AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 82 of 237 I was attached to Shimla to give forecast for various movements at the Army helipad in their playground/stadium. Since I was a youngster I was assigned additional duty to be a liaison officer to Benazir Bhutto along with an IFS lady officer. Handsome, tall, suave and debonair Mr. Bhutto was received by our late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. “Pehle Aap, Pehle Aap” - drama went on for a while, with both the Prime Ministers requesting the other to get into the car. This then became the norm for quite sometime during any event!. Since every VIP/minister wanted to be in the ‘photo ops’, I was pushed far behind inspite of being a liaison officer. After the reception ceremony and departure of VVIPs to the venue of the summit, hell broke out as Mrs. Indira Gandhi was very unhappy about the state of the stadium/helipad. The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Parmar activated the Army Commander to bring up the place to the highest standard. In the next 24 hours, it became a place of envy for everyone to see. It was all possible only by the Army.