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Indian Army Moves into High Battle Gear
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Vajpayee meeting soldiers on the Line of Control in Kashmir.
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By
IOL South Asia correspondent
NEW
DELHI, May 22 (IslamOnline) - Indian Defense Forces have moved into
high battle gear with full combat preparedness and the armed forces
have been placed under a unified command amid escalating tension on
the Indo-Pak border.
Central
Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani has given expressed directives to the
army to consult the War Book, which, as a matter of course, is done
when the country is on the brink of war. Even Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee has asked the defense forces to be in full combat
readiness in order to give Pakistan a "befitting reply"
whenever the war breaks out.
Defense
Minister George Fernandes and army chief Gen S. Padmanabhan have taken
recourse to similar refrain.
To
gauge war preparedness, the Indian army and air force jointly
conducted a major exercise in Rajasthan Tuesday morning. The exercise
was part of a series of exercises called Parakram-3, which have been
conducted in the western sector during the last ten days. Defense
sources said that 14 Air Force MiG-21 and MiG 23BN fighters along with
attack helicopters participated with elements of the Army's Second
Corps.
Following
the terrorist attack on a bus and a military complex near Jammu May
14, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) held a high-level meeting
under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. After
the meeting, the government directed the armed forces to be fully
prepared to meet any eventuality even as it mulled further diplomatic
and other options.
Foreign
Minister Jaswant Singh disclosed that the meeting discussed the
various diplomatic and other options before the government, including
further slashing of staff at the Pakistan high commission and
withdrawing the most favored nation status from Islamabad.
The
meeting also decided to set up a joint command of paramilitary forces
deployed at the borders while directing all the three armed forces to
be alert and geared up to tackle any eventuality, Singh said. He
further explained that Coast Guards and paramilitary troops have been
placed under the direct control of the Navy and Army respectively, and
that this was a routine step normally taken to bring all wings under a
joint command in tense situations.
The
Jammu terrorist attack prompted Home Minister L.K. Advani to step up
his favorite rhetoric. Advani has now begun talking of "refining
the strategy and tactics" with special reference to
"checking infiltration" and "action against overground
support base of terrorists."
"The
Government is of the firm belief that the way we are retaliating will
have to be changed," he said. As such, war is the next step, it
would seem, taking Advani seriously.
Indian
Defense Secretary Yogendra Narain is currently visiting the U.S. He is
likely to go in for possible weapon imports from that country in order
to fill up the gaps in the Indian defense arsenal. During his visit,
he will also seek the acquisition of gun-locating radar, P3C Orion
maritime long-range reconnaissance planes as well as latest equipment
needed for launching commando operations.
In
another development, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has put most of its
grounded MiG-21 Bis fighter-interceptor fleet back into service.
Nearly 10 squadrons of this aircraft had been grounded for thorough
technical evaluation, after one of this type crashed into a civilian
area in Jalandhar on May 3.
Meanwhile,
the Army began a pullout Tuesday May 21 after nearly a
three-month-long deployment in the riot-torn Gujarat in view of the
hostile situation on the border. The Army was requisitioned in Gujarat
to tackle the anti-Muslim pogroms.
According
to reports, there has been a mobilization of over half a million
troops and strike formations along the border. Besides, the IAF is
also maintaining a high state of operational readiness to tackle any
exigency. Most of the fighters and other air assets have been moved
forward to the border areas.
War
maneuvers apart, the CCS Sunday meeting is being interpreted in
defense circles as toughening of the posture on part of the Indian
administration while sending across a message to the Pakistani
establishment that "India means business."
But
the possibility of an immediate war is quite bleak. Quoting Defense
sources, Indian newspaper, The Asian Age, said today that bringing
paramilitary forces under the command of the Army or bringing the
Coast Guard under the command of the Navy is definitely a prerequisite
for handling a war-like situation, but that does not necessarily
indicate that there is going to be a war.
However,
the situation right now is fluid and anything can happen when over a
million soldiers face each other on the borders.
Defense
sources also remarked that when a country is heading towards war,
there are certain indicators which are not visible right now. One of
the primary indications that goes along with troop mobilization is to
carry out a diplomatic offensive in the international sphere to
justify the war. The world is yet to be convinced of the justice of
the scale of the Indian response or that the Pakistani government was
indeed responsible for the May 14 attack.
However,
analysts point out that one of the intentions of the ongoing
mobilization is to increase the credibility of India's "coercive
diplomacy." In other words, India wants to taste fruits of
victory without actually going to war.
Important
international players are already doing their bit to cool down the
increased tension between the two nuclear rivals. Britain's Defense
chief Admiral Michael Boyce is arriving in Delhi Wednesday, 22 May, to
assess first-hand the Indo-Pak military situation. American deputy
secretary of state Richard Armitage, as well as British secretary of
state Jack Straw, are expected shortly in Delhi to follow up Christina
Rocca's mission.
Indian
political parties have also sharply reacted to these developments.
President of the right-wing ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has said
that the time has come for a "final settlement" with
Pakistan to eliminate "once for all" the menace of
cross-border terrorism. He also said that such a task should be
carried out by "India alone with or without the support of any
other country." The Congress Party has also fully supported the
government.
Only
the leftist parties have refrained from war-mongering. Communist Party
Marxist general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet and Communist Party
of India general secretary A.B. Bardhan have asked the Indian Prime
Minister to step up the diplomatic offensive against Pakistan instead
of waging war. Bardhan added that there was no such thing as "a
limited war", especially when both countries share borders.
Preparations
on the other side of the border are no less. Pakistan has deployed its
Shaheen missiles to deal with any eventuality. With a range of 750 km,
Shaheen has been deployed in view of a possible attack by India.
Pakistan has informed world powers that it would use all options if
attacked.
People
residing on the borders have already started to feel the heat. Reports
from the northern Indian state of Punjab said that people in the
border areas have been evacuated to safer places. District authorities
in Gurdaspur said that relief camps are being established to provide
help to the border residents in view of the constant heavy shelling
and mortar fire during the past few days.
But
the worst hit are Jammu villagers. By late Saturday, May 18, about
25,000 had left their homes to join over one hundred thousand earlier
evacuees from the borders during previous confrontations.
With
the escalating tension, shares in both India and Pakistan took a
downslide. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) shed 96 points -- the lowest
level this year. Market pundits say that war fears have hit the market
and it is already close to its bottom.
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