ABSTRACT
The organizational ethos and manpower policy of the postcolonial states' militaries to a great extent remain similar to that of the colonial army. The basic building block for both Indian and Pakistan armies remain the regimental structure of the British-Indian Army. First India-Pakistan War ended with UN mediation but 37 per cent of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State remained in the hands of Pakistan. Towards the end of 1961, the Nehru Government started implementing the 'forward policy' of planting small military posts along the China-India border in order to discourage further Chinese incursions. The Indian Army melted away like snow in the high Himalayas when the China-India confrontation started on 19 October 1962. After the arms embargo by the United States during the 1965 India-Pakistan War, Chinese arms became the mainstay of Pakistani military. In the new millennium, as regards the acquisition of hardware, Indian and Pakistani armies mark a definite break with colonial heritage.
