Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The casualties during the current landmine removal from the borders may be much less than what was initially reported but the issue is still extremely serious. Five months after the withdrawal of the defence forces from battle stations was ordered, reportedly only about one-third of the landmines have been removed so far. This may well be the result of a conscious strategy, in case the army has to move back into battle-stations quickly in the near future. But if this is not the case, it reflects poorly on the operational capability of one of the most professional militaries in the world.
There were a large number of casualties when the mines were being laid. That was mostly ascribed to old mines and inadequate training. And these factors, no doubt, contribute to the current problem too. On the face of it, there can be no excuse for any neglect of low-cost, low technology military weapons and equipment, particularly when they are being indigenously manufactured. It is also conceded that poor nations like ours tend to retain older equipment for longer durations. But the landmines recovery problem does highlight two urgent issues. First, continued low investments in the modernisation of the defence forces have probably created a critical situation in many sectors of our defence capability. The second is the great emphasis on the big-ticket items 8212; at times to the gross neglect of the less visible, low technology systems that would be crucial to win a war.
