1947- After 200 years under British rule, British India gained its Independence. As per the Indian Independence Act passed in the Westminster Parliament, the British Raj was partitioned into two separate independent nations, Secular Dominion of India under the elected Prime Minister Vallabhai Patel and Muslim dominated Dominion of Pakistan.
(Change of leadership - Vallabhai Patel was a man of action and known for his support for his armed forces and a strong united nation, both internal and external power projection. Thus Nehru becoming his deputy here instead )
1947/48- First Indo-Pak War. Both nations were still suffering from the communal violence that had ensued following the partition when an armed conflict arose on the question of who will take the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. The war began with a surprise Pakistan sponsored raider attack, overwhelming the State forces.
The ruler of the state, King Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession, which allowed the Indian Army to move in and fight off the raiders. Consequently, regular Pakistani Armed Forces entered combat and, after a year of intense fighting, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire. They left Pakistan with a third of Kashmir and India the rest.
[The Point of Divergence]
August 1950- India answers the call to arms by the United Nations and sends 6 Battalions (4200 soldiers) of the 1st Gorkha Rifles and an Army Medical unit 60th Parachute Field Ambulance to assist the Republic of Korea (South Koreans) in the Korean war. This act puts India to be seen in a better light by the United States and its allies. Indian troops would go on to fight commendably in the war, gaining widespread recognition from the western nations.
October 1950- The People’s Republic of China’s occupation of Tibet spooks the Indian government, as Tibet existed as a Buffer state between the two Asian giants, and now China has direct access to Indian borders and a loss of a friendly nation. Even with insistence from Nehru, his deputy, Patel would go on to authorize the Indian Military to draw up plans for any future confrontation with the PRC.
October 1951 - Assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan in Pakistan with a Pro-Soviet leader taking charge forces USA to rethink its policy in South Asia, forcing them to assist India to counterbalance the sudden shift of balance. Already in good graces of the states after India’s participation in the Korean war.
1953 - End of the Korean War with the signing of an armistice. The war made the Americans look at India as a strong regional ally in Asia and in their endeavour against the spread of Communism and began providing monetary aid to the Indian Republic for their development both in the civilian and defense sector. This action by the United States forced Pakistan now under communist leadership, and India’s regional rival, to turn to the USSR, who were not so readily eager to assist them as they were not part of the Soviet Bloc even though being on its way to become a communist state.
September 1954- Signing of the South East Asia Collective Defence Treaty aka, Manila Pact which led to the formation of the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO). For the time being, India was an observer state. After months of negotiations and assurances, a formal relationship with the USSR and Pakistan began. At the end of the year, Pakistan changed its name to the People’s Republic of Pakistan to be more aligned with Soviet policies.
February 1961- Following Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba’s execution by Katangan forces during the Congo Crisis, the Security Council passed a Resolution 161 condemning the Congolese Prime Minister’s death. Meanwhile, the Indian Government sent a brigade of 4700 troops of the Indian Army to Congo as part of the United Nations Operation in Congo (ONUC). As the crisis continued, the presence of the Indian Army and UN Coalition Forces would grow as well.
August 1961- Under the command of Brigadier-General K.A.S. Raja of the Indian Army, the UN launched Operation Rumpunch, which led to the peaceful surrender of 78 foreign mercenaries because of the surprise attack.
September 1961- The 99th Indian Infantry Brigade launched Operation Morthor (Hindi: Twist and Break) where they swiftly took over Katanga. During this eight-day operation, the Irish Army took part in the Siege of Jadotville, where they fought to the last bullet without the loss of their own.
December 1961- Indian Annexation of Goa. Despite multiple petitions and appeals to Portugal, including from nations such as Britain, France and the United States, to hand over the region of Goa back to India, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio de Oliveira Salazar refused all diplomatic efforts. On 10th December 1961, an official cable was sent to the Government of Portugal from the Government of India giving the former a seven-day ultimatum, before which the Indian Government would use the force of arms to take back “What is rightful Indian soil”.
Thinking it was a bluff and that the Indian Government wouldn’t do it, the Portuguese Government ignored the cable. Finally, on 17th December 1961, the Indian Government made good on its promise and began hostilities with simultaneous attacks on the Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu. The Portuguese garrison surrendered to the Indian Armed Forces on 19th December. Thus, allowing the former Colony to begin its reintegration back into India.
