40 years ago October 16, 1986: PM on Pakistani military

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on October 16, 1986.

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on October 16, 1986.

2 min readOct 16, 2026 06:50 AM IST First published on: Oct 16, 2026 at 06:40 AM IST

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said the “vast military” assistance Pakistan was now getting from the US would have to be “equally matched by India”. “We cannot allow military imbalance to develop in the Subcontinent,” he said. Addressing a meeting in Canberra, he said Pakistan was now getting $4.6 billion worth of sophisticated military hardware.

55 killed in Sri Lanka fighting

At least 40 Tamil militants and 15 government soldiers were killed and about 20 others seriously injured in the three days’ bitter fighting in northwest Lanka, a government media centre spokesman said in Colombo. Independent sources claimed that some of the victims were civilians caught in crossfire, but this was denied by the spokesman, who stressed that the latest military action was confined to jungle districts between Mannar and Vavuniya.

Circus tent collapses, 3 dead

Three persons were killed and 12 others injured, including two children and four women, when the tent of the Venus Circus in the Parade Ground opposite the Red Fort collapsed in a dust storm. Nearly 200 persons were trapped inside. The circus authorities had closed down the show and had put the tiger and other animals in their cages just minutes before the accident occurred.

Hasina’s house stormed

A group of armed people attempted to forcibly enter the Dhanmondi residence of the Awami League president, Hasina Wajed, allegedly to kill her and blow up her house. She was in the house when the miscreants struck at around noon.