Summoning India Guidebook

Timeline

Timeline/History of Alternate History India.

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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.