The Sunday Tribune, December 5, 1971 What was significant in the steady build-up of IAF capability was the fact that its chief, Air Chief Marshal Lal, had a ringside view of all the mistakes made during the 1965 war — he was the Vice Chief during the period. In his quiet and unassuming way, Lal went about addressing the major deficiencies using a systems approach. His strategy vis-à-vis Pakistan prior to the 1971 war was simple: build asymmetry by widening both the qualitative and quantitative gap between the two air forces. While the Gnats continued to dominate the Sabres, the enhanced gr...