Fernandes rules out Pak threat at border

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 23: Defence Minister George Fernandes today said that the military exercisescarried out by Pakistan were no threat to th...

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 23: Defence Minister George Fernandes today said that the military exercisescarried out by Pakistan were no threat to the security of the country.Reiterating the need for a political resolution of Kashmir problem, healso ruled out any Kargil-like situation arising anywhere along the Line ofControl.

8220;Pakistan has moved just one division and the exercises are beingconducted at least 70 to 75 kms away from the border,8221; he said. 8220;Whenthe exercises are carried out at such a distance from the border, thereis no threat,8221; he said. Strongly refuting recent media reportsthat Pakistan has moved nine army divisions near the International Borderfor exercises, he maintained they were not true.

He added, 8220;There is absolutely no chance of a repeat of Kargil or Kargil-like situation anywhere along the Line of Control. 8220;Voh isthiti dubara nahin hogi That situation will not arise again.8221;

8220;In Kargil, they had come in and held the unmanned areas. Now, we have adequate deployment and there is no chance of another intrusion,8221; he added.

8220;Kargil mein ghusnay ki to baat hi nahin hai Intrusion into Kargil is out of the question8221;. When asked whether there was any chance of a Pakistani intrusion in Poonch and Kupwara areas across the Line of Control, Fernandes said that too was impossible. 8220;The areas of Poonch and Kupwara are manned by our troops,8221; he said.

Fernandes, however, said the overall insurgency situation has not changed inKashmir. 8220;Hamare padosi ki harkatoun mein izafa hua hai In fact, thereis an increase in the activities of our neighbour,8221; he said. Regarding the official claims of normalcy, the Defence Minister said that more andmore intruders were being killed on the borders now.

Recalling his stint as Kashmir Affairs Minister in 1990, he said he hadalways been for a political resolution of the Kashmir problem. 8220;The resolution will only come through political means. It will come through a dialogue,8221; he maintained. When asked as to what the government was doing to resolve this problem politically, he said, 8220;The Hizbul Mujahideen8217;s willingness for a dialogue with us was immediately sabotaged by our neighbour.8221;

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Reacting to the CPIM Polit Bureau demand that the Centre should go for a unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir, Fernandes said the troops were opening fire only when fired upon. 8220;What will our troops do? Let Pakistan fire at them and get killed? The troops here are either manning the borders or preventing insurgents to get in,8221; he said. 8220;If these two things were stopped by the other side, the entire problem will end.8221;

When a reporter asked Fernandes whether the Army will be called to tacklethe deteriorated law and order situation in Bihar, he said there was nosuch need. 8220;Bihar mein sena bhejney ka prashn nahi hai The question of sending the Army to Bihar doesn8217;t arise,8221; he said. 8220;Bihar has two police forces, the civil police and the military police to tackle the law andorder problems and whenever there is any difficulty, they get additionalforce from the Centre as well,8221; he said. He added that the NDA Governmentwas not in favour of sending the Army to tackle internal matters.

Muzamil Jaleel

Muzamil Jaleel is a Deputy Editor at The Indian Express and is widely recognized as one of India’s most authoritative voices on Jammu & Kashmir, national security, and internal affairs. With a career spanning over 30 years, he has provided definitive on-the-ground reportage from the heart of the Kashmir conflict, bearing witness to historic political transitions and constitutional shifts. Expertise and Investigative Depth Muzamil’s work is characterized by a rare combination of ground-level immersion and high-level constitutional analysis. His expertise includes: Conflict & Geopolitics: Decades of reporting on the evolution of the Kashmir conflict, the Indo-Pak peace process, and the socio-political dynamics of the Himalayan region. Constitutional Law: Deep-dive analysis of Article 370 and Article 35A, providing clarity on the legal and demographic implications of their abrogation in 2019. Human Rights & Accountability: A relentless investigator of state and non-state actors, uncovering systemic abuses including fake encounters and the custodial death of political workers. International War Reporting: Beyond South Asia, he provided on-the-spot coverage of the final, decisive phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. Landmark Exposés & Impact Muzamil’s reporting has repeatedly forced institutional accountability and shaped national discourse: The Kashmir Sex Scandal (2006): His investigative series exposed a high-profile exploitation nexus involving top politicians, bureaucrats, and police officers, leading to the sacking and arrest of several senior officials. Fake Encounters: His reports blew the lid off cases where innocent civilians were passed off as "foreign terrorists" by security forces for gallantry awards. SIMI Investigations: He conducted a massive deep-dive into the arrests of SIMI members, using public records to show how innocuous religious gatherings were often labeled as incriminating activities by investigative agencies. The Amarnath Land Row: Provided critical context to the 2008 agitation that polarized the region and altered its political trajectory. Over the years, Muzamil has also covered 2002 Gujarat riots, Bhuj earthquake, assembly elections in Bihar for Indian Express. He has also reported the peace process in Northern Ireland, war in Sri Lanka and national elections in Pakistan for the paper. Awards and Fellowships His "Journalism of Courage" has been honored with the industry's most prestigious accolades: Four Ramnath Goenka Awards: Recognized for J&K Reportage (2007), On-the-Spot Reporting (2009), and Reporting on Politics and Government (2012, 2017). Kurt Schork Award: From Columbia University for international journalism. Sanskriti Award: For excellence in Indian journalism and literature. IFJ Tolerance Prize: For his empathetic and nuanced reporting in South Asia. International Fellowships: Served as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and worked with The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times in London. He has also received Chevening fellowship and a fellowship at the Institute of Social Studies, Hague, Netherlands. Professional Presence Current Location: New Delhi (formerly Bureau Chief, Srinagar). Education: Master’s in Journalism from Kashmir University. Social Media: Follow him for field insights and rigorous analysis on X (Twitter) @MuzamilJALEEL. ... Read More