Dateline Srinagar-V
The challenge ahead, as soldier sees it
From Hari Jaisingh

IN times of crises, the Army and the Air Force have always played a decisive role in Kashmir — right since 1948. The task before them has been both gigantic and complex. Apart from guarding the frontiers, they keep a watch on suspicious movements from across the border. More than the defence of the borders, the Army has also been actively engaged in containing militancy in the valley and elsewhere.

Before the Kargil conflict one soldier who masterminded the anti-insurgency operation was Lt-Gen Krishan Pal, the Commander of 15 Corps. The diversion of regular troops from the state's sensitive areas towards the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil from May onward to flush out the Pakistani intruders did upset the drive against militancy in Kashmir. It exposed certain gaps in controlling armed intrusions from across the borders.

The bifurcation of the Command also created the problem of assessment and adjustment. This mistake has since been corrected. A unified headquarters (Command) has once again come into being under the overall charge of Lt-Gen Krishan Pal. The addition of new corps (to be known as Corp 14) at Leh is in response to fresh threat perceptions. Besides the Chinese border, it will look after the Indo-Pak border east of Zoji La.

Clear-headed and frank, Lt-Gen Krishan Pal can be put in the slot of a thinking General. He has studied the problem of militancy objectively, identified the factors and evolved a strategy that is both professional and human.

"Health care, schools, basic amenities and responsiveness of the civic administration are important components in my scheme of things", said the General when I met him for an interaction in his Command office in Srinagar. He was candid without being flashy in his observations.

"The texture of militancy is constantly changing. Gradually its leadership and control have gone into the hands of the Pakistani army and the ISI. Local support has waned. After all, nobody wants to be with a losing side", the General observed while analysing the security environment in Kashmir.

Lt-Gen Krishan Pal felt that a fear psychosis was being created but "it is our job to create a feeling of security"

It is a fact that militant groups are losing ground. There are a number of reasons for this. Effectiveness of the security operation apart, there is disenchantment among the ordinary people with violence. No wonder, in view of the shrinking local support the leadership of the Hizbul Mujahideen has changed hands in favour of foreigners. According to one assessment, even the Hizbul Mujahideen is likely to be marginalised in the months to come.

It is also no secret that the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, the Lashkare-Toiba, the Al-Badr and the Tehreke Jehadi-Islami etc operating here are backed by fundamentalist organisations in Pakistan. These Pakistan-based outfits send "mercenaries" to several sensitive spots the world over. According to one estimate, there are roughly 30,000 armed men on their rolls.

"Unless we are able to contain them, we cannot solve the problem of terrorism," the General stated and added that since the borders could not be sealed fully, the problem of infiltration might persist for some time. He was, however, confident that the Army would be able to bring back the situation to the pre-May level of normalcy in a couple of months.

"The Army focuses on the field to stop infiltration", the General said and hastily added that the tackling of terrorism did not entirely depend on the field work of the security forces. "Unless the problem is handled in its totality in a coordinated manner, things will continue to be fragile. We have to come out of the reactive mindset," the General remarked.

Talking about the Kargil operations, Lt-Gen Krishan Pal said the task before the Army was to ensure success. "Indeed, there was no choice but to succeed. And with that success, we have been able to avert many bad developments and their disastrous consequences," he observed.

Stressing the need for proper intelligence input for any successful military operation, the General emphasised the need for "accountability" in the case of information coming from intelligence agencies.

"Every input should be checked and action taken. In fact, intelligence agencies should be able to lead us, and they should be made accountable for the information they provide to the authorities and finally to the security forces." Expressing his regret that this generally "does not happen", he opined that the intelligence input of generic nature did not help.

The General underlined the need for the streamlining of things. "Unless there is rational decentralisation even with regard to financial power at the procurement and operational levels, the armed forces will face constraints since the existing procedures take too long from the request and requisition level to the actual delivery of things needed urgently. By the time we get the equipment, they have become obsolete", he stated in a matter-of-fact manner.

Concluded