Kargil lesson

Kargil lesson

Afghanistan situation could impact Kashmir.

With the country celebrating 20 years of its victory in the Kargil War, it would be prudent to take stock of current security threats and our preparedness to meet these. Two decades ago, Pakistani soldiers disguised as Kashmiri militants infiltrated across the LoC to occupy heights on the Indian side. Over two months, the Indian Army – with support from the Indian Air Force – had to battle its way up those heights to dislodge the infiltrators. Kargil was a bloody reminder of Pakistan’s intent to wrest Kashmir inch-by-inch. And with the US military intervention in Afghanistan poised to wind down, a triumphalist Pakistan could once again misread the situation and focus its energy on its eastern front.

This means that India has to be on alert and continuously upgrade its security grid in Kashmir. Following the Kargil War, the Kargil Review Committee had made several pertinent recommendations. In fact, recommendations like setting up the post of chief of defence staff and greater coordination between the ministry of defence and the armed forces are yet to be implemented. Plus, Kargil had also exposed operational deficiencies including failure of surveillance and intelligence, and shortage of equipment. While some of these gaps are being addressed – like updating artillery weapon systems – others require more efforts to be plugged.

India’s security challenges today have become even more complicated with China’s rise in the last two decades. And given the China-Pakistan strategic partnership and Beijing’s desire to militarily assert itself in the Indian Ocean Region, India faces the full spectrum of security threats including cross-border terrorism (Kashmir), limited skirmishes along border areas (Doklam), and confrontation on the high seas. It must prepare for a scenario where Pakistan and China collude to hem in India. And as Kargil showed, rapid military modernisation – along with closer military and diplomatic ties with the West – is the only solution.