Memories of war

Assessments of anniversaries of wars and armed conflicts are inevitably strewn with ambiguities and contradictions. So it is with Kargil. ...

Assessments of anniversaries of wars and armed conflicts are inevitably strewn with ambiguities and contradictions. So it is with Kargil. Though disagreement has been voiced over when that first anniversary should have been — May 5, when India suffered its first casualties, or May 25, when the Indian Air Force was first called upon to begin the slow and painful ejection of Pakistani intruders — it doesn’t quite change the subtext.

As jawans come to the end of a long, freezing winter on the Kargil heights in their endeavour to prevent a repeat of 1999, three dimensions of the conflict bear serious deliberation: the human, the strategic, and the domestic. Official estimates put the toll at 474, but many more lives, of medalled officers, of still faceless jawans, and of grieving relatives, still lie shattered.

As an emotional nation acknowledges its gratitude to the fearless and brave soldiers who re-established the sanctity of its borders, or the line of control, it is imperative that rehabilitation efforts be augmented with an initiative to reverse a mindset that treats jawans as a veritable underclass. Reports in this newspaper have repeatedly highlighted the material and psychological divide between the comfortably ensconced military establishment in New Delhi and sundry idyllic headquarters and the spartan, ill-equipped bunkers on the war front. Posthumous recognition can be no compensation for routine indifference.

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From the very day the intrusions on the Kargil heights were detected last year, the porosity and lack of coordination that inform the country’s security management system have been debated. Whether it be surveillance and intelligence gathering, interface between civilian authorities and the armed forces, or matching arms procurement with mountainous terrain, formulation of a holistic security regime is a necessity. For instance, the Kargil Review Committee Report has touched upon the wisdom of Siachenising Kargil.

The logistics and human endurance required for a year-round patrol of 168 km of the most inhospitable landscape would impose make the Siachenisation of Kargil an extremely expensive option. But is there any choice?

The answer to such imponderables lies in addressing the root cause, the Kashmir conflict, which propels Pakistan towards ever more irrational acts to keep the Valley simmering. Perusing hi-tech wargames scenarios is all very well, but New Delhi’s best defence would be to secure popular support in Jammu and Kashmir. The Valley is abuzz with reports about quiet, not-so-secretive deliberations between separatist groups and mediators believed to have the government’s blessings.

The method behind these manoeuvres is still not clear, but the objective is laudable. Yet, it is an objective that serves as a red flag to the choreographers of terrorism across the border, as was evident in the recent assassination of a Jammu and Kashmir minister. So if the lesson of Kargil was the importance of vigilance, a year later its import has only increased.

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