

Vajpayee, now a ‘caretaker’ prime minister after losing a parliamentary no-trust vote, was informally briefed. He immediately called a cabinet meeting to discuss ‘some urgent matter’.

Around 1,500 to 2,400 Pakistani military men and irregular fighters had entrenched themselves along a 150-odd kilometre stretch on the Indian side of the LoC at heights of 16,000&nbsp;feet. Pakistan kept on claiming that it was the so-called Mujahideen who were on the heights and not its army men. They were firing down below at the Srinagar–Leh highway, the lifeline for civilian and military supplies to northern Kashmir.&nbsp;

<h2>Vajpayee's strategic showpiece</h2>

While the Indian army was raining conventional fire to dislodge the Pakistanis, Vajpayee pulled off a remarkable strategic showpiece that catapulted previously pro-Pakistan US-led West to the Indian side. The caretaker prime minister explicitly ordered Indian Air Force planes to not cross the Line of Control, a signal to the international community that India, unlike Pakistan, respected the de-facto international boundary. "We knew we will fiercely defend ourselves not invade," Vajpayee said of his unconventional decision in New Delhi months later during his Independence Day address.&nbsp;

Meanwhile on 12 June&nbsp;1999, in the thick of the fighting in Kargil, the then Pakistani foreign minister Sartaj Aziz visited New Delhi.&nbsp;

Aziz, without agreeing to go back to the LoC status quo in Kargil, called for a ceasefire in a manner that occupied Indian posts would fall on the Pakistani side.&nbsp;

Aziz used the excuse that since the LoC was ‘unclear’, some inadvertent transgression might well have taken place.

"If the Pakistan Army was not involved in the intrusion and it was the Mujahideen, then why were they asking for a ceasefire?," Shakti Sinha writes of Sartaj Aziz-Jaswat Singh talks.&nbsp;

"And since when were the Mujahideen bound by the India–Pakistan agreement? Their stupidity was breathtaking and audacious."

After Sartaj Aziz's Delhi visit, when the Pakistan Army and the country’s political leadership both requested the US to intervene and help bring about a ceasefire, Vajpayee, in his telephonic conversations with the then US President Bill Clinton, made it clear that 'either Pakistanis could vacate Indian territory on their own, or India would throw them out the way it deemed best', Sinha writes further.

Clinton publicly rebuked Pakistan and called upon it to withdraw its troops back to the LoC at the earliest and respect the 'sanctity of the Line of Control.'&nbsp;

<h2>How Vajpayee delegated India's intense diplomacy during the war in Kargil?</h2>

Clinton's rebuke of Sharif was not a surprise in New Delhi's power corridors. India's intense diplomatic effort for weeks had built up to that moment.

Full-page advertisements rebuking Pakistan had made their way to the international press.

Vajpayee sent out extensive tours of the United States which were led by senior leaders Sushma Swaraj and Narendra Modi, the latter was to become India's Prime Minister fifteen years later while the former served in his cabinet as foreign minister.&nbsp;

As a result of the lobbying, what followed was the US imposing sanctions on Pakistan, which included blocking all assistance from international institutions like the IMF and World Bank. In fact, the House of Representatives subcommittee, led by Congressman Jim McDermott, had agreed on a far lower level of sanctions, but the thousands of fax messages that his office, and those of the other members, received —ensured an enhanced level of sanctions against Pakistan.

The war was technically over on 4 July&nbsp;1999, when Clinton dressed down Sharif.&nbsp;

But again, if the Pakistani leadership was withdrawing and conceding at the diplomatic level, the reality on the ground differed. There were fierce counter-attacks still taking place as the retreating Pakistani soldiers would withdraw from some posts but occupy others.

They left behind anti-personnel mines at&nbsp;locations they were vacating.

Even the dead bodies of Pakistani soldiers were booby-trapped to inflict last-minute casualties on the Indian side. Thus the actual conflict with the retreating Pakistan Army ended only on 26 July, which India now celebrates as the Kargil Vijay Diwas.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

In February 1999, India's then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee noticed too big a diplomatic slight to be left unnoticed at a helipad near Governor's House in Pakistan's Lahore.

