Posted on: Jun 27, '08
Rest in Peace FM Manekshaw
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Click here to view original postPadma Vibhushan and Military Cross awardee former Army Chief Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw succumbed to lung illness and passed away last night. FM Manekshaw had developed "acute broncho pneumonia" with associated complications and his condition had been serious for the past four days and he slipped into coma.
May his soul rest in peace.
Now I'm copy pasting...
Manekshaw had led India to victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
He assumed charge of the Indian Army, as the 8th Chief of Army Staff, on June 07, 1969. Born in Amritsar, Punjab in April 1914, he completed his schooling in Amritsar and Sherwood College, Nainital. He then joined the first batch of 40 cadets at Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehra Dun on 01 October 1932.
He passed out of the IMA in December 1934 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Indian Army. He held several regimental assignments and was first attached to the Royal Scouts and later to the 12 Frontier Force Rifles.
Manekshaw succeeded General Kumaramangalam as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in June 1969.
For his selfless service to the nation, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1972 and was conferred with the honorary rank of Field Marshal in January 1973. He retired a fortnight later on 15 January 1973, after completing nearly four decades of military service.
There also was a controversy associated with his name, which was baseless actually.
Gohar Ayub Khan, son of former Pakistani President Ayub Khan, in an interview with Karan Thapar on CNN IBN on May 8, 2007, made allegations that a very high ranking general of the Indian Army had sold War Plans to Pakistan during the 1965 War. Refusing to name the person, Khan described him to Thapar in hints as a brigadier who was Director of Military Operations.
On being asked by Thapar whether he was talking about Manekshaw, Gohar Khan replied, "I can’t name him. I have given hints... you fit the cap". This news came one week after the release of Ayub's father's memoirs.
However, the allegations drew strong criticisms and skepticism from within the Indian Military establishment.
It has been pointed out that Indian Military doctrine underwent considerable change after the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Moreover, it was also pointed out that the Pakistani Military should have been in a better position to win the 1965 war if they were indeed in possession of the Indian Army's battle plans, as opposed to the war situation that forced Ayub Khan to sign the Tashkent Agreement. Defense Analysts have also noted that Gohar Ayub Khan has in the past been known to make statements without credibility.
It has also been suggested that he was eager to gain publicity for his forthcoming autobiography by making these claims. Other sources note that fake plans may have planted by Indian Intelligence Agencies, in order to fool the Pakistan Army.
Tags: news, manekshaw, field marshal, fm manekshaw, sam, india, military, pakistan, war
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