Waqar K Kauravi and Umar Waqar
How do you feel if your parents and ancestors are abused every day, and on top of that you are told to keep quite? That’s is the precise reason that nations across the world develop a positive narrative about their past. History is the story of your ancestors, and for nation it is the medium of connection to their culture and roots. Recent discussion in Pakistan to rewrite our history has more to do with political point scoring then objectivity.
Before highlighting the significance of 65 War in Indo Pakistan context, let’s have a bird eye view of how modern nations write and preserve their history. As stated by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe”
No nation would write her history in a strategically negative tone, taking the blamefor their ancestors and telling the whole truth. When Americas were being colonized, a great massacre and genocide of indigenous people was taking place. Although some people with conscience ventured in research to call it a genocide, for 400 years this ugly face of colonizing powers of Europe was hidden from the rest of the world. Today after 400 years we are being told that in 1491, about 145 million people lived in the western hemisphere. By 1691, the population of indigenous Americans had declined by 90-95 percent that is ruthless genocide of 130 million people within a span of 200 years. No one really knows that lost tribes of North America likeSioux,Pawnee,Apaches,Pawnees,Piute,Cherooki, Chocktaw and Shoshone who once inhabited the vast grass lands of present day United States are becoming extinct and their names now just adore some military weapon systems of American military.
The genocide of indigenous people of Americas, Africa and Australia by European colonists is the biggest tragedy in human history, but how many people in the world know about it?
A small glimpse is of initial Spanish conquest of the Americas which led to genocide of eight million indigenous people, marking the first large-scale act of genocide of the modern era. In his famous treatise Brevísimarelación de la destrucción de lasIndias "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies" Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas concluded that indigenous population on the Spanish colony of Hispaniola was decimated and reduced from 400,000 to 200 in a few decades.
The saffron bandits of RSS cabal currently ruling India are also re writing their history. The problem in writing history of India is that you find very few indigenous heroes to celebrate, as India remained in constant direct or indirect slavery for her modern history of last 1500 years. What Modi’s RSS cabal has come out is a formula to artificially tailor Indian history where it is being thrust into the throats of Indian people that Hindutva Civilization had its glorious past of bravery, freedom and advances in science and technology. As reported in FirstPost, certain Indian scientists and professors have already claimed to have discovered plastic surgery, IVF and motor cars during Vedic times. A prominent professor in Mumbai has said that Hindu epics are all we need to understand the ancient world. He says we shouldn't rely on modern evidence or research.Ever since PM NarendraModi's accession there has been a surge in nationalist sentiments of a strange kind - as if a section of India has been on a trip to rewrite history.
The Indian Science Congress organisers under the patronage of Modi government decided to slip Vedic mythology about aviation into their conference held in 4 January this year in Mumbai. One of the speakers, Captain Anand J Bodas told Mumbai Mirror aeroplane was a vehicle discovered in the Vedic age which could not just move from one country to another, but also from one planet to another. "In those days aeroplanes were huge in size, and could move left, right, as well as backwards, unlike modern planes which only fly forward," he said.Modi even went up to announcing that the good old Vedic UranKhatola was actually a space ship and that Hindu doctors did cesarean surgery 2000 years ago.Frequently quoted incidents of advancement in medical science include such gold pieces:
The Rigveda - the earliest account of ancient Indian civilization - mentions that AshwiniKumaras known as Dev Vaidya were the chief surgeons of Vedic periods, who had performed rare legendary surgical operations which included the first plastic surgery to re-join the head and trunk of saint Chyavana when Dakshya cut his head.
Their other classic work included an eye operation of Reejashva, the implantation of teeth of Phushna in the toothless mouth, and the transplant of head of elephant on Ganesh whose head was cut by Lord Shiva.
Last 1500 years of Military history of India is actually a series of defeats and surrenders to smaller nations like Central Asians,Persians, Arabs, Afghans, Mughals, and even the British; however the Saffron cabal is now building the legends of local heroes hailing form Marathas, Gurkhas, Jaats, Rajputs, Santhals, Sanyasis and many others .
While building our narrative on Military history of Pakistan, we don’t have to start it from 1947; we are a people of Indus Valley who actually dominated the Sub Continent and especially the Ganges valley throughout its recorded history. Even fall of East Pakistan should be seen in historical context as it was one surrender by people of Indus Valley; what about scores of surrenders and hundreds of wars and battles won by people of Indus Valley against the people of Ganges Valley.
65 War becomes significant as Pakistani Defence Forces blunted a much bigger military force of India and did not lose the war.In Chawinda a major Tank battle against pride of Indian Armythe First Armoured Division resulted in a clash between David and Goliath, Pakistani units not only blunted the assault but pushed back Indian armour in depleted form.
PAF and Pakistan Navy wrote their own chapters of glorious battles and dominated the Air and Maritime space in South Asia; this was by no means insignificant, thanks to our sailors and pilots. Dwarka, Halwara, Adampore and Pathankot were pulverized by smart and astute employment of PAF and Pakistan Navy.Our heroes like Major Aziz Bhatti, MM Alam and KaramtNiazi wrote new chapters of gallantry and devotion.
65 War gave us our heroes from recent past, the folklore generated by this war through TV, film and print medium is not a fiction but a testimony to the heroic fight by our heroes; this needs to be repeatedly told to our future generations so that they remain connected to their history. Pakistan as responsible nuclear power is there to stay; undue criticism of our military history will not serve the nation, it’s about our heroes and their supreme sacrifices for the people of Pakistan.
Next time when you study history of Pakistan,try linking it with your glorious past,our heroes and captains of war,our thinkers and philosophers,our scientists and empire builders,our engineers and artisans,our farmers and artists and those who wrote our common history.Connect yourself with the civilization of Indus valley,a hardworking and creative people who developed one of the first models of organized life and civilization,however defended their people and culture through a constant struggle of gigantic proportions,travelling on apath paved with sweat and blood.
Thewriters are freelance collumnists,waqarkauravi@gmail.com