The action was heavily criticised by Portugal and India’s neighbour, Pakistan. However, NATO nations like the United States, United Kingdom and France remained ambivalent in their statement. Only calling for the “Peaceful Resolution of the Situation”. In contrast, the Soviet Union congratulated India for its decisive action. They feared that this action may alienate India from the West.
Though it will later be revealed, India had struck a deal with the United States to allow US Naval vessels to dock at Indian harbours to resupply and eventually led to construction of a submarine base in the 1980s.
1962- Sino-Indian war - Because of the frosty relationship between the Republic of India and the People’s Republic of China, followed by the Chinese invasion of Tibet, war breaks out between the two Asian giants.
Primary reason being because of the dispute over the demarcation of their Himalayan border, another reason being to punish India for supporting South Koreans during the Korean War and giving refuge to the Dalai Lama. The Indian Army had multiple war plans ready to be executed at a moment’s notice and many contingencies prepared, under the Korean war Veteran General KS Thimayya, who had valuable field experience on how the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) operated and fought its wars.
With robust border defenses, Indian forces fought ferocious waves of Chinese attacks. The Indian Air Force was brought in to provide close air support for the outnumbered Indian units, however because of the mountainous terrain and the more mass infantry doctrine of China and the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) joining the fight, though in limited numbers, due to the shortage of proper air bases in Tibet, they failed to hold the Chinese back for too long, but managed to cause heavy casualties among the PLA ranks.
Thimayya learned from his American Counterpart General Matthew Ridgeway's, “Nevermind the towns bring me prisoners'' strategy in dealing with the PVA (People's Volunteer Army). He focused on destroying the Chinese attack forces by making them pay for every inch of ground taken. Again, it was expendable Chinese numbers against expendable Indian firepower and a nation’s fired resolve at the home-front following a fiery speech of the Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, successor of Patel who geared up the nation for a total war.
After a month of heavy fighting, the war ended in a unilateral ceasefire from the Chinese. They had taken enough losses and Chairman Mao decided to end it before it escalated further. He knew an entire US Battlegroup was on its way to the Indian Ocean, but unknown to him and his intelligence wing, India was just days away from running out of ammunition to throw at the Chinese.
The war ended in a stalemate with minor Chinese gains in the Aksai Chin. Though touted as a major victory by the PRC and its propaganda machinery.
The war would take a massive toll on the aging Prime Minister, who would pass away in his sleep a year after the war. Power would soon be handed over to the first Indian Woman Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. Who during her first week in the office would begin working on modernising the Indian armed forces. Now receiving more aid from the United States.
December 1962- Following a brazen attack on UN Peacekeepers by the Katangan Gendarmes, a retaliatory offensive was authorised by UN Secretary General U Thant. Four days later, Indian Army Major General Dewan Prem Chand launched Operation Grandslam and UN Troops seized downtown Elisabethville by the end of the day.
January 1963- During their offensive on remaining strongholds in Southern Katanga, Indian Peacekeepers controversially surpassed their orders when they crossed the Lufira River ahead of schedule, causing panic behind Katangan Lines.
Recognising the untenability of his position, Moise Tshombe, President of the Unrecognised Secessionist State of Katanga, sued for peace on 15th January 1963 and signed an instrument of surrender two days later, ending the Katangan secession.
1964-After the loss of the 1962 war, a massive defense deal was signed. Mirage IIIs, with option to upgrade to the 5 variant, M113 APCs, FN FAL licence to manufacture in India and many more were purchased.
Jan 1965- With the Americans intensifying their operations in Vietnam, India volunteered to assist them by first sending the Veteran 1st Gorkha Rifles that also served in the Korean War.
Throughout the Vietnam War, 1GR was a constant presence during India’s participation and had earned many battle honours, including being awarded the Presidential Unit Citation by the President of the United States. Other regiments were sent on a rotating basis, and many Defence Analysts at the time claimed that the Indian Army was using the Vietnam War as an excuse to train its troops in actual war conditions. India became a full-fledged member of SEATO following this receiving a title “The Bulwark of Democracy in South Asia against ravages of Communism in Asia” from then US president Lyndon B. Johnson.
1965- 2nd Indo-Pak war- Armed with the latest Soviet weapons, Pakistan launched a surprise attack on India, catching the Indian Armed Forces off guard. With all the focus towards the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Western borders were not well guarded and Pakistan exploited this. Though facing heavy casualties compared to their opponents on the field, the Indian forces would soon push into West Punjab before a ceasefire would be declared, brokered by the Americans and Soviets.
