The didscovery of terrorist camps on the Indian
side f the border is a scandal which even outdoes the shame of the
initially undetected Kargil incursion. The Indian government never tires
of pointing out Pakistan's double game when it comes to turning the
infiltration tap off. Unfortunately, the sin of being caught napping at
the border post--with the knowledge that there are constant machinations
under way which put the nation's security in serious jeopardy--is
unpardonable. India has been caught as much sinning as sinned against in
this department.
The news that Pakistani militants have managed to
cross deep into the Indian side of the Line of Control is a shocking
expose of the shortocmings of those entrusted with the duty of protecting
the nation. But what is appalling is that the army did have an inkling of
the terrorists setting up camps 35 kilometres inside the Indian LoC around
Hilkaka in Jammu and Kashmir four years ago. The disturbing question is:
what was the world's second-largest army waiting for? Jehadis to
break into song around the campfire?
For some inexplicable reason, the army launched an
operation to flush out the insurgents only on April 21 this year. This,
after claims by the army itself that the camps were being jointly used by
various terrorist outfits--including the Lashkar-e-Toiba for 'planning,
coordination, transit and safe-keeping of arms'. So far, 40 percent of the
area has been allegedly 'fumigated'. With the army informing that 'only 62
of the 350 terrorists suspected to be manning the bases' have been
eliminated, even the country's defence establishment knows that there has
been a major dereliction of duty. One shudders to think of the possibility
that other terror camps inside Indian territory remain undetected.
One would have thought that the Kargil
experience--in which it was left to locals to blow the whistle signalling
the presence of infiltrators from Pakistan--would have taught us to be on
guard. Nothing of that sort seems to have happened. It seems more than a
little pathetic that while our external affairs minister suggests India
and Pakistan hold joint patrols along the border--countering Islamabad's
standard excuse that infiltrators are 'beyond its control'--our defence
minister can only watch in puzzlement as the security forces are caught
snoring at their posts.
Previous
