The major wipes his brow. ‘‘It is hot here and is going to get hotter,’’ he says. The mercury in Jammu has crossed 35 degree Celsius but he is not talking about the weather. In fierce artillery exchanges, the Indian Army destroyed Pakistani defences in the Samba sector. By late night, Poonch was under heavy mortar attack and four persons were killed.The whirr of the Cheetah helicopter above and heavy movement of troops and supply convoys from Jammu towards Poonch and Rajouri indicated the tense situation. Artillery, which came of age during the Kargil conflict, is playing a crucial role along the International Border at Samba, R.S.Pura and even beyond in Akhnoor, Poonch and Rajouri. And unlike in Kargil, the artillery here is well dug in.‘‘The advantage is that we have not been rushed into this zone, like in Kargil. We had ample time to prepare and dig ourselves in,’’ says a senior officer. And he is right. On first sight, it is impossible to locate a gun position here. Hidden beneath a clump of trees behind a mound, where wild grass has already started to grow again, is an artillery position. Camouflage nets give protection both from the sky and ground.’’‘‘What do you see ahead?’’ an artillery officer asks his mortar fire controller at the observation post. ‘‘Sir, there is heavy smoke rising from the camp. We hit bang on target. But I see some more movement,’’ he replies, giving coordinates of the location. ‘‘Good, we’ll have them tonight,’’ says the officer.The shelling in this sector has not escalated to light and medium artillery yet though in some other sectors that stage has been reached. ‘‘An accurate mortar attack is more dangerous since it leaves very little time to react. And even the mortar fire is graduating to heavier calibers. Pakistan initially used 60-mm mortars but has already started firing 82-mm mortars both in Samba and Poonch sectors. We are responding in kind,’’ says the gun commander.Shells of different charges, including air bursts, lie gleaming in the May sun. A young soldier takes them out of the cardboard cases and gently lays them down on a canvas. The ‘saab’ (junior commissioned officer) inspects them before waiting for instructions from the officer. Then a seven-member team prepares itself for the attack. ‘‘We have carried out drills long enough. Now we are only waiting for the instructions. As soon as they come, we shall avenge the attack on Parliament and Kaluchak,’’ says the officer inspecting the drill and nodding his head.It’s kind of a war here though Delhi is far away. ‘‘There are several stages in a conflict. From proxy war, the situation has escalated to a hot war. Both the countries are carrying out ‘‘stand up attacks’’ on each other. We are dug into our positions and mortar firing has begun. Pakistan appears to have opened up its artillery in Poonch sector but it only has hell to buy,’’ says another officer.‘‘Only yesterday they lost 15 soldiers in the Samba sector,’’ says a senior officer at Jammu. The Army has been listening to Pakistani intercepts and there is apprehension in the Pakistanis’ mind as to where India would retaliate for the Poonch attacks of last night. ‘‘Their officers are telling their troops to go inside bunkers and prepare for an Indian artillery attack after sundown tonight. Why tonight and why after sundown. We may retaliate anywhere — a place and time of our choosing. We may retaliate in the same sector or in another sector. It’s entirely our choice,’’ the officer adds.
