1965 war
During a lull in the firing, I took a quick tour of the deserted streets of Khem Karan, and felt very proud.... I wrote my first letter during the war to my mother, proudly saying that I was writing from India.
1971 war
When I was telling my troops about the ceasefire, the surrender of our 90,000 personnel (military and civilian)..., I broke down and cried. All my brave soldiers cried with me.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
He (Bhutto) was really a fascist....
Kargil
I would like to state emphatically that whatever movement has taken place so far in the direction of finding a solution to Kashmir is due considerably to the Kargil conflict.
India raised the level of some of its achievements to mythical proportions. A hilarious example of this was the announcement of India's highest award for gallantry, given to a soldier posthumously, because he had died in the line of duty. Later, they found that the man was very much alive.
The Agra Summit
I told him (Vajpayee) bluntly that there seemed to be someone above the two of us who had the power to overrule us. I also said that today both of us had been humiliated. He just sat there, speechless.
No one from the media was allowed to enter either Vajpayee's hotel or mine. So much for freedom of expression in "the largest democracy in the world".
The 2002 Border Crisis
The standoff lasted ten months. Then the Indians blinked and quite ignominiously agreed to a mutual withdrawal of forces.
Visit to Delhi, April 18, 2005
April 18, 2005, began with the cricket match. Unfortunately for my hosts...Shahid Afridi clobbered virtually every ball that the Indians bowled at him.... Like any normal cricket fan I wanted to jump out of my seat shouting and clapping, but I had to control enthusiasm in deference to my hosts....
On Manmohan Singh
The initial signs of sincerity and flexibility that I sensed in Manmohan Singh seem to be withering away. I think the Indian establishment—the bureaucrats, diplomats, and intelligence agencies and perhaps even the military—has gotten the better of him.
His Kashmir Formula
First, identify the geographic regions of Kashmir that need resolution. Second, demilitarise the identified region or regions and curb all military aspects of the struggle for freedom. Third, introduce self-governance or self-rule in the identified region or regions. Fourth, and most important, have a joint management mechanism with a membership consisting of Pakistanis, Indians and Kashmiris overseeing self-governance and dealing with residual subjects....
