Some alarmists are painting a doomsday scenario for India by citing Beijing’s hostile stance on the border issue with India as well as its collusion with Islamabad and Pakistan’s continuing proxy war through brazen sponsorship of terrorism in J&K. should have given both those at the helm of affairs in New Delhi and the general public, sleepless nights. However, everyone knows that there’s no reason to worry at allas the Indian army is guarding the country’s borders.
So, while some so-called military analysts may argue ad infinitum as regards India’s capability to face a one, two or even two-and -a- half front threat, the fact of the matter is that the Indian armed forces have repeatedly proved their mettle, even when faced with overwhelming odds and the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962 is a classic example. Without even basic winter clothing and being equipped with bolt action World War 2 vintage Lee Enfield .303 rifles that only fired single shots, Indian army still held its ground and gave a bloody nose to the numerically far superior China’s People Liberation Army [PLA] equipped with semi-automatic AK 47 rifles!
In 1999, Gen Pervez Musharraf and his coterie of Generals drew up plans to permanently alter the Line of Control [LoC] alignment and cut off Siachen Glacier by occupying Indian posts vacated during winter in Kargil. They had reckoned that once Pakistan army had occupied these unassailable heights across the LoC, their recapture by the Indian army would be next to impossible and given the tough terrain, rarefied atmosphere with extremely low oxygen content and very limited approaches, the Pakistan army wasn’t wrong in its assessment.
Prior to setting its Kargil intrusion plan into motion, General Headquarters [GHQ] of Pakistan army had taken due care to implicitly follow the laid down quantifiable tactical planning parameters. So, the obvious question that arises is that why did Pakistan army’s well-planned Kargil operation end in a humiliating fiasco? The answer is simple- the GHQ made the cardinal mistake of overlooking two incalculable [but well-known] factors - the unparalleled resolve and resilience of the Indian army!
Resultantly, despite being in full control of the most dominating heights in Kargil and inflicting considerable casualties on the Indian army in the initial stages, Pakistan army still could not hold out against the determined and audacious assaults of the Indian army. So, while Gen Musharraf has tried to conceal this unpardonable miscalculation on his part, the reality is that the Indian army’s hallmark resolve and resilience is well known within Pakistan’s armed forces. Why else would have Air Cdre [Later Air Vice Marshal] Abid Rao make prophetic remark- “After this operation, it’s going to be either a Court Martial or Martial Law!” after listening to the Kargil intrusion war plan?
Today, the Indian army is in complete control in ensuring territorial integrity as well as combating Pakistan army’s proxy war in J&K. While its proactive stance along the Line of Control [LoC], has resulted in a substantial decrease in infiltration of Pakistan army trained terrorists, the Indian army’s genuinely honest and people-friendly actions in Kashmir Valley have started to show results. Public protests instigated by the pro-Pakistan lobby in Kashmir solely to buttress separatist ideology have almost ended. Furthermore, after having seen through ISI’s nefarious designs in furthering Rawalpindi’s self-serving interests, the locals are now more forthcoming in providing information regarding terrorists.
Besides effectively combating a full-blown proxy war in Kashmir, the Indian army has simultaneously thwarted Beijing’s attempts to permanently alter the Line of Actual Control [LAC] alignment. Sadly, in order to score some brownie points, some detractors with questionable credentials, have raised several doubts regarding the Indian army’s response to PLA’s belligerence. While everyone has the right to express one’s personal views, but cherry-picking on such a serious issue with a malafide intent, to say the least, is downright deplorable.
The undeniable fact is that the Indian army has always been a thoroughly professional outfit that religiously implements its constitutional responsibilities both in letter and spirit. Proof of this can be found in the Sino-India war of 1962, when despite being ill-equipped, the Indian army still implemented the government’s politically expedient, but militarily disastrous ‘Forward Policy’.
In the ongoing standoff with Chinain Ladakh, the Indian army has once again displayed its characteristic resolve and resilience. Occupation of dominating features on the Kailash Range in Chushul sector overnight demonstrated Indian army’s firm resolve. Occupying key locations to thwart any PLA ingress and braving the sub arctic climatic conditions till creation of the requisite infrastructure, speaks volumes about its phenomenal resilience. So, it's apparent that just like the Pakistan army Generals during the 1999 Kargil war, PLA leadership too made the same unpardonable mistake of underestimating the phenomenal professional prowess and extraordinary motivation of the Indian army.
Thanks to the unyielding resolve and phenomenal resilience of the Indian army, Beijing has been forced to mellow down its belligerent military stance. Just last month, China’s ambassador Sun Weidong said that “The current [Sino-Indian] border situation is overall stable. The phase of emergency response since the Galwan Valley incident has basically come to an end, and the border situation is now switching to normalised management and control.” While this placatory comment may be due to some diplomatic imperatives, yet it wouldn’t be presumptuous to infer that the army’s firm resolve to defend India's territorial integrity too must have to some extent influenced Beijing’s climb down.
Even more noteworthy is India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s uncompromising and principally legitimate retort to the Chinese claim of normality. By saying that “New normals of posture will inevitably lead to new normals of responses," he has sent out two clear messages to Beijing. One, that GoI will not enter into any compromise agreement on the border issue, and two, that that come what may, the Indian army can and will give a befitting response to any PLA misadventure along the LAC.
Email:------------nileshkunwar.56@gmail.com
