Lord ZeN
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2014
- Messages
- 2,483
- Reaction score
- 15
- Country
- Location
Why has India-Pakistan international border suddenly become a live wire, resulting in a re-run of border tensions witnessed a few months before?
The ongoing bloodbath threatens to be bloodier ad protracted if one considers this hawkish statement by Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif on 3 January: "In the past six-seven months, we have tried to better our ties with India, so that peace can prevail. But it seems that they do not understand this language. I believe, we will now communicate with India in the language they understand."
Unprovoked shelling by Pakistani troops along the international border and Line of Control is nothing uncommon and has been happening for decades as a much familiar and even worn-out strategy of pushing terrorists into India under the cover of fire. But what is unique and special about the unduly high border tensions in the past few days is the fact usually ceasefire violations happen during summers but this time it is happening at the peak of winter.
Obviously, Pakistani troops cannot hope to send terrorists into India under the cover of fire in this freezing cold when more than the Indian guns their biggest enemy is the nature. And yet there is a method in this apparent madness of Pakistan.
It is a calibrated strategy by Pakistan to flag mark the Kashmir issue three weeks before United States President Barack Obama arrives in India to be the chief guest at its Republic Day parade.
More importantly, the border situation once again demonstrates to the world what is already well known – that it is the Pakistan army that calls the shots. After all, isn’t it a bit of a cliché to say that while all other countries have an army, in Pakistan it is the army which has a country?
Representational Image. AP
There have been reports in the Indian media that Pakistan Army has made forward movement and taken over many border outposts which were earlier manned by Pakistan Rangers, a para-military force. While the Indian Army has denied reports of Pakistan Army making forward movement, the other part of the published news – Pakistan Army taking over control of many border outposts from Rangers – has not been contested.
In any case, from the Indian perspective it does not make much difference whether the border outposts on the Pakistani side are manned by the army or the Rangers because the Rangers are under the Pakistan Army. In contrast, India’s Border Security Force which is the equivalent of Pakistan Rangers comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Pakistan is maintaining pressure on India diplomatically also. Sartaz Aziz, Pakistan’s top diplomat and advisor to Pakistan PM on foreign policy and national security, has shot off an angry letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj demanding probe into the alleged Indian troops’ action of “regrettable ambush of (Pakistani) soldiers”.
In a swift and strong response on Saturday night, Sushma Swaraj dismissed contentions made by Sartaj Aziz in his letter to her of 2 January 2015. She said that the incidents on 31st December in the Jammu sector commenced when a routine BSF patrol flying an identifying flag came under sniper fire from a Pakistan Border Post, which resulted in the death of one Indian security personnel and serious injuries to another.
She said that Pakistan commanders responded to Indian defensive fire by escalating matters by using higher caliber weapons, expanding the zone of conflict to other sub sectors and targeting civilian habitations and stressed that at no stage did the Indian side seek any platoon level contact under a white flag as was being suggested.
The consistent Indian message conveyed to Pakistan was that if they were to stop firing on Indian Border Posts, India would immediately end defensive firing. Unfortunately, Pakistan commanders had chosen to ignore this advice until the evening.
Swaraj emphasised that India always adhered to the mechanisms that have been evolved to ensure peace and tranquility on the borders and would continue to do so and asked Sartaj Aziz to ensure that Pakistan’s forces do the same.
Now coming back to the question asked upfront in this article: why has the international border suddenly become so tense and violent and that too in winters?
Pakistan is obviously doing this to attract attention of the international community. Pakistan had ratcheted up terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in the run up to Obama’s India visit in November 2010, thus conveying to the Americans that Kashmir is an unfinished agenda.
This time Pakistan has failed to choreograph big ticket terror attacks even during the just-concluded elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Perhaps weather conditions played an important role in thwarting Pakistani designs apart from the alacrity of the Indian security and intelligence personnel.
Upping the ante along the international border seems to be Pakistan’s Plan B and a fail-proof option because ceasefire violation is something that is totally in the hands of Pakistan army.
The madness that started on the borders on New Year Eve may well continue till Obama concludes his India visit, probably on 26 January. Sartaz Aziz’s letter to Sushma Swaraj is a part of Pakistan’s attention-seeking strategy build up.
Just three weeks ahead of Obama’s visit to India, Pakistan is trying to convey to the Americans that Kashmir is not only an unfinished agenda but also a nuclear flashpoint. Resolve it first before you talk anything else with the Indians – this is the message that Pakistan is trying to send out to the Americans.
