PARIKRAMA
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India could have saved money and precious lives had the Indian Military chosen to blockade the supply route of the opposing force, virtually creating a siege. The issue was that such a move would have involved the Indian troops crossing the LoC as well as initiating aerial attacks on Pakistan soil, a manoeuvre India was not willing to exercise fearing an expansion of war and reducing international support for its cause.
@Abingdonboy @PARIKRAMA what's your opinion?
Cutting the supply route access, stretching present rations, creating a situation where morale of the soldiers goes down with the advent of time is a common chapter of strategy101. It's applicable to every field including the conflict of Kargil.
The issue was the restraint of not crossing the border nor overdoing it and exposing loopholes via over committing excesses in disrupting or blocking of supply route.
To me personally, IMHO the greatest restraint was from PM ABV who ordered of maintaining everything inside our own border and never crossing it. Unfortunately the supply lines were very much constrained for the hostile forces in a foreign territory who had thought broad international acceptance would make the engagement limited in time frame and thus never committed for considering a stable supply chain route, guaranteeing their survival, high Morales and ability to handle out a longer duration of engagement. To me again IMHO it was a case of tactical blunders to avoid 101 class.
The engagement was lost the moment the supply route were cut off from within Indian side of the border. The rest meetings, withdrawal and all talks are just normal chattering.
Kargil is not about senior army brass not doing things correctly.. Kargil effectively displayed that basic foundation chapters of strategy101 and tactics to avoid 101 are very much relevant even today. It's more of a eye opener for both sides who had sidelined that and considered far advance stuff and forgotten the basics