Pakistan did not inform the Soviet government of their plans beforehand and had to put their foot down before the conflict in the sub-continent escalated into World War 3 as the fear from the Cuban Missile Crisis was still clear in the minds of both the superpowers.
It was also proven the British L7A1 guns fitted on to Vickers MBTs and modernized Centurions could knock out the Soviet T 54/ 55s and obliterated T-34/85 used by the Pakistan people’s army.
1968- Throughout 1968, the North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam along with the Viet Cong, while receiving tactical training and intelligence from the KGB and other types of support from the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, launched a massive campaign of surprise attacks against military and civilian command-and-control centers throughout South Vietnam in what goes on to be known as the Tet Offensive.
Even the Indian forces were not untouched and the worst casualties were suffered by Indian Armed Forces-Vietnam (IAF-V) during the Tet Offensive. The Indian Army base near the Son Nhut Air Base came under heavy attack from the Vietcong and PAVN units, coinciding with their attack on the airbase. Caught completely off guard, the base was soon surrounded and faced with heavy mortar and HMG fire, resulting in heavy casualties for the Indians. The Indian forces, however, were able to hold off repeated attempts to breach the base defenses and even engaged in brutal hand to hand fighting. By the next morning, after the commencement of the attack, ARVN reinforcements arrived to help relieve the base.
Luckily, the South Vietnamese government almost immediately launched a counter-offensive and defeated the Communist forces in detail. Like in the United States, a major anti-war movement began growing in India. Anti-communist movements denouncing North Vietnam and supporting the IAF-V deployment would counter them.
President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam recognized the need to take strong action and also the authority and capability of his second-in-command, Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky. Thus, President Thieu stepped down from office and allowed his Vice President to step in to take control and rally the nation. The New President would go on to order for full mobilization of the nation’s armed forces.
The Republic of South Vietnam retaliated on a full-scale offensive against North Vietnam in October as ARVN troops crossed the 17th Parallel under intense and near fanatic PAVN defense, US Forces providing air support and clearing taking over the skies over North Vietnam.
This action allowed the U.S. Government to convince the media to spin the Tet Offensive as an underhanded and cowardly tactic, which awakened a sleeping giant. Because of this, as it grew, the anti-war movement also quickly faced opposition from Americans supporting the war. Outraged as many saw the Tet Offensive as a dirty and dishonourable tactic.
1971- 3rd Indo-Pak war.- Operation Searchlight carried out by the Pakistani Army and ISI. To stem the flow of Bengali refugees, India declared war on Pakistan despite knowing there was a good chance for the USSR to directly intervene on Pakistan’s side
The United States dispatched the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet’s Task Force 74, led by the USS Enterprise, to the Bay of Bengal as a security measure against any Soviet strikes. Similarly, a Royal Navy Task Force was deployed to the Arabian Sea. The Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea used its full strength to destroy Karachi Port and a good amount of the Pakistani Navy that was stationed there, effectively winning the war in the sea. Near Vishakapatnam, the Indian Navy sank PNS Ghazni, a Soviet-made submarine that had been sold to Pakistan and was considered to be the Pride of the Pakistani Navy.
On the Western Front, the Indian Army and Air Force fought Pakistan, knowing that the Soviets could intervene at any time. Thus, instead of an offensive, they fought to hold the line and not allow Pakistan to take one step forward. The only offensive operations that were carried out were by the Indian Army’s Special Forces in conducting cross-border raids. Inversely, in the Eastern Front, the Indian Army and Air Force hammered the East Pakistan Armed Forces with unseen ferocity. That, along with lightning guerilla raids conducted by the Mukti Bahini, thoroughly harassed the Pakistani Army.
By 15th December 1971, The Indian Army surrounded Dhaka and completely cut off the 30,000 Pakistani troops in the city from the rest of the world. While Field Commanders were ready to siege the city and use the Indian Air Force to start precision air strikes against military installations in the city, Major General JFR Jacob of the Indian Army was sent to meet with General Niazi to negotiate a surrender. Major General Jacob returned with General Niazi’s unconditional surrender and the word was spread to all Pakistani Forces to lay down their arms.