In February 1999, India's then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee noticed too big a diplomatic slight to be left unnoticed at a helipad near Governor's House in Pakistan's Lahore. Pakistani army chief General Pervez Musharraf, while receiving the visiting Indian prime minister, was wearing his official military uniform and not a ceremonial one as he was supposed to according to the established protocol. On the Indian side, this was interpreted as the Pakistani deep state's boorish show of disagreement against Vajpayee's unprecedented peace overtures; the Pakistani army's implicit act of resistance to peace with India that it concluded by occupying Indian military posts in Jammu and Kashmir. A month later in March 1999, Vajpayee called Niaz Naik — Islamabad's emissary for peace talks with New Delhi that were finalised as part of Vajpayee's Lahore visit — and told him to send a message to the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The message was clear. Come summer and Pakistani armed forces would stop giving cover fire to the terrorists crossing over the Line of Control into India's Jammu and Kashmir. But to everyone's surprise in New Delhi, the summer was going to be different from previous summers of decades of prolonged India-Pakistan conflict. The above two incidents are mentioned in two of Vajpayee's biographies, 'Vajpayee: the years that changed India', authored by his former personal secretary Shakti Sinha, and 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A man of all seasons' authored by Kingshuk Nag. On 3 May 1999, two weeks after the resignation of the second Vajpayee government, a Buddhist shepherd in Kargil —barely a few kilometres from the Line of Control or LoC, the de facto boundary between India and Pakistan — chanced upon a number of Pakistani soldiers in camouflage. Soldiers who went to investigate were ambushed, and an ammunition dump was blown up. Vajpayee, now a ‘caretaker’ prime minister after losing a parliamentary no-trust vote, was informally briefed. He immediately called a cabinet meeting to discuss ‘some urgent matter’. Around 1,500 to 2,400 Pakistani military men and irregular fighters had entrenched themselves along a 150-odd kilometre stretch on the Indian side of the LoC at heights of 16,000 feet. Pakistan kept on claiming that it was the so-called Mujahideen who were on the heights and not its army men. They were firing down below at the Srinagar–Leh highway, the lifeline for civilian and military supplies to northern Kashmir. Vajpayee's strategic showpiece While the Indian army was raining conventional fire to dislodge the Pakistanis, Vajpayee pulled off a remarkable strategic showpiece that catapulted previously pro-Pakistan US-led West to the Indian side. The caretaker prime minister explicitly ordered Indian Air Force planes to not cross the Line of Control, a signal to the international community that India, unlike Pakistan, respected the de-facto international boundary. "We knew we will fiercely defend ourselves not invade," Vajpayee said of his unconventional decision in New Delhi months later during his Independence Day address. Meanwhile on 12 June 1999, in the thick of the fighting in Kargil, the then Pakistani foreign minister Sartaj Aziz visited New Delhi. Aziz, without agreeing to go back to the LoC status quo in Kargil, called for a ceasefire in a manner that occupied Indian posts would fall on the Pakistani side. Aziz used the excuse that since the LoC was ‘unclear’, some inadvertent transgression might well have taken place. "If the Pakistan Army was not involved in the intrusion and it was the Mujahideen, then why were they asking for a ceasefire?," Shakti Sinha writes of Sartaj Aziz-Jaswat Singh talks. "And since when were the Mujahideen bound by the India–Pakistan agreement? Their stupidity was breathtaking and audacious." After Sartaj Aziz's Delhi visit, when the Pakistan Army and the country’s political leadership both requested the US to intervene and help bring about a ceasefire, Vajpayee, in his telephonic conversations with the then US President Bill Clinton, made it clear that 'either Pakistanis could vacate Indian territory on their own, or India would throw them out the way it deemed best', Sinha writes further. Clinton publicly rebuked Pakistan and called upon it to withdraw its troops back to the LoC at the earliest and respect the 'sanctity of the Line of Control.' How Vajpayee delegated India's intense diplomacy during the war in Kargil? Clinton's rebuke of Sharif was not a surprise in New Delhi's power corridors. India's intense diplomatic effort for weeks had built up to that moment. Full-page advertisements rebuking Pakistan had made their way to the international press. Vajpayee sent out extensive tours of the United States which were led by senior leaders Sushma Swaraj and Narendra Modi, the latter was to become India's Prime Minister fifteen years later while the former served in his cabinet as foreign minister. As a result of the lobbying, what followed was the US imposing sanctions on Pakistan, which included blocking all assistance from international institutions like the IMF and World Bank. In fact, the House of Representatives subcommittee, led by Congressman Jim McDermott, had agreed on a far lower level of sanctions, but the thousands of fax messages that his office, and those of the other members, received —ensured an enhanced level of sanctions against Pakistan. The war was technically over on 4 July 1999, when Clinton dressed down Sharif. But again, if the Pakistani leadership was withdrawing and conceding at the diplomatic level, the reality on the ground differed. There were fierce counter-attacks still taking place as the retreating Pakistani soldiers would withdraw from some posts but occupy others. They left behind anti-personnel mines at locations they were vacating. Even the dead bodies of Pakistani soldiers were booby-trapped to inflict last-minute casualties on the Indian side. Thus the actual conflict with the retreating Pakistan Army ended only on 26 July, which India now celebrates as the Kargil Vijay Diwas. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Cast from the Past: How India's 'most loved' prime minister stunned Pakistan in Kargil

