“The research work, the data and details which have gone into this book, make it very valuable for any student of military history. In fact, it would serve as the text book for study and research on 1965 Indo-Pak War.”
General Mirza Aslam Beg
COAS Pak Army 1988-1991
Hardback: 638 pp
Size: 245 x 315 mm
Weight: 2.27 Kg
ISBN: 969-9063-009
Now a textbook for the Military History Entrance Examination Paper of The
COMMAND & STAFF COLLEGE, QUETTA
In a letter dated 15 June 2004, the Author was told to modify the book as follows:-
The title of the book was to be changed to HISTORY OF THE INDO-PAK 1965. The word ‘original’ was used to give the impression that this was the case although the book was from the very beginning named ILLUSION OF VICTORY by the Author.
A disclaimer was required to be printed at the beginning to the effect that the views expressed in the book were wholly the Author’s and that these were not to be taken as the official view although the last paragraph of the Preface said exactly this!
The emblem of the Command and Staff College and the name of this institution as publisher was to be removed.
The President’s Note, and Foreword by Dr A Q Khan were to be removed.
The title of Chapter I pertaining to the fighting in Rann of Kutch was to be modified to read ‘Duel in the Desert’ instead of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.
The title of Chapter V which was, ‘The Mauled Fist’ – an ironic reference to Pak 1 Armoured Division’s handling was to be modified to read ‘The Mailed Fist in Action’.
Wherever the words ILLUSION OF VICTORY, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘The Mauled Fist’ appeared as titles on top of the page, they were to be rendered illegible by stamping them with floral wreath, a sample of which is given below.
This involved stamping over six hundred pages of all 22000 copies. The obsession of effacing all ‘undesirable’ words was so strong that each was overwritten regardless of the time and manual labour and utter futility of the whole effort!
The last part of the book titled, ‘Epilogue’, which really was the Author’s verdict on the War was to be ‘suitably’ modified. The ‘critics’ found its very last paragraph so repugnant that it was altogether expurgated.
The unkindest cut of all was that mention of the Command and Staff College, Quetta was to be obliterated from the Preface, Acknowledgements, Appendix 42 and wherever else it appeared in the book.
