*Well, it might surprise you but Indian leadership was actually napping despite the regional hostilities. Nehru was working on "Hindi Cheeni Bhai Bhai" while the Chinese were making military preparations. Similarly, Pak was also not seen as a threat (big mistake). The situation was repeated by Vajpayee in 1999 with the bus trip & other peace overtures towards Pak, while Pak was planning Kargil. Luckily we were much better off militarily in 1999 compared to 1965 and that helped us.
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China never accepted the Macmahon line. I think stating that the Indian leadership was caught "napping" not accurate. When you have a country that did not accept the British drawn borders and took a chunk of Kashmir, you're telling us that the leadership was "napping"?
Pakistan may not have been seen as big of a threat as China, but considering a war had already been fought over Kashmir, do you think that ANY country that has been involved in open hostilities would not be considered a threat? The US fears the rise of China even when they have never fought directly in open conflict and entangled economically.
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Pak tried to use local support in Kashmir in 1965 to defeat India, but that plan backfired. India used that same tactic successfully in 1971. As they say what goes around, comes around...
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True, any separatist movement has to be indigenous. I don't think India should be claiming credit for West Pakistan's political and military mistakes in East Pakistan. We had lost Bangladesh well before Indians overtly intervened. Also the key difference between Kashmir and E. Pakistan is that one was an internationally recognized disputed territory while the other was an accepted part of Pakistan.
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India cannot match up to China in conventional military prowess. The Chinese economy is a lot bigger, and they spend a bigger chunk of their GDP on defence spending. However, China realizes that India will not be a push over in a war and a war with India would cause a great loss to the Chinese economy. So for now, I dont expect China to initiate open hostilities.**
I don't either. Simply too much to lose when it comes to the economic progress in China. But this should still give you pause because for all the Indian gloating against the wars with Pakistan, you have to admit that the actual regional competitor (China) is still in a far stronger position. Besides Pakistan needs to deal with issues on it's Western borders and shore up it's fledgling economy.