Over a century ago, <a href="https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/539693/kapur-singh/">Sepoy Kapur Singh</a> of 69th Punjabis regiment of erstwhile British Indian Army left his home in Ambala town in&nbsp;northern India. Sepoy Kapur, husband of Asa Dai, did not return home. Like Sepoy Kapur Singh, <a href="https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2913500/deb-sing-bisht/">Rifleman Deb Sing Bisht</a> of 39th Garhwal Rifles from Chamoli town of present-day Uttarakhand did not return home either.

<img alt="Indian soldiers who died in France" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3e42a004-957f-46a9-9328-3d279b5e4dff" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202023-07-15T015429.610.png" />

&nbsp;

Rifleman Deb Sing Bisht's memorial stone at Neuville-Sous-Montreuil Indian Cemetery,&nbsp;in Pas-de-Calais, France | Commonwealth War Grave Commission

Sepoy Kapur Singh and&nbsp;Rifleman Deb Singh Bisht themselves lived under colonial rule. But on French land during the first world war, they fought to keep democratic values of Equality, Liberty and Fraternity alive — laying their lives for the modern democratic values alien to their homeland at the time.&nbsp;<img alt="First World War | Paris | Indian troops" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e424f8e2-571b-41a5-90ab-6a0743b26f3a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202023-07-15T020347.011.png" />

One of the seminal pictures of World War-I&nbsp;is that of a French woman greeting Indian Sikh soldiers in Paris in 1916 at a site not far from Bastille Day's Celebrations on July 14, 2023 where India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour | Toor Collection

About 1.4 million Indian soldiers served during World War-I, of which 1,40,000 battled in the north of France and Belgium. Over 74,000 soldiers from the Indian subcontinent laid their lives during the five-year period between 1914 to 1919, of which 7,000 were killed on their line of duties in France and Belgium – paying the ultimate price in a foreign, unknown land.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
1916 to 2023 
 
Solidarity, Friendship &amp; Spirit endure.....<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BastilleDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BastilleDay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaFranceFriendship?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaFranceFriendship</a> <a href="https://t.co/sH2OkozhjV">pic.twitter.com/sH2OkozhjV</a>
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) <a href="https://twitter.com/adgpi/status/1679843217553121280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

After India’s freedom from the British, while the centre of power in New Delhi came to be symbolised by the monumental sandstone arch built by the British in the memory of troops who died in the first world war, in France – until recently – the mainstream awareness about Indians who died protecting French lands during the first world war was scarce.

This has changed in recent years.&nbsp;

<img alt="India Gate" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5d4190d1-e54b-445e-a038-3da95d78ed59" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202023-07-15T021035.226.png" />

India Gate,&nbsp;originally called All-India War Memorial, is a sandstone arch in New Delhi, dedicated to the troops of British India who laid their lives during first world war | AFP

At a war memorial of Neuve-Chapelle, in the north of France, the names of fallen soldiers hint upon their Indian origins – just like the ones whose names are engraved on India Gate.&nbsp;

Commemorative ceremonies are now held to honour the sacrifices made by the Indians who died while saving France from falling into German hands.&nbsp;

For the last three decades, Ramesh Chander Vohra, 75, founder and president of Interfaith Shaheedi Commemoration Association (IFSC) has been spending his savings and later his pension funds to commemorate the sacrifices of Indians who died protecting France in the twentieth century.&nbsp;

In the 2010s, the governments of France, the United States and various European countries planned numerous military ceremonies to celebrate the centenary of victory in the former battlefields of first world war. The Indian soldiers were the great forgotten in these ceremonies, Vohra noted.

