Exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops on the border are, unfortunately, all too common. The proximity of the troops, the length of the border running from Siachen to Jammu and tensions over Kashmir, all make periodic clashes inevitable. So much so that continuous attrition in the ranks on both sides has come to be treated as routine. That this is a far from stable situation is evident from flare-ups such as the one over the weekend in the Kargil, Uri and Kupwara sectors when heavy artillery bombardment occurred and the number of casualties reported was larger than usual. No official Defence Ministry statements are available as yet on what triggered off the incidents in which, it is said, a Major of the 24th Punjab was among five Indians who lost their lives. Some 50 Pakistani jawans were reported killed. As was only to be expected, the Defence Minister has reiterated India's readiness to face any threat from across the border. ``Informed sources'', speculating about the sudden escalation of heavy fire from the Pakistani side, have cited every known reason for tensions on the border. Among them are the stepping up of infiltration into Kashmir before the snow cuts off the passes, disruption of India's winter supply lines and the usual suspect, the ISI, queering the pitch for the Indo-Pakistan dialogue on the eve of the foreign secretaries' meeting in New Delhi which will discuss, among others, trans-border firing and smuggling of arms into India. Any or all these factors may have played a part. What is indisputable in the border context, however, is that even an accident could start off a large skirmish. Every minor incident has the makings of a major one when heavily armed troops confront each other from positions as close as a few metres at some points. Military commanders have seen this happen in Siachen and elsewhere over the years and will have taken precautions against accidents spinning out of control. But there is clearly scope for more confidence-building measures and mechanisms for prompt communications at senior military and political levels.Neither the Indian Prime Minister nor his Pakistani counterpart would want the still tentative India-Pakistan dialogue to be rudely interrupted by military factors on the line of actual control. Both have indicated the importance they attach to the talks and can be counted on to keep them going despite negative signals from elsewhere. In that sense they are in tune with popular sentiment as seen in both countries during their independence day celebrations when the bitterness of half a century was blamed for many of the ills of today. Reducing border tensions will have to be one of the priorities in making a fresh start. For this, practical steps on the ground will be as important as improvements in the tone of political exchanges. Keeping the dialogue on track will be the strongest message the political leadership can deliver to the sceptics and spoilers some of whom in Pakistan have shown a vested interest in keeping India-Pakistan tensions alive.