The people of Dhaka gave the Indian Army a hero’s welcome, and 90,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian Army. The largest since World War Two and a massive embarrassment to the Warsaw Pact.
This resulted in the birth of a new nation called Bangladesh.
1973- The KGB used every tactic in its arsenal to not allow Pakistan to fall into Islamic extremism, going from bribing top political leaders and Military Generals to assassinating anyone who did not support their narrative (aka Counter-Revolutionary Thought). To quench the Pakistani Army’s demands for more armament, the USSR replenished all the equipment lost to the Indians within two years.
May 1974- Operation Smiling Buddha is executed at the Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan, India. They sent the message to the world that India had the ability and willingness to develop and test Nuclear Weapons on its own accord. This brought a lot of criticism towards India. However, it is also believed that despite their public stance; the Americans had knowingly provided India materials for a Nuclear Weapon to keep the Soviet Union and the Chinese in check.
1975- The success of the South Vietnam/US retaliation for the Tet Offensive against North Vietnam and with the fall of Hanoi was imminent. North Vietnam (and the Soviet Union) was forced on the negotiating table by the middle of 1970. By the end of 1970, Vietnam would reunite as the Republic of Vietnam while under the leadership of President Nguyen Cao Ky, who soon ordered fresh elections to be held to appoint ministers and representatives as a show of restoring unity in the nation, while maintaining the fragile peace.
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After the war, the Communist Party of Vietnam was outlawed and its most radical supporters arrested or purged, however, in recognition of the Soviet Union’s willingness to end the war and President Ky’s recognition of the fact that the Communists were closer to the Vietnamese people and their desires for social justice and independent life, minor Communist elements were allowed to remain and even allowed very minor positions of power.
This made the new government begin programs of redistribution and quota programs for several farms. The new administration however scrapped the land collectivization programs, as they were ineffective. With Western (and to some extent, Soviet support), Vietnam could begin industrialization and saw production output rise dramatically.
The Emergency Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency across the country. Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352 of the Constitution because of the prevailing "internal disturbance", the Emergency was in effect from 25 June 1975 until its withdrawal on 21 March 1977.
The real reasons behind the declaration was Mrs. Gandhi’s paranoia on being dismissed from her post as Prime Minister via a vote of no-confidence from Parliament, the growing opposition to India’s involvement in the Vietnam War by the opposition parties and the public, who called it a senseless war against the self determination of the Vietnamese people.
Furthermore, people questioned the worth of Indian blood spilled on foreign soil. Harsh critics against India’s participation also went as far as terming it as oppressing the freedom of other sovereign people and made comparisons with the pre-Independence British Colonial Government.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi stepped down from her position as Prime Minister following her own cabinet going against her policies very publicly and the Armed Forces clarifying that they will not be getting involved despite the rumours and fear of an army coup to support Mrs. Indira Gandhi. Thus, in 1977, the emergency ended with the resignation of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the following day.
April 1978- Saur Revolution in Afghanistan. The People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) overthrew the Prime Minister Mohammed Daoud Khan, killed him, his family, and purged his supporters and finally renamed the country from the Republic of Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
August 1979- With at least a decade’s work behind it, the firing and arrests of socialist sympathising students, Iran sees a full-blown Communist Revolution in its hand. A month after the Shah and his family fleeing the country, they renamed the Imperial State of Iran into the Democratic People’s Republic of Iran
December 1979- On 27 December 1979, 700 Soviet troops dressed in Afghan uniforms, including KGB and GRU Special Forces officers from the Alpha and Zenith Groups, occupied major governmental, military and media buildings in Kabul, including their primary target, the Tajbeg Palace.
Beginning at 1900 Hrs, the KGB-led Soviet Zenith Group destroyed Kabul's communications hub, paralyzing Afghan military command and began the assault on Tajbeg Palace at 1915 Hrs. By the end of this operation, they killed General Secretary Hafizullah Amin. Simultaneously, other objectives were occupied (e.g., the Ministry of the Interior at 1915 Hrs). The operation was wrapped up by the morning of 28 December 1979. This was the beginning of the Soviet Union’s intervention in Afghanistan.
1980s- Beginning of the Sikh Insurgency in Punjab by Khalistani Separatists in the early 1980s against the Government of India under the leadership of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Many were armed and trained by the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence Agency and received limited support from the USSR’s Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) (KGB).
