Across India – March 13th, 1949

The news about Balochistan joining India spread fast across the country on March 13th. The government's publicity machine was working overtime, presenting it as another great victory for national unity. Radio broadcasts, newspapers, street corner discussions - everyone was talking about it.

In the busy markets of Bombay, a cloth merchant listened to his radio while sorting through his inventory.

"Balochistan too, eh?" he said to his assistant. "Prime Minister doesn't waste time, does he? Adding new states to the country like my wife adds new jewelry to her collection."

There was genuine admiration in his voice for the sheer boldness of it all.

Out in rural Uttar Pradesh, where the land reforms were finally showing results, farmers gathered around their village radio. "Did you hear that?" an old farmer called out to his neighbors.

"Balochistan has officially joined us! After seeing how well we're doing with the reforms and everything, they decided they wanted in too. We're getting closer to that Akhand Bharat they keep talking about."

In Lavpur, which had been under Indian control for over a year now, people seemed genuinely proud. The city was buzzing with trade and development, and most residents who had shifted here after the war, had settled into the new territory.

A Punjabi shopkeeper was reading the newspaper out loud to his customers. "Balochistan is now a full Indian state! Our nation keeps growing stronger." The success of local reforms and the improved economy had won over most people who'd initially been skeptical. Of course, there were some grumbles here and there, but nothing worth noting.

Even in East Bengal, where the integration had been a bit messy and complicated, the remaining population generally accepted the news.

After months of seeing law and order restored and reconstruction beginning, they felt more secure as part of India than they had during the chaos before. The official story about national strength and unity was starting to make sense to people who just wanted stability.

But among the more politically aware citizens scattered across India, the news raised different questions.

In university common rooms and coffee shops, people were discussing the deeper implications.

"Why now?" a professor asked his colleagues over evening tea. "Balochistan was already a protectorate. And things seemed stable. So what changed?"

Some remembered the brief news reports from a few days earlier about bandits attacking near Turbat. Most people had dismissed it as routine trouble, but now it seemed more significant.

"You think that little skirmish was what triggered all this?" a journalist wondered aloud. "Did Mehra concealed the true extent of what happened? Or was he just waiting for an excuse?"

The general consensus was that their Prime Minister never missed an opportunity. If there was a problem, he solved it decisively. That's just how he operated.

Rawalpindi, Pakistan – March 13th, 1949

When the news reached what was left of the Pakistani government, it hit like a physical blow. Liaquat Ali Khan had been holding onto hope that maybe, just maybe, they could still find a way back. Maybe through Balochistan, maybe with American help.

Now even that thin hope was gone.

"There he goes again," Liaquat whispered, slumping in his chair. His voice sounded like it was coming from a grave. "The entire western border. Balochistan. He didn't even need to fire a shot. He just walked in and took it. Right when we thought we might have found a way back."

His aide stood silently, not knowing what to say. What was there to say? They'd lost everything already.

"The Americans probably didn't see this coming either," Liaquat continued, shaking his head bitterly.

"All their planning, all their promises of support. All swept away in a single move."

The room fell silent. It was the silence of complete defeat, of men who had run out of options and were finally accepting it.

Multan, Pakistan – CIA Field Office – March 13th, 1949

Peterson, the CIA station chief, felt like someone had punched him in the gut when he got the news. He was sitting in his cramped office in Multan, surrounded by the dust and despair of a region that seemed to be falling apart around him.

He picked up the secure phone to Washington. "Sir, there has been a development," Peterson said, his voice flat.

"Khan has agreed to join India voluntarily. Balochistan is now officially an Indian state. Mehra didn't give him much choice in the matter."

On the other end, Donovan's voice crackled with frustration. "Damn it, Peterson! That was too fast. Way too fast. We barely got started, we lost two asset, and for what? Mehra just swallowed the entire territory!"

Peterson could hear Donovan pacing on the other end of the line. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to send in more troops to protect the protectorate, maybe get bogged down in tribal politics. Instead, he just eliminated the whole problem by making it part of India!"

Peterson gripped the phone tighter. "Sir, we can discuss this issue later, we must focus on immediate threat. Indian intelligence is about to flood into Balochistan, most probably. They'll have the whole region locked down within days. Our people on the ground are completely exposed there."

He lowered his voice. "They're panicking, sir. If they don't get out now, if they can't cross into Iran before India seals that border tight, their covers will be blown. Our entire operation will be compromised."

There was silence on the line for a moment. Then Donovan's voice came back, grim but determined. "Contact the British. See if MI6 knows any back routes our guys can use to get into Iran. We need to extract them before this gets worse."

Peterson could hear the frustration and grudging respect in his boss's voice. "Yes sir."

Donovan paused. "Alright then, I'll brief headquarters on this development. Your priority now is getting our people out of Balochistan before they end up in Indian custody. We can't afford to have our operations there exposed."

After hanging up, Peterson stared at his map of the region. All those red pins marking potential assets and operations in Balochistan. They were in Indian territory, under Indian control, and Indian intelligence would be crawling all over the place within days.

He started making calls, reaching out to his field operatives. The message was simple and urgent: get out now, while you still can.

Washington D.C. – CIA Headquarters – March 14th, 1949

Donovan sat in his office the next morning, staring at reports from across South Asia. The speed of India's move had caught everyone off guard. The State Department, the Pentagon, even the President's advisors - nobody had anticipated Mehra would move this decisively.

"He's not playing the same game we are," Donovan muttered to his deputy. "We're thinking in terms of influence and gradual pressure. He's thinking in terms of permanent solutions. One small incident becomes justification for absorbing an entire region."

His deputy nodded grimly. "What do we do now, sir?"

Donovan looked at the map on his wall. India's borders seemed to be expanding every few months, each move carefully calculated and executed with precision. "We adapt. We learn. And we remember that we're dealing with someone who doesn't just react to threats - he crushes them entirely."

The CIA, accustomed to operating with relative freedom in the post-war world, had just learned a hard lesson. One that ironically will make their tactics more refined for future operations.

Delhi – Parliament House – March 14th, 1949

The next day, as Parliament prepared to debate new economic reforms, members couldn't stop talking about the Balochistan integration. It had been handled so smoothly, so decisively, that it almost seemed routine now.

One MP from Punjab was overheard saying to his colleague, "Did you see how cleanly that was done? No mess, no drama, just results. That's the kind of leadership this country needs."

Another, from Tamil Nadu, nodded in agreement. "Prime Minister sees a problem and solves it permanently. No half measures, no endless negotiations. Just decisive action."

As Arjun Mehra prepared to present his economic agenda, he knew that his handling of Balochistan had only strengthened his position.

The country was unified behind his vision of a strong, secure India that could protect its interests and expand its influence when necessary.

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