B L Saraf
Before assuming reigns of governance at New Delhi , Naraandra Modi and the BJP went hammer and tongs against the Ex PM Manmohan Singh and the UPA Government for not acting tough against the Pak – Army’s onslaught at the LOC which consumed precious lives of our brave soldiers . The UPA Government had its excuses for the ‘ inaction’: now people are waiting for the NDA’s reasons for the same . The situation has squared up . The way things portend, indeed , the Government will have to come out clear and fast , more with action than the excuses. Blood of our men is spilling on the LOC. Available indications suggest that it will continue to be so . GOC White Knight Corps , Lieutenant General K H Singh said, in Srinagar, the other day, ” there has been a spurt in cease fire violations from across the border aimed at facilitating infiltration of around 200 militants to disturb the upcoming Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir State. “Some body in the Government should listen him .
Well, till the NDA government finds reasons and proposes action to check this menace let us try to find them for ourselves. Though fairly known, what independent and highly knowledgeable persons have to say currently, on the matter , should provide a method to the Pak Army’s madness on the lOC and elsewhere. Pakistan is a geographic entity. We hope that despite its best efforts at self-annihilation it remains so. But then there can be no denying the country has some serious structural and historical issues to contend with . Unfortunately for it , Pakistan has not come out of the argument, which some European countries believed in the past, that “war and the warpreparations are the major factors in the formation of a nation state. “The European countries have long before discarded the argument but the Pakistan Army and some influential feudalistic elements still believe that “war makes the state. “McGill University Professor , T . V . Paul has in his new book The Warrior State: Pakistan in the Contemporary World explained how the Pak- Army and the elite have kept its population away from the effort of state building and laid great stress on ‘ war making ‘ which has lead it almost to the brink. He curses Pakistan’s geostrategic position in this regard . Because, according to the learned Professor, such a position allowed world powers to embrace it which, in turn , emboldened the military and the elite not to develop the country , internally .
One cannot say about other actors , but Pakistan Army and its highly bigoted supporters seem to have learnt no lesson. That is how Christine Fair – a South Asian Political and MilitaryAffairs Expert sees it and reflects in her book Fighting to the End : The Pak Army’s Way of War . Talking about her book to the representative of a national daily, Christine Fair makes startling revelations about the mind-set of the Pakistani Army and it’s so called campaign against the militants in North Waziristan . She concludes ” Pakistan would not be satisfied even if there was a solution to Kashmir , because for the Pak army , the war against India is a jihad or war of civilizations .” Then she goes on to say ” Pak Army always pitches India as a ” Hindu nation”. This is critical to them because they are setting up this civilizational battle .” Pakistan being an ideological state, the Kashmir issue is symptomatic to it .With a fair bit of reasoning, Christine Fair terms Pak Army’s offensive in North Waziristan against militants as sham and useless , launched just to put wool in the eyes of Americans and get fat cheques from them. Because, according to her, the Army sends strong signals to the militants to run for the safe havens, well before the so called action is launched against them. P M Modi will have to contend with this kind of Amy , besides various rogue elements in the Pakistan Government .
Situation , indeed , is challenging . How to deal with it ? There is no need to give up. Nor will raising war passions or baying for the blood do . Peace at the LOC is in our interest ; vitally so for those who live nearby the Line . Therein lies the dilemma for the new Government . The way forward could be to strengthen the guard at the border and simultaneously address the well intentioned people in Pakistan – who are quite significant in number – and tell them to raise their stake in the affairs of the country . PM Nawaz Sharief has a duty in this regard and need not feel helpless. He should make his people as much concerned for the peace in the Sub- Continent as for the very survival of their country. War and preparation of war is not a guaranty for the survival of a country . People’s support , surely , is. Sooner the Pakistanis know it better it will be for them and the cause of peace.
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
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