Army prepares to meet Pakistani challenge
George Iype in New Delhi
The heavy artillery firing by Pakistani troops on Kargil town in Ladakh on Tuesday and the Uri and Kupwara sectors on Wednesday has raised serious questions about the utility of the peace talks between Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral and his
Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharief in New York last week.
By mounting a fresh offensive along the Line of Control, diplomatic observers in New Delhi feel Pakistan is attempting to project the ongoing bilateral dialogue between the two countries as "meaningless and fruitless."
"It seems the Gujral-Sharief initiative to stop the border firing has had no effect on the Pakistan army," a former foreign secretary told Rediff On The NeT.
Pakistan's aggressive mood on the LoC, he felt, suggests that the Sharief regime does not really care for the Gujral doctrine of good neighbourliness.
According to officials at army headquarters in Delhi, by targeting Kargil, Pakistan is now attempting to replay history which in turn is dictated by the area's geography.
Kargil is a border district town located close to the heights dominating the highway which was under Pakistani control till 1971, but was subsequently captured by India.
The 30-kilometre Kargil sector has been peaceful since the 1971 Indo-Pak war and it has remained dormant throughout the nearly eight years of insurgency in Kashmir. Its Shia-dominated population had resisted efforts by militants to be drawn into the separatist movement.
"The first firing on Kargil began in September last year when the state assembly elections were on. Since then intermittent attacks on the town have continued," a military officer said.
Kargil, he said, is "strategically important for Pakistan" because it is the closest district headquarters to the LOC, located on a highway that is its lifeline.
"Moreover, Kargil is the only link to the vital destinations of Leh and the Siachen glacier," the army officer added.
Defence ministry officials believe the use of heavy artillery, rockets, 130 mm field guns and mortars
by Pakistani troops on Kargil must have been authorised by the Pakistan army's top brass.
Army and defence officers on Wednesday held a meeting in Delhi to consider the seriousness of the Kargil offensive. Sources said if the Pakistan offensive continues India will be forced to re-locate its war-time gun positions.
The meeting also discussed a number of strategies that could repulse any more Pakistani attacks at other points on the LOC.
Sensing that Kargil is a "much-targeted sector," the army may move heavy artillery like 130 mm field guns with a range of 32 km, 122 mm multi-barrel rocket launchers and heavy mortars to the area.
Pakistan's latest offensive is a political embarrassment as far as peace talks go, especially after the two prime
ministers met in New York in an effort to reduce tension along the LOC.
Kashmir observers say the Indian army, which has been fighting insurgency in the border state, might be at a disadvantage if these incidents trigger off war between the two neighbours.
Since 1988, budgetary support for the Indian army has considerably declined, while Pakistan's defence budgets and corresponding war fighting capabilities have remained high. The army also suffers from run-down reserves, outdated equipment, officers and personnel shortages and disrupted training schedules. Army insiders call it "a glorified police force."
"The Kargil affair makes it clear that we need to issue a more practical and aggressive Pakistan policy," one defence ministry official said.
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On The Cusp Of Conflict
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