THE KARGIL War memorial at Drass is becoming the centre of attraction. The names of 537 martyrs are inscribed there. They were the bravehearts who “gave their today for our tomorrow”. The Indian nation is proud of them. The Kargil Kalash is the centrepiece of the memorial and the temple architecture lends dignity to the area. The memory of our martyrs is sanctified by floral and emotional tributes of loved ones who come from far and near. The living and the dead have an emotional bond of love that is etched in their hearts, never to be erased.
Drass, located at the exit of the formidable Zojila pass (which is seen when one travels from Srinagar to Leh-Ladakh) is the second coldest inhabited place in the world. The shelling of Pakistan artillery had converted Drass into a ghost town in 1999. Since that time, the Indian Army restored peace and it is now a tourist town. Along with the memory of martyrs, the stories of Drass have become a part of history. Tashi Namgyal, the shepherd who first discovered Pakistani soldiers of the Northern Light Infantry in black clothes, is mentioned in every war-related story. The savagery and cruelty of the Pakistani camp that mutilated the body of Captain Saurabh Kalia, a patrol leader, arouse hatred for Pakistan Army commanders including General Pervez Musharraf, villain of the piece.
Nation is proud of media
In 1999, the media, especially the electronic media, brought battles to bedrooms in every nook and corner of the country. The media helped Indians unite for a national cause against their arch-enemy – Pakistan. Every Indian, child and adult, did something or the other to promote war efforts. School children, both boys and girls, heard and felt proud of the chivalry of Vikram Batra when he said “yeh dil mange more” and went on to attack enemy bunkers. He was unwell and yet he volunteered to kill some more bandits from across the border. Lt Manoj Pande, ex-student of Sainik School, Lucknow, did not ask for respite until Khalubar peak was captured and our Tricolour unfurled. On hearing this saga of chivalry, every child wanted to join the Armed forces and become a Batra or a Pande. What a pleasant surprise it was to see in person, face-to-face in Drass, young officers, who in their student days were inspired by the heroes of Kargil War and succeeded in their mission to earn the right to wear the army uniform. The Indian media can rightfully claim some credit in winning over the youth to the uniformed services.
Will Pakistan continue to play pranks
Why is Pakistan so fond of hitting below the belt? It is because they do not possess the courage to hit above the belt. War is a game for gentlemen. If one is not a gentleman one will not play the war game as per rules. In that case a”stab in the back” becomes a State policy. Pakistan has been doing that all along. However, to let the world know that they do not play foul, Pakistan takes recourse to spinning yarns and telling lies. They must never ever be trusted. The Pandavas failed to read Kaurava’s mind and paid for it dearly. Who wants to be a Pandav today? Not the youth of India. Let us take a look at the peace proposals of the Vajpayee government to Pakistan. Didn’t Musharraf answer peace in Lahore with war in Kargil? He sent into Kargil officers of the Pakistan Army and said that they were freedom fighters. One wonders why some peaceniks wish to commit hara kiri. If someone is bent upon doing so, let him make arrangements for his own funeral.
Rudyard Kipling wrote: East is East, West is West; the twain shall never meet. I have no inclination to comment on that but with an apology to the poet, I shall say “India is India, Pakistan is Pakistan; the twain shall never meet." Peace and friendship should have two sides equally keen to make friends. Someone or the other in Pakistan wants to avenge something or the other and place India at the receiving end. They always fail because their attempts to bring India to her knees have been at best Quixotic.
A cry for modernisation
Thinking beyond Kargil, modernisation of our Armed Forces is the crying need of the hour. Admittedly, the much maligned Bofors guns won the war for us in Kargil. Of course, it is man behind the gun who matters more than the gun. In India’s case both have to be modernised. The Bofors howitzers ( gun is a misnomer) are 22-years-old and outdated. Spares are rarely available. The man behind the gun has to undergo new training in tactics and has to be fitted with new rifles. Bunker busters are also needed so that the precious lives of trained soldiers are not squandered in busting bunkers. Well, the list is long. Let us proceed step by step and look at making a world-class weapon system so that another misadventure by Pakistan will cost her dearly.
Strategically speaking, a unified command of the three services is urgently needed. However, vested interests stall the process before it begins. An officer of the rank of Field Marshal should head the CDS but then of course, the mythical ghost of a military coup sends shivers down the spine of those who matter. Thus, the proposal of a Combined Defence staff and its chief is back to square one. The snake and ladder game between the services and the bureaucrats is a never-ending one and the political heads are just onlookers at the outskirts. Leaders come and go. But what about the nukes in India? Who controls the command? Who will say: push the button and fire the nuke? The three chiefs of staffs are not even on the periphery of the decision-making process. What happens if there is an Emergency? God alone knows; not even the services know. Let us pray: God is in His heaven and all is well with the world. Aum Shantih Shantih Shantih.