On August 30, 2015, Vohra organised an interfaith prayer at the Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial site, attended by over a dozen local mayors.

Vedic mantras, verses from the Koran, Shabads of Shri Granth Sahib and Christian psalms were&nbsp;chanted in for the peace of departed souls of the Indian soldiers of diverse religious backgrounds.&nbsp;<img alt="Vohra image" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="836441ee-f55c-4132-9512-4b43eefd1b2b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202023-07-15T031510.573.png" />

Ramesh Chandra Vohra (Centre) during the interfaith prayer at the Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial site on August 30, 2015 | By special arrangement

"The French culture as a whole recognises and respects their contributions, fostering a sense of gratitude and remembrance," Vohra told WION.&nbsp;

"I have even purchased land next to the Neuve Chapelle monument and aim to put up a statue in the memory of their gallant contribution," he added.&nbsp;

On Friday, 107 years after they first marched on French streets during a victory parade after saving France from falling into German hands, the Indian troops marched into Paris again.

The Indian tri-services contingent added spectacle to Bastille Day Parade, marching down the tree-lined Champs-Elysee avenue, wowing the crowd in the French capital — Ramesh Chandra Vohra one among them.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Marching together towards a forever friendship…<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianArmedForces?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianArmedForces</a> contingent displayed immaculate and synchronised drill movements at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BastilleDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BastilleDay</a> celebrations in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/France?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#France</a>. The participation of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianArmy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianArmy</a> contingent in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FrenchNationalDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FrenchNationalDay</a> celebrations reinforces the… <a href="https://t.co/3vv6jRt1Qx">pic.twitter.com/3vv6jRt1Qx</a>
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) <a href="https://twitter.com/adgpi/status/1679862966886502400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

According to historian-filmmaker Vijay Singh's 2016-film 'Farewell My Indian Soldier', the letters sent home by Indian soldiers were full of praises for the French.&nbsp;For the French people in Somme region, the Indian battalions were perceived as liberators who had left their tropical country to face the cold for&nbsp;their aid.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Indian soldiers at Champs-Élysées at the military parade of July 14, 1916. At the time this snapshot, the Battle of the Somme, in which the Indian Expeditionary Force (IEF) were fighting, had already begun. This was given as a gift by Prez Macron to PM Modi. <a href="https://t.co/FQbcGvIccv">https://t.co/FQbcGvIccv</a> <a href="https://t.co/26ZtPty9s6">pic.twitter.com/26ZtPty9s6</a>
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) <a href="https://twitter.com/sidhant/status/1679801790156374017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

A soldier's letter was quoted as saying by an article authored by Singh for The Indian Express in 2019: "Over here, marriage is never under 18 and by consent of both the parties. No man can beat his wife. This injustice happens only in India! Man and woman live together in harmony."&nbsp;

Another soldier noted that French girls came out on streets when Indian cavalrymen were trasferred out of a village. A placard read: "Indian soldiers are departing. Mademoiselle France pleure! Miss France is in tears!"

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Over a century ago, Sepoy Kapur Singh of 69th Punjabis regiment of erstwhile British Indian Army left his home in Ambala town in northern India. Sepoy Kapur, husband of Asa Dai, did not return home.

