Brig Anil Gupta (retd)  

The nation is proudly celebrating the Silver Jubilee of Indian Army’s glorious victory against a treacherous and deceitful enemy on the challenging heights of Kargil. Vijay Diwas, as it is called, will be a landmark day when the Prime Minister of India will join the Indian Army at Dras to pay homage to the bravest of the braves without battling an eyelid gave supreme sacrifice to recapture the territory treacherously occupied by Pervez Musharraf led Pakistan Army.

The josh of the Indian Army soldiers were so high that the barren heights of Kargil which the enemy had surreptitiously occupied reverberated with war cries and slogans like “Dil Maange More” forcing the enemy to leave its dead behind and refusing later to accept the dead bodies, act considered as cowardly on the battlefield.

It was a matter of time before the battle hardened, combat ready and experienced Indian Army forced the enemy away with the Tiranga fluttering again on those sky-touching heights albeit at a heavy price.

The bravery displayed by young soldiers and officers of Indian Army was a display of raw courage and steel nerves. The bravery of Indian Army during the war has become a military epic and it would be studied by the Armies world over to motivate and train their own armies.

My purpose of writing this article apart from paying homage to the Kargil martyrs is to highlight how treachery has become an accepted doctrine of the Pakistan Army which continues to embrace it despite suffering reverses after reverses.

Pakistan Army which considers Bharat as an existential threat will continue to remain treacherous to justify its own existence. It’s track record against Indian Army is not merely dismal but humiliating.

Against this backdrop Pakistan Army has to keep the Awam at home illusioned and in good humour to maintain its hold as the most dominant institution of Pakistan. For that it needs to create a false belief that it is better than the Indian Army.

Having suffered humiliating defeats in all the wars it fought against the Indian Armed Forces, it resorted to employ jihadi terror as a low cost option to launch an hybrid war against India, destabilise its growing economy and tie down the Army within its own territory. Like in any hybrid war, it did enjoy success initially.

But resolute military and political response by India forced Pakistan to have a re-think. The decision to hit back at Pakistan Army and its assets with maximum response in case of cross-border firing and including the two offensive anti – terror operations within the Pak territory brought the Pak Army to its knees and it begged for a ceasefire in 2021 which continues till date.

The ceasefire has proved a great boon for the border residents but has not deterred Pakistan Army from continuing with deceit and treachery.

It has used this period to dig tunnels and strengthen its defences, build new posts and relocate some for better dominance. It continues to support jihadi terrorists in training, equipping and facilitating infiltration.

Albeit, the support was reduced for some time due to pressure from international money lending organisations to bail it out from the financial crisis. Pakistan Army in any case earns enough from Narco Trade to keep the pot boiling in Kashmir

Post the abrogation of Article 370, which took the Pak Army by surprise and came as a shock to it, things began to improve in Kashmir and international opinion also began to change.

Pakistan Army was forced to work out a counter strategy lest it’s “India as existential threat” theory got punctured that may lead to the Army losing its supremacy at home.

The counter strategy was to shift the Centre of Gravity of jihadi terrorism from the North of Pir Panjal to the South but in a manner that it does not alarm the Indian security apparatus.

It planned successful infiltration of jihadi terrorists to include well trained personnel of its Special Forces (retired/serving) through various routes apart from the traditional routes across the IB and LoC.

In the military parlance Pakistan Army used the trickle method to infiltrate and build hideouts/bases in the hinterland successfully. The innovative use of drones and the well cultivated terror support ecosystem was used to supply weapons and ammunition as well as logistics support to them.

They were equipped with latest rifles with telescopes, steel core bullets, advanced night vision devices and secure communication system.

Initially these groups were tasked to select targets in a manner that may lead to communal riots but failed in that strategy due to the maturity and tolerance of the people of the region. It was having a backlash back home and the Army was finding it difficult to silence the critics.

However, the security apparatus in the region failed to read the signals and ignored these instances as non-consequential. It failed to get the local police and other security forces out of its slumber which had set in due to prolonged peace in the area and the area having been declared as “terror free.”

The Pak planners went back to the drawing board to evolve another strategy. The Pak Army planners realised that until they take on the Indian Army and inflict damage, it will not get the credit it was looking for domestically. Earlier the LoC/ IB afforded it the opportunity to up the ante against the Indian Army troops deployed therein but that option did not exist now.

However, the hinterland in Jammu region provided it that opportunity because of the lack of boots on ground there due to thinning out by Indian Army for deployment at other needed locations. The terrorist commanders were asked to plan accordingly but not be in a hurry while choosing the targets carefully with assured success.

Occasional targeting of security forces began in Poonch sector a year ago followed by intensified operations all along the area from Poonch- Rajouri to Doda – Kishtwar areas including the hilly tracts of Kathua district immediately after the new Modi government took control for the third consecutive term. For Pakistan Army it’s a do or die battle.

Unfortunately, the Pakistan Army’s current treachery has been successful so far and the Indian Army has suffered heavy casualties and reverses with very little loss to the terrorists. But it’s a matter of time.

The Indian Army is regrouping and redeploying to tie a noose around the terrorists operating in the area. Operations similar to All Out and Sarp Vinash will follow to bring to an end Pakistan Army’s treachery and an end to terrorism in the region, Inshallah (God willing).

Indian Army is vastly experienced, possibly the most battle-experienced Army in the world. It also has a successful record of fighting and defeating insurgencies. It is leading from the front on the War against Terror.

Pakistan’s strategy is bound to fail sooner or later. Will sum up with an advice to the responsible military commanders with a quote from Brazilian thinker Paulo Coelho, “Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.”

(The author is a Jammu based veteran,security and strategic analyst.)