(Alleged, as this topic is highly controversial, with multiple narratives existing, Some from neutral sources presented as per OTL, he never demanded a separate state and negotiations between him and govt rep before the Operations had been fruitful but sadly the report never reached the PM and the operation was launched).
1984- However, after days of standoff between Bhindranwale’s supporters and the Punjab Police, the central government was able to successfully negotiate with him and could convince the leader to lay down their arms.
Watching their plans crumble under generous assurances and promises by the Govt of India, KGB agents pull the plug on the operation and had him assassinated the same night within the confines of the temple by a communist sympathiser in his group. He is unable to escape and is shot by one of Bhindranwale’s bodyguards, who was fired upon by another sympathiser, and instantly a gun battle within the militants ensued.
Guns those were meant for Govt forces soon turned on each other, and heavy fighting broke out in the Harmandir Singh Complex (Golden Temple) between the insurgents as they split into two groups, ones armed by Pakistan and brainwashed by the KGB and the ones that had actually joined in for the cause and swayed by the charismatic leadership of Bhindranwale.
The government forces stayed out of the Temple Complex until first light until a detachment of SFF (Special Frontier Force), and 700 BSF personnel stormed the temple to root out any resistance. However, when they arrived, the fighting had already died down, with all the Communist Sympathizers killed to a man and only a few of Bhindranwale’s own supporters standing. All the survivors were arrested and taken into custody.
With the involvement of KGB and ISI made public, the Khalistani separatist movement died down, with the militants surrendering their weapons and, in return, were given amnesty by the Government.
The Govt of India also began the formation of a new Counter Terrorism Unit called the National Security Guards (NSG) to tackle similar situations in the future.
End of Mujahideen resistance- In 1984, the Soviet 40th Army and the Afghan Army defeated the main rebels in the Battle of Kunar Province. The next five years were spent mopping up the remaining resistance.
1986-87- Sumdorong Chu standoff and clashes- The clashes and the subsequent short, but bloody skirmishes were initiated by the People's Liberation Army after the deployment of a company of troops in the Sumdorong Chu Valley region, which bordered the Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh and Cona County, Tibet, both claimed by India.
After discovering the Chinese incursion and the fact that the PLA had begun constructing semi-permanent structures in the region, the Indian Armed Forces initiated operation Falcon, where troops were airlifted to the region and they secured dominating heights in the region that surrounded the Chinese intruding party. Soon after, both sides began mobilization of their forces in the region.
With rising tensions on both sides, a sudden gunshot rang throughout the valley on the night of Nov 15, 1986. After a brief moment of quiet, the PLA soldiers opened fire on the Indian positions, which led to the Indian soldiers firing back, resulting in an hour long gun battle that saw 30 Indian and 42 Chinese casualties.
By the night's end, the PLA unit had withdrawn from their position and returned to their border. Both sides blamed each other and the mobilization efforts intensified. Skirmishes were reported all along the border, which led to the total number of casualties of 60 Indian and 66 Chinese.
Before any further escalation could take place, the United States of America and the Soviet Union worked together in trying to calm tensions, as they feared this conflict could turn into another flash point of the Cold War. Both superpowers urged the governments to stand down and resolve the situation through mediation.
China agreed to back down, however, with the conditions that India would apologise and withdraw its troops at least 10 kilometers from the border. In response, the Indian government did not agree to back down, as they held the Chinese responsible for the deaths of their soldiers.
It was then US President Ronald Reagan's threat of cutting off military aid to India, which saw the Indian government backing down and agreeing only to the withdrawal of troops. By 1987, both the nations began demobilising their forces from the region and the danger of another Sino-Indian War, this time with the possibility of nuclear weapons, was averted.
Subsequent independent investigations suggested that the gunshot was really from the Indian side and most probably from negligent discharge of a soldier, however it was never proven, and the entire incident had already been brushed under the rug.
1987-1991 Indian Peacekeeping Force Sri Lanka - Early 1980s Sri Lanka was facing increasingly violent ethnic strife, this would soon turn into the bloody Sri Lankan Civil war. A war between a Sinhalese majority Sri Lankan government and the Tamil insurgents from North and Eastern Tamil dominated regions of Sri Lanka.
The Indian Government was sympathetic to the Tamil insurgents under Indira Gandhi because of the firm support for the Tamil cause within the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Emboldened by this support, supporters in Tamil Nadu provided a sanctuary for the separatists and helped the LTTE smuggle arms and ammunition into Sri Lanka, making them the strongest force on the island.
