It needs to be understood that Pakistan is equally determined to derail the political and security threshold in its quest to keep Kashmir on the boil. The situation requires enhanced vigilance and preparedness to meet unexpected challenges in the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the Kashmir Valley.
Wing Commander Abhinandan has been
returned by Pakistan to India. There are divergent reasons being given for this
decision by Pakistan but courtesy demands that we ignore the supposed ulterior
motives and look for something positive in the development. It is a reason for celebrations
and also reason to acknowledge the release as a good gesture on the part of the
Imran Khan, in accordance with international norms. It is notable here that the
escalatory threshold between India and Pakistan (both nuclear powers) had
reached critical levels in a manner that caused apprehensions of all an out war
under a nuclear cloud.
Now, with release of the pilot,
attempts are on to bring down the tensions.
The release, however, has not had any
impact on the situation along the Line of Control (LOC) and the hinterland in
Jammu and Kashmir. Even as the return of the Wing Commander was underway, heavy
firing was reported all along the LOC which has led to some civilian
casualties. A massive counter-terrorist operation at Kupwara was also underway
that witnessed the killing of two terrorists and also the unfortunate martyrdom
of four security personnel and one civilian.
Cross LOC firing has been going on incessantly since the aerial
attack by India on terrorist modules in Pakistani territory on February 26 that
led to the destruction of three terrorist camps. Pakistani troops have been
firing their Mortars and Missiles from civilian houses, using villagers as
human shields. The Indian Army, however, has been targeting the Pakistani posts
away from civilian localities. Pakistan had also unsuccessfully attempted to
enter Indian air space in the sector with its sophisticated F-16 aircraft but
the attempt was thwarted by the Indian Air Force with destruction of one
Pakistani aircraft.
The writing on the wall is very clear. No
let down in the Pakistani involvement in Jammu and Kashmir can be expected despite
the so-called “grand” gesture of returning Wing Commander Abhinandan. There may
be some de-escalatory movement between the two countries at the national level
but it is unlikely to impact the conflict situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
The political development in the
Kashmir region is also witnessing some paradigm shifts in policy. The crackdown
on the Jamaat-e-Islami leading to arrest of its members followed by its ban has
raised hackles of the political establishment in the Kashmir Valley. Hurriyat
and even mainstream leaders have spoken against this action by New Delhi thus
indicating creation of a fragile political situation. There are rumours that
the Hurriyat too may face a ban. The government may go in for simultaneous
elections for the state as well as parliamentary constituencies. Conduct of elections
in Kashmir is a challenging process and such a scale will add to the security
and administrative burden.
The Indian Army is sensitive to the
emerging challenges and it is for this reason that the senior commanders of the
Northern Command are visiting and interacting with their troops regularly,
while making on-ground assessments of the situation to ensure that the
preparedness is in order. Even as firing from across
the border was underway, Indian Army’s Commander of the Northern Command, Lt.
Gen. Ranbir Singh, accompanied by the Corps Commander was visiting the forward
posts in Poonch. He took a detailed briefing on the actions taken to
meet the challenges of increased ceasefire violations through superior and
aggressive domination of LOC by the troops, in accordance with the policy to
give a befitting reply to Pakistani transgressions.
While considering the root cause for
the escalation of the situation to such dangerous levels as has been witnessed
in the last few days, the finger points, first and foremost, towards the
Pakistan Army. It is a sinister, ruthless demon that is out to devour all that
comes its way in a devilish pursuit for power. The Pakistan Army has long since
shed tenets of honourable military norms and is quite content in converting poor,
uneducated civilians of its country into cannon fodder, to be wasted without
remorse in order to “bleed the Indian forces.” In this evil design it is being
assisted by unscrupulous and mercenary warlords like Masood Azhar and Hafiz
Saeed who run killing machines under their patronage.
Sadly, there are some in Kashmir who
have also sold their soul to the devil and help in fructification of these evil
designs. Young Kashmir boys are being indoctrinated and exploited to follow the
self destructive path of terrorism by these elements. The recent crackdowns are
a valiant attempt by the government to check this malaise.
The government of India should not
reduce the pressure that has been built up against Pakistan and its proxies in
Kashmir. To relent now would mean losing the initiative and the lost ground
will be very difficult to cover in future. Pakistan simply has to be exposed
for the evil that it perpetrates with impunity even as Kashmir is cleansed for
its debilitating and destructive influence. The first step should be to put our
own house in order for which action at the political and operational level is
underway, simultaneously, there should be no let-down in exposing Pakistan in
front of the international community. Preparations for a military face-off
should gain momentum while enhancing existing security protocols.
It needs to be understood that the
enemy is equally determined to derail the political as well as the security
threshold in its quest to keep the region on the boil. The situation requires
enhanced vigilance and preparedness to meet unexpected challenges in the entire
state of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the Kashmir Valley. The security forces,
led by the Indian Army, will have to usher peace and build an environment
conducive for the conduct of free and fair elections, notwithstanding the
attempts to derail the same. It is quite
apparent that the challenges to the security forces operating in the region,
especially for the Northern Command of the Indian Army, have increased
manifold.
