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On a retributive mission

On a retributive mission

Author: Sunil Sawant
Publication: www.tehelka.com
Date:
URL:http://www.tehelka.com/aspsite/rightstory.asp?id1=commentary&id2=politics&id3=HEADLINES&id4=20000623611&fname=com022001sunil%2Ehtm

A lamentable lack of will power and the killer instinct is what keeps India from getting the better of Pakistan or China. We need to look for instant retribution and hit Pakistan where it hurts, says Sunil Sawant in the concluding section of his article

A lack of desire to win, a lack of will power to gain from our victories, and a lack of strategic foresight have been responsible for India's early losses to Pakistan and China. It is especially amazing that Pakistan, in particular, has been able to get away with so many terrible offences till the late 1980s, when Pakistan was nuclearised. Then the nuclear factor instantly became a hot excuse for the Indian policy makers to hide their lack of will power. Since that time, Pakistan has stoked terrorist fires in Punjab and now Kashmir. Pakistan has been getting away with it because we have let them!

Some apologists of the current passive, reactive policies contend that the goal should be a final war to utterly destroy Pakistan. The aim seems laudable, but is utterly impractical. It will be playing right into the hands of the enemy. The "sau sunar ki, ek lohar ki" policy of diminishing responsibility does not work in the practical world. If we wait for the enemy to complete its proverbial 100 atrocities and only then decide to strike big, we will be waiting forever.

Such a war, given our strength, our traditional lack of will power, and outside interference, will never happen. It is not even desirable. For what will we do with a defeated Pakistan? Occupy it forever? Ha! It is more justified to seek instant retribution, instead of waiting for too long and losing outside popular support.

In today's world, conventional war is a no-no for a non-superpower. As in the past, most of the wars today are fought in the minds. Since India imports most of its weapon systems and their spare parts, she is in no position to initiate a conventional war. Today, a full-fledged war is a last resort, only to be indulged in when directly imposed upon by an enemy.

But all of India's actions and inactions have been leading us to precisely such a war. That too, those taking us on this path swear they are trying to avoid exactly that! How is this happening?

None of the Indian governments has responded to Pakistani terrorism effectively. All we have been doing is fighting the insurgents when they are already inside India. This is no way to defeat state-sponsored terrorism! Such passive, reactive defense only encourages the enemy, who believes his aggressive policies are beginning to break us down. The only way to fight a war - even a proxy war - is to take it to the enemy.

Currently, hundreds of thousands of our soldiers are literally stuck in Kashmir. They are in a purely defensive mode inside our territory. Such concentration of our forces makes it a magnet for terrorist attacks. It leaves gaping holes on the China border. Worse, it achieves nothing, because our army is not allowed to hit at the root of the problem! No amount of defence is perfect defence. Pakistan will keep haemorrhaging us if we stick to our defence-only policy.

India must tackle terrorism appropriately. We have conventional superiority, and it must be used to keep Pakistani military within Pakistan. Indian apologists of policies like the ceasefire claim that any offensive action by India will bring the Pakistani nuclear factor into play. This logic is nothing but a victory of the mind-war Pakistan has been waging. The nuclear deterrence, which kept Indian forces on our side of the Line of Control during Kargil, will also keep the Pakistani army within its borders. That will happen when our policy makers leave room enough so that the enemy is not guaranteed of a lack of threat from India. So what about the Pakistani terrorists?

The only solution for that is to eliminate the terrorist leaders in Pakistan. India must go after the terrorist masterminds, their financiers, and their top commanders. India must demonstrate that our long arm is capable of reaching anywhere to punish those who seek to harm Indians. To achieve this, India must infiltrate its own armed anti-terrorist units in Pakistan. Just like Pakistan denies providing terrorists with material support, India can deny sponsoring these anti-terrorist units. Hitting directly back at the terrorist bosses in Pakistan will demoralise and unravel the terrorists. Once India starts to inflict immediate and effective punishment for incidents like Kandahar, they will stop happening.

In short, here is the equation: Pakistani nukes check Indian nukes. Indian military checks the Pakistani military. But who checks Pakistani terrorists? Why, Indian anti-terrorists! The key, in this nuclear age, is to play the game at the same level as the enemy - no more and no less.

This solution is wonderful because it is economical in every sense. An offensive group of four or five thousand dedicated people will achieve what an army of lakhs has trouble doing. Indian counter-terrorist actions will instil fear in the minds of potential terrorists, creating deterrence. Those terrorists seeking martyrdom can be granted that right in their own nation. Most importantly, it will free our military to take care of its regular duties. This will improve the morale of our armed forces tremendously.

But our armed forces cannot keep absorbing the self-imposed deaths much longer. If a dramatic change in our policies doesn't come about soon, the army may crumble sooner rather than later. If India does not act now, Pakistan will keep pushing us till we hit the wall. We don't want our current conventional superiority to decompose with time, or to be forced to react desperately in a tight bind, do we? It is best to act while we can retain control of the situation.

This anti-terrorist action plan only requires will power. Apologists of Indian inaction claim that no party has a majority in the parliament to take decisions. This argument is misleading, at best. Even today, all security decisions of the government are executive ones; the parliament is not even consulted on most issues. This simply means that the leadership must have the right vision, and lots of courage and will power. But the policies need to change soon. It must be remembered that those who are not part of the solution become part of the problem.

(The writer is a retired Wing Commander)
 


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