Firing on LoC even in winters: Why Pak has upped the ante against India - Firstpost
@Judge @hinduguy @sreekumar
The ongoing bloodbath threatens to be bloodier ad protracted if one considers this hawkish statement by Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif on 3 January: "In the past six-seven months, we have tried to better our ties with India, so that peace can prevail. But it seems that they do not understand this language. I believe, we will now communicate with India in the language they understand."
Unprovoked shelling by Pakistani troops along the international border and Line of Control is nothing uncommon and has been happening for decades as a much familiar and even worn-out strategy of pushing terrorists into India under the cover of fire. But what is unique and special about the unduly high border tensions in the past few days is the fact usually ceasefire violations happen during summers but this time it is happening at the peak of winter.
Obviously, Pakistani troops cannot hope to send terrorists into India under the cover of fire in this freezing cold when more than the Indian guns their biggest enemy is the nature. And yet there is a method in this apparent madness of Pakistan.
It is a calibrated strategy by Pakistan to flag mark the Kashmir issue three weeks before United States President Barack Obama arrives in India to be the chief guest at its Republic Day parade.
More importantly, the border situation once again demonstrates to the world what is already well known – that it is the Pakistan army that calls the shots. After all, isn’t it a bit of a cliché to say that while all other countries have an army, in Pakistan it is the army which has a country?
Representational Image. AP
There have been reports in the Indian media that Pakistan Army has made forward movement and taken over many border outposts which were earlier manned by Pakistan Rangers, a para-military force. While the Indian Army has denied reports of Pakistan Army making forward movement, the other part of the published news – Pakistan Army taking over control of many border outposts from Rangers – has not been contested.
In any case, from the Indian perspective it does not make much difference whether the border outposts on the Pakistani side are manned by the army or the Rangers because the Rangers are under the Pakistan Army. In contrast, India’s Border Security Force which is the equivalent of Pakistan Rangers comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Pakistan is maintaining pressure on India diplomatically also. Sartaz Aziz, Pakistan’s top diplomat and advisor to Pakistan PM on foreign policy and national security, has shot off an angry letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj demanding probe into the alleged Indian troops’ action of “regrettable ambush of (Pakistani) soldiers”.
In a swift and strong response on Saturday night, Sushma Swaraj dismissed contentions made by Sartaj Aziz in his letter to her of 2 January 2015. She said that the incidents on 31st December in the Jammu sector commenced when a routine BSF patrol flying an identifying flag came under sniper fire from a Pakistan Border Post, which resulted in the death of one Indian security personnel and serious injuries to another.
She said that Pakistan commanders responded to Indian defensive fire by escalating matters by using higher caliber weapons, expanding the zone of conflict to other sub sectors and targeting civilian habitations and stressed that at no stage did the Indian side seek any platoon level contact under a white flag as was being suggested.
The consistent Indian message conveyed to Pakistan was that if they were to stop firing on Indian Border Posts, India would immediately end defensive firing. Unfortunately, Pakistan commanders had chosen to ignore this advice until the evening.
Swaraj emphasised that India always adhered to the mechanisms that have been evolved to ensure peace and tranquility on the borders and would continue to do so and asked Sartaj Aziz to ensure that Pakistan’s forces do the same.
Now coming back to the question asked upfront in this article: why has the international border suddenly become so tense and violent and that too in winters?
Pakistan is obviously doing this to attract attention of the international community. Pakistan had ratcheted up terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in the run up to Obama’s India visit in November 2010, thus conveying to the Americans that Kashmir is an unfinished agenda.
This time Pakistan has failed to choreograph big ticket terror attacks even during the just-concluded elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Perhaps weather conditions played an important role in thwarting Pakistani designs apart from the alacrity of the Indian security and intelligence personnel.
Upping the ante along the international border seems to be Pakistan’s Plan B and a fail-proof option because ceasefire violation is something that is totally in the hands of Pakistan army.
The madness that started on the borders on New Year Eve may well continue till Obama concludes his India visit, probably on 26 January. Sartaz Aziz’s letter to Sushma Swaraj is a part of Pakistan’s attention-seeking strategy build up.
Just three weeks ahead of Obama’s visit to India, Pakistan is trying to convey to the Americans that Kashmir is not only an unfinished agenda but also a nuclear flashpoint. Resolve it first before you talk anything else with the Indians – this is the message that Pakistan is trying to send out to the Americans.
Firing on LoC even in winters: Why Pak has upped the ante against India - Firstpost
@Judge @hinduguy @sreekumar
Last edited:
