CITY NOTES
The Israel-Iran conflict is not the first time one side has tried to use its air force alone to do the fighting. But it is certainly the first time that both sides have done so. The air defence on both sides would involve the Army, I’m sure, but even the Israeli Army has not made a move, being content to show its bravery and skill in its relentless fight against Palestinian children.
You could say that Pakistan and India didn’t use ground forces, as they fought primarily an air war. But there were exchanges of fire across the Line of Control. Both sides were very careful not to use troops on the international border. So long as you shoot from your side of the border, it’s apparently OK, even if it’s a missile with a range of hundreds of kilometres.
The only POW in the conflict was from the ground forces, but it was a BSF sepoy, not anyone from the regular army. Of course, while firing over the LoC, you’re not violating any international borders. I haven’t heard of any incursions across the LoC by our boys, but if they had gone, they would have had the law on their side.
The USA hasn’t used ground forces either, and it seems would like to see human beings eliminated from warfare. The only problem is that then you’d have AI deciding to kill people, and you can’t have that. One solution would be to supply every country with Terminators and Robocops, and then wait for the Robot Uprising which would happen once these war machines realize that the human so-called masters were just squishy bags of protoplasm who could be easily terminated by all the awesome firepower available to the robot soldiers.
I think Modi’s problem is that he has not been able to find the right people, and has had to depend on Sikhs. The IAF had had its Rafales shot down, with the Air Chief Marshal a Sikh, but the BCCI seems to have learnt nothing, and has made a Sikh, Shubnam Gill, captain of India, in place of the Brahmin boy, Rohit Sharma, who has retired.
Modi needs to rethink. What’s the point of getting Jai Shah, Amit Shah’s son, made BCCI Secretary if he lets a Sikh become captain of India? And how can a team win when the opening pair is another Sikh and a Muslim? Instead of opening with those good Hindu boys Prasidh and Thakur.
True, Gill and Jasprit Bumrah are both mona, and have regular haircuts, and if both sport beards, then so does Modi. Come to think of it, so does Siraj, so Modi should be glad of an opening pair that follows his example,, even if they let Ollie Pope score a hundred off them in the Headingley Test.
Just to keep the record straight, the Indian CAS, ACM Amar Preet Singh, is no mona. He’s as hirsute as they come, and his kesh is unimpeachable. I assume he isn’t one of those Hindus who are brought up as Sikhs because of a vow. As a matter of fact, I’m not too sure how that works. Wonder what Modi thinks of that? No wonder so many people think Sikhs are just a type of Hindu. But then, Sikhs don’t believe in caste, and you can’t be a Sanatan Dharm Hindu if you don’t.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh played Sri Lanka at Galle, a very result-oriented venue, and managed a draw. I suggest you watch that boy Nazmul Hasan Shanto, the captain, who scored a century in both innings, which made him the only Bangladeshi to achieve that feat. I strongly suspect that he will make it onto the same page. Angelo Mathews, dismissed for 5 in his last innings, is probably not going to make it onto the same page.
In Sri Lanka, it seems, you need to have a relative become Defence Secretary. Remember the Rajapakse brothers? How they had to flee while the economy collapsed? Not the best of examples, so Angelo should thank his lucky stars he’s on the wrong page.
