It all happened 50 years ago. On 18 October 1962, the Chinese Central Military Committee met formally to approve the decision for a “self defence counterattack war” against India. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was given an operational order to “liquidate the invading Indian army, with operations to commence on 20 October”. On the night of 19/20 October, the PLA crossed the McMahon Line into Aksai Chin and NEFA (present day Arunachal Pradesh), and won decisive victories, wiping out Indian ‘forward policy’ posts. By 24 October, the Chinese had the area they claimed in Ladakh under their control. In NEFA, they had overrun all Indian posts along the McMahon Line.

India was humiliated when China unilaterally announced a ceasefire on 21 November 1962. A diplomatic, political and military failure, 1962 continues to haunt us even today. Others were also guilty but Nehru, who had been the Prime Minister for all 15 years of independent India then, has to be blamed for the debacle. Diplomatically, he failed to prevent the war. The negotiations with the Chinese exacerbated the situation. Neither the Soviets nor the Americans intervened during the war. Militarily, Nehru and his defence minister tasked the army beyond its capacity. The army was unprepared, ill-equipped, poorly-led and dependent on non-existent communication links. Politically, Nehru, trapped by his own rhetoric over China, succumbed to belligerent parliamentary and public opinion.