The Central and State Governments relatively left these activities unchecked. The Indian Government made it clear to the Sri Lankan Government that India will seek armed intervention to support the Tamil movement if a diplomatic solution fails.
Violence flared up when LTTE ambushed a Sri Lankan army patrol. This action sparked anti Tamil Pogroms in the rest of Sri Lanka. These riots aided in deterioration of ethnic relations. LTTE and other insurgents stepped up into the Guerilla war. Attacking Sinhalese civilian targets. This caused Indira Gandhi to try to re-establish friendly relations with the various factions in Sri Lanka while maintaining diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the conflict, and limiting overt aid to the Tamil militants.
Deducing this as decline of Indian support, the Sri Lankan Government rearmed itself and then began a retaliation campaign against the insurgents. Enacting Operation Liberation, using their control of the air, the Sri Lankan forces drove the LTTE back and surrounded and besieged the town of Jaffna. Resulting in large-scale civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis.
The Indian government, under pressure from its own Tamil backlash at home, tried to solve the crisis with diplomacy. Even sending unarmed ships to provide relief to the people, but were forced to turn back by the Sri Lankan Navy. After the discovery of Pakistani and Soviet advisors supporting the Sri Lankan army, Indira Gandhi decided a show of force was needed and ordered an air drop by the Indian Airforce G 222 transport planes under fighter cover flew over Jaffna airdropping supplies.
Fearing an open Indian intervention, the Sri Lankan government offered to hold talks. The siege was soon lifted and, following a round of talks, signed the Indo-Sri Lankan Peace Accord.
Within hours, the accords being signed the Indian Peacekeeping Force as per the accords arrived in the Jaffna region, crediting to the cessation of hostilities in the region, a temporary truce being declared by the Warring factions. The Sri Lanka forces disengaged and moved away from the conflict zone. The Indian forces began the process of disarming the insurgents in the area, beginning from the smaller groups to the largest and the strongest LTTE (Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam), those were trained and armed by the Indian Intelligence service RAW (Research and Analysis Wing).
Mrs. Indira Gandhi would use diplomatic pressure on the Sri Lankan government to ratify the establishment of an autonomous region for Tamils. They gave foreign media open access to the region, and those reported the stories of violence in the region. Indian forces were given explicit orders not to hand over any captured LTTE cadre to the Sri Lankan government and the amnesty to the insurgents after the conflict was maintained.
There were few infringed groups within the LTTE that were against the treaty and would again attack liberal politicians and people supporting the treaty. Though with support from the pro Treaty LTTE cadres and minimal support from the populace, those groups would soon be brought into fold by an extensive counter insurgency operation.
The Sri Lankan Government would later on made several concessions to Tamil demands including establishment of a Police force for the region and also included Colombo devolution of power to the provinces, merger of the northern and eastern provinces, and official status for the Tamil language. In 1991, Indian forces would withdraw from the Jaffna region. LTTE was completely disarmed and disbanded, forming their own political wing with many members being commissioned by the newly established Police force.
1989- The last remaining holdout of the resistance in Afghanistan, Panjshir Valley finally fell after going through a sustained heavy siege for four months conducted by the full might of the Soviet 40th Army and it’s accompanying air support. With that, the Soviet Empire stretched from East Berlin in the West to Vladivostok to the East and from Arkanghelsk in the North to Karachi in the South.
1992- 1373 Peacekeepers of all ranks from the Indian Army took part in the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia. Their role was to supervise ceasefire, disarm combatants, repatriate refugees, and monitor the conduction of free and fair elections.
1992- 1083 Indian Peacekeepers took part in United Nations Operations in Mozambique (ONUMOZ).
December 1992- Following the United Nations Security Council’s unanimous adoption of Resolution 794 authorising the use of "all necessary means to establish as soon as possible a secure environment for humanitarian relief operations in Somalia" on 3rd December 1992 and establishment of the Unified Task Force (UNITAF) (Code Named: Operation Restore Hope), India at once readied a force that comprised one division (10,000 troops) of the Indian Army, 700 troops for rear support and Special Forces operations and 6 warships of the Indian Navy, which included a Light Helicopter Deck for Indian Navy Marine Infantry and Marine Commandos operations. India had the second largest force, only being eclipsed by the United States’ 25,000 troops who also led the operation.