Over a century ago, Sepoy Kapur Singh of 69th Punjabis regiment of erstwhile British Indian Army left his home in Ambala town in northern India. Sepoy Kapur, husband of Asa Dai, did not return home. Like Sepoy Kapur Singh, Rifleman Deb Sing Bisht of 39th Garhwal Rifles from Chamoli town of present-day Uttarakhand did not return home either. Rifleman Deb Sing Bisht's memorial stone at Neuville-Sous-Montreuil Indian Cemetery, in Pas-de-Calais, France | Commonwealth War Grave Commission Sepoy Kapur Singh and Rifleman Deb Singh Bisht themselves lived under colonial rule. But on French land during the first world war, they fought to keep democratic values of Equality, Liberty and Fraternity alive — laying their lives for the modern democratic values alien to their homeland at the time. One of the seminal pictures of World War-I is that of a French woman greeting Indian Sikh soldiers in Paris in 1916 at a site not far from Bastille Day's Celebrations on July 14, 2023 where India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour | Toor Collection About 1.4 million Indian soldiers served during World War-I, of which 1,40,000 battled in the north of France and Belgium. Over 74,000 soldiers from the Indian subcontinent laid their lives during the five-year period between 1914 to 1919, of which 7,000 were killed on their line of duties in France and Belgium – paying the ultimate price in a foreign, unknown land. 1916 to 2023 Solidarity, Friendship & Spirit endure.....#BastilleDay #IndiaFranceFriendship pic.twitter.com/sH2OkozhjV — ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) July 14, 2023 × After India’s freedom from the British, while the centre of power in New Delhi came to be symbolised by the monumental sandstone arch built by the British in the memory of troops who died in the first world war, in France – until recently – the mainstream awareness about Indians who died protecting French lands during the first world war was scarce. This has changed in recent years. India Gate, originally called All-India War Memorial, is a sandstone arch in New Delhi, dedicated to the troops of British India who laid their lives during first world war | AFP At a war memorial of Neuve-Chapelle, in the north of France, the names of fallen soldiers hint upon their Indian origins – just like the ones whose names are engraved on India Gate. Commemorative ceremonies are now held to honour the sacrifices made by the Indians who died while saving France from falling into German hands. For the last three decades, Ramesh Chander Vohra, 75, founder and president of Interfaith Shaheedi Commemoration Association (IFSC) has been spending his savings and later his pension funds to commemorate the sacrifices of Indians who died protecting France in the twentieth century. In the 2010s, the governments of France, the United States and various European countries planned numerous military ceremonies to celebrate the centenary of victory in the former battlefields of first world war. The Indian soldiers were the great forgotten in these ceremonies, Vohra noted. On August 30, 2015, Vohra organised an interfaith prayer at the Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial site, attended by over a dozen local mayors. Vedic mantras, verses from the Koran, Shabads of Shri Granth Sahib and Christian psalms were chanted in for the peace of departed souls of the Indian soldiers of diverse religious backgrounds. Ramesh Chandra Vohra (Centre) during the interfaith prayer at the Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial site on August 30, 2015 | By special arrangement "The French culture as a whole recognises and respects their contributions, fostering a sense of gratitude and remembrance," Vohra told WION. "I have even purchased land next to the Neuve Chapelle monument and aim to put up a statue in the memory of their gallant contribution," he added. On Friday, 107 years after they first marched on French streets during a victory parade after saving France from falling into German hands, the Indian troops marched into Paris again. The Indian tri-services contingent added spectacle to Bastille Day Parade, marching down the tree-lined Champs-Elysee avenue, wowing the crowd in the French capital — Ramesh Chandra Vohra one among them. Marching together towards a forever friendship…#IndianArmedForces contingent displayed immaculate and synchronised drill movements at the #BastilleDay celebrations in #France. The participation of the #IndianArmy contingent in the #FrenchNationalDay celebrations reinforces the… pic.twitter.com/3vv6jRt1Qx — ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) July 14, 2023 × According to historian-filmmaker Vijay Singh's 2016-film 'Farewell My Indian Soldier', the letters sent home by Indian soldiers were full of praises for the French. For the French people in Somme region, the Indian battalions were perceived as liberators who had left their tropical country to face the cold for their aid. Indian soldiers at Champs-Élysées at the military parade of July 14, 1916. At the time this snapshot, the Battle of the Somme, in which the Indian Expeditionary Force (IEF) were fighting, had already begun. This was given as a gift by Prez Macron to PM Modi. https://t.co/FQbcGvIccv pic.twitter.com/26ZtPty9s6 — Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) July 14, 2023 × A soldier's letter was quoted as saying by an article authored by Singh for The Indian Express in 2019: "Over here, marriage is never under 18 and by consent of both the parties. No man can beat his wife. This injustice happens only in India! Man and woman live together in harmony." Another soldier noted that French girls came out on streets when Indian cavalrymen were trasferred out of a village. A placard read: "Indian soldiers are departing. Mademoiselle France pleure! Miss France is in tears!" WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Cast From The Past: Indians who died protecting France during first World War

cast-from-the-past

Cast From The Past, News on Cast From The Past, stories on Cast From The Past, articles on Cast From The Past, Cast From The Past stories at Wion, Cast From The Past news, Cast From The Past latest news

cast from-the-past