In response to President Donald Trump’s charges that India is supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying Russian energy, the Indian Army delivered a scathing rebuke to the US. As part of its “This Day That Year” series, the Indian Army’s Eastern Command posted a historic newspaper clipping dated August 5, 1971, in what is considered a strategic diplomatic response.
According to the article, the United States gave Pakistan more than $2 billion worth of weapons between 1954 and 1971, frequently at discounted or “throw-away” prices. These weapons included fighter planes, missiles, tanks, submarines, and artillery.
According to the article, then-Indian Defense Production Minister VC Shukla told the Parliament that the United States and China continued to give Pakistan enormous arms support in spite of its military crackdown in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), while Western allies like France and the Soviet Union had curtailed such supplies.
According to the Indian Army’s historical document, the United States had strong military relations with Pakistan before to the 1971 Indo-Pak War, which helped Islamabad during a period when Pakistan was waging aggressive and violent operations in East Bengal.
Highlighting the tense military build-up before the war that ultimately resulted in the creation of Bangladesh, the 1971 journal also cited words made by Yahya Khan, the president of Pakistan at the time, warning of war if India intervened in East Pakistan.
The Indian Army’s warning was issued just days after Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir visited the United States and shortly after U.S. officials indicated a renewed interest in deepening economic ties with Pakistan, especially in the country’s oil industry.
In contrast to narratives blaming India of facilitating Russian aggression, the timing and content of the Indian Army’s post seem to be a direct response to U.S. accusations aimed at India’s energy ties with Russia, highlighting historical U.S. backing for Pakistan’s military.
In addition to retaliating against recent American criticism of India’s oil purchases from Russia, the Indian Army’s resurgence of this 1971 reportage serves as a geopolitical rebuttal, highlighting U.S. military support for Pakistan during a pivotal moment in South Asian history.
This episode demonstrates how historical legacies and contemporary strategic economic and diplomatic constraints continue to shape the complex relationship between the United States and India.
