In the SISS Faculty Conversation Series, @Rabs_AA was joined by the inimitable Brig.Feroz Khan. Here is a thread on it ,giving my views on it and putting out some interesting things from the conversation.
100 mins and 26 seconds of the conversation were worth every bit. There are many reasons to like this video.
I was sick and tired of listening to all similar kinds of conversations on nuclear weapons, crisis stability, escalation etc. This was a refreshing, significant departure from those .
The juxtaposition of his life history and evolution of thoughts with those of Pakistan was artistic and powerfully stimulating. It also went on to show that we actually were well ahead of our times in terms of developing a base for nuclear knowledge.
His story about Eating Grass was heart rending, yes ,I mean it. Indeed it a gargantuan effort to get the country's narrative out as a sole warrior in a hostile terrain !!!!! Salutations galore!
Rest ,his points on India and the genie it has brought out were spot on and so were his views on FP, national power and the future of geopolitics.
It is difficult to keep quiet when one knows the subject and is an expert , too, but you, @Rabs_AA, did a great job of letting him speak without getting on with your own ruminations. A lot many people should learn this art! 😎
So, Brig.Feroz started off his talk by referring the charm and enthusiasm of joining the armed forces for teenagers. He also talked about the vibrancy of the country back in the 1960s.
Glad he mentioned how senior officers in those days were scholar-soldiers . A culture of reading and writing waa prevalent in the Pakistan Army.
Indeed , 47 L/C passed out early due to the war. Hence , he was amongst the youngest and junior-most to see combat in the 1971 war. He did allude to the shock and impact it had on not only him, but his peers and Pakistan. The paradigm changed....
Talking about his transition and career trajectory, Brig. Khan appreciated how the military leadership chose and sent mid-career officers to top universities for higher studies .That was something different from sending them to Camberley or Fort Leavenworth.
@threadreaderapp unroll.