On the morning of 9th December 1992, the United States Marine Corps’ 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Indian Navy Marine Infantry’s 25th Marine Infantry Battalion from USS Tripoli, USS Juneau, USS Rushmore and INS Magarmach (Hindi: Crocodile) respectively, performed combined methods of entry amphibious assault into the city of Mogadishu and surrounding areas.
Although initially unopposed, the uncertain operating environment required using nonlinear, simultaneous forcible entry operations along multiple lines of operation from selected afloat and ashore basing throughout the amphibious operations area.
All elements performed simultaneous ship to objective amphibious assaults on the Port of Mogadishu and Mogadishu International Airport along with other important locations, and established a foothold for additional incoming troops while air support was provided by various combined helicopter units.
1993- Because UNITAF was a transitional action comprising four phases, operations were handed over to UN Peacekeepers operating under the auspices of United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) and many troops were pulled back between 26 March 1993 and 4 May 1993 when UNITAF was disbanded. India did the same and only kept a Quick Reaction Force of 1000 troops to assist UNOSOM II but would only be deployed if approved by New Delhi.
June 1993- On 5 June, an Indian force was sent to investigate an arms depot belonging to a Somali warlord vying for the Presidency, Mohamed Farrah Aidid. When the Indian force arrived, they encountered angry Somali protesters. Twenty-four Indian soldiers who were inspecting weapons as part of the expanded UN mandate were killed when "forces believed to be associated with Aidid allegedly launched a fatal attack on peacekeeping forces."
The next day, the UN Security Council issued Resolution 837, where they reaffirmed that the Secretary-General was authorised to ‘take all necessary measures against those responsible for the armed attacks and to establish the effective authority of UNOSOM II throughout Somalia.’ This was equivalent to a declaration of war, and the Parliament of India applauded the UNSC’s resolution and called for the Government to take the most stringent action against those responsible. Amongst all participants of UNOSOM II, Indian troops were noted to have maintained the most ferocity in combat operations against Aidid’s forces.
March 1995- Following the end of Operation Gothic Serpent and the beginning of the withdrawal of UN Forces, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, leader of the Somali National Alliance (SNA) was reportedly assassinated by a team of Indian Army Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) soldiers just before the last Indian forces left Somalia. However, leaked CIA intelligence reports indicated that the Indian soldiers only managed to maim and cripple him, where he was only barely clinging to life.
May to July 1999 4th Indo Pakistan War (Kargil War)- After losing Siachen Glacier to the Indians in 1984, and ongoing internal disturbances from anti-communist movements in Balochistan region (Which was blamed on CIA and RAW), the Pakistani military initiated Operation Badr to severe the link between Kashmir and Ladakh and to force the Indian forces to withdraw out of the glacier. The troops from the elite Special Services Group as well as four to seven battalions of Northern Light Infantry covertly and overtly covertly set up bases on 132 vantage points of the Indian controlled region, left by the Indian troops as per an understanding between both sides to not man the posts during the harsh winter seasons of the Himalayas.
But during one of the said incursions, one of the Pakistani units was spotted by a shepherd who informed the local army garrison. Presuming them to be insurgents, a patrol party is sent to investigate but they don’t report back, concurrent search parties are also lost. Fearing the worst, they launched an aerial reconnaissance operation. In a few days, it was clear all the border posts had been occupied. The Indian government lodged a complaint in the United Nations, but the Pakistani government insisted these were Kashmiri freedom fighters and not soldiers from the PKPA (Pakistan People’s army).
In response, the Indian army launched “Operation Vijay” to dislodge the infiltrators from the occupied posts. Pakistani forces began shelling the only national highway leading to the Kargil sector and the Indian artillery countered. The Pakistani involvement was soon discovered as captured prisoners and documents stated them to be part of PKPA. The situation escalated further as the IAF began bombing campaigns in the sector. The Indian forces soon reoccupied the posts. Fearing further escalation of the conflict as an Indian carrier group poised to strike Karachi again and mass mobilization beginning on both sides, the superpowers intervened again.
After 4 hours long negotiation between both the power blocs, the Pakistani forces withdrew from the remaining Indian positions in the Kargil sector along the LOC (Line of control, i.e. the border). The conflict ended in no territorial change and became a glaring example of a high altitude warfare in the mountainous terrain.
1 January 2000- Date of teleportation to the new world.