"In Pakistan, the Army chief decides the government's age. In India, the government decides the Army chief's age!'' This SMS, currently doing the rounds, aptly sums up the civil military interplay on either side of the border. In Pakistan, the generals rule the roost, and have done so for most of its independent history. Here, the Indian generals have remained in the vice-like grip of the neta-babu combine, even though once in a while charismatic army chielfs like Sam Maneckshaw or K Sundarji managed to spring loose and get some wiggle room.