
Revisiting the bloodstains of Panipat with the emergence of Taliban 2.0
Salil Ranade
19 February 2022
"Taliban is making a mistake by comparing a starving army of inexperienced young soldiers with....."
Picturing, Bharat would be mocked, the Taliban named one of their military units as "The Panipat Unit", referring to the 1761 Battle at Panipat between the Afghans led by Ahmed Shah Abdali and the Marathas led by Sadashivrao Bhau, Nephew of Baji Rao I and cousin of Balaji Baji Rao Peshwe. The outcome of the battle was a gruesome defeat of Marathas, though there was no geographical capture or no tangible geostrategic gain that went to Afghans apart from Slaves and loot. Young Madhavrao, Balaji Bajirao's son, immediately took the reins of Peshwai and within a short period of 11 years, he restored the lost power and fortunes of the Maratha Empire. The Afghan Lord "asked" Nana Saheb for lands beyond Sutlej through letters and never showed up again in the mainland. It is estimated that not less than one lakh Maratha soldiers perished in that battle. More than half were killed on the battlefield and the remaining were slaughtered in cold blood the following day of battle. Around 28,000 women and children were enslaved and taken back to Afghanistan. It is a piece of good news that the Taliban is making a mistake by comparing a starving army of inexperienced young soldiers with the professional army of Bharat.
Naming "Panipat unit" to one of their contingents is the beginning of their fall as it shows a total lack of imagination and the amateur nature of their mercenaries. The picture is clear - if tired, hungry and inexperienced Maratha soldiers can cause such a heavy loss to one of the toughest war buggers known, one can start to contemplate what a Modern Maratha Light Infantry along with other brave regiments (Like the Gurkhas, Sikh, Jat, Rajputana, Madras, Mahar, Dogra, Bihar, Kumaon and many others) can do to a rasping Taliban army.
More than mockery it should be seen as the same medieval psyche of hoards of Islamic warmongers from the arid lands desiring loot, massacre and slavery. Even the Flags of Abdali and Taliban are of the same color. Not just the flags, the number of mercenaries they recruited as their first batch is also similar to the number of soldiers Abdali had in his army at the time of the battle, including all the cavalry and Rohilla infantry. Taliban seeking inspiration and romancing Islamic warlords from the past is not something new. The Taliban hung a painting of Abdali's coronation on the wall in Arg, the Presidential Palace as a background prop for their press conference after the capture of Kabul.
The metric system to Judge the Taliban 2.0 should be of different standards. The diplomatic engagements should be limited only to humanitarian aid with constant sanctions to tame them should be kept on with. Terrorists of Taliban origin, if found in Kashmir, should not be allowed to remain alive for more than 24 hours. Our army would love such challenges. Will the minority be persecuted? Will the women-only be considered for breeding humans? Will the Afghanistan soil be used against Bharat? These were the questions meandering in the Minds of Bharat’s Diplomacy since their latest eruption from the underworld.
Bharat should not lie low. Bharat shouldn't care about all the investments in the
Dams, roads, important buildings, schools, infrastructure and all that goodwill earned over the years. Anyway, it has all gone down the drain with the return of the Taliban. Bharat knew it since the beginning, since 9/11 that they were merely lurking beneath the ground and never perished. Their strength grew with the decline in US's prowess. Taliban's chauvinist attempt to snide Bharat shouldn't be taken lightly. A stern message needs to be sent across.