Amid the threat of Donald Trump to put a tariff on India, the Indian Army shared the cutting of an old 1971 newspaper and reminded the US that the US was sending weapons to Pakistan when India was preparing for war. The Eastern Command of the Army posted a report of 5 August 1971 in the ‘This Day that Year’ series on social media, which wrote – “Us Arms Worth $ 2 Billion Shipped to Pakistan Since ’54”. The post also told how America and China gave weapons to Pakistan at very cheap prices while the Soviet Union and France refused. At that time Communications Minister V.C. Shukla gave this information in Parliament.
The post came at a time when former US President Donald Trump has expressed displeasure over buying crude oil from Russia and processing it in the global market, threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Indian goods. Trump says that India is earning profits unnecessarily from Ukraine war, while the US is trying to weaken Russia financially. The Government of India has described this statement as ‘double standards’ and said that the US itself is importing many essential commodities from Russia, including fertilizer and uranium.
This army post was highly appreciated on social media and people described it as a move to reveal America’s historic ‘hypocritical policy’. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said that India is now falling alone on international forums and the US is once again going close to Pakistan. The Congress also targeted the Modi government and termed the events like ‘Dast-Dost Rahi Raha’ and ‘Howdy Modi’ and ‘Namaste Trump’ hollow.
Through this throbac post, the Indian Army has made it clear that history cannot be forgotten. Even in 1971, when India was fighting a moral war, the US supported Pakistan, and even today, the US should take a look at its history and current policy before preaching India.
