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Troops may not be pulled back soon
By Atul Aneja
NEW DELHI, JAN. 9. India is unlikely to pull back its forces from the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) soon. According to highly-placed Government sources, New Delhi, after the attack on Parliament is determined to deal with terrorism decisively. For that it aims to create a suitable political environment in the region that will eventually enable it to make a deal with Pakistan.
The mobilisation of ground troops along the borders is central to the strategy that will strengthen India's hands during future negotiations, they observed.
As of now, India has positioned its forces all along the borders in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. All its three strike corps, that can spearhead a military campaign have been mobilised.
Early movement of the strike elements is highly significant. By positioning them in advance, India has ensured that Pakistan, in case hostilities break out, cannot take territory. This is a departure from the past, as India, in its earlier wars, allowed Pakistan to gain territory initially.
Pakistan had made initial gains in some areas in the land corridor straddling the Jhelum and Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir in the past, and it took India considerable time to regain lost ground. But by foreclosing this option, India this time, has positioned itself for quick military gains even in a short war.
Islamabad, the sources say, is well aware of the ground situation. Its military vulnerability, in turn, explains the urgency with which the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf has appealed to world leaders to reverse New Delhi's military build-up.
In a bid to mount international pressure on India for de-escalation, Pakistan had initially argued that on-going U.S. efforts to nab Al-Qaeda activists fleeing into Pakistan from the Afghan border would be undermined. According to the Pakistani leadership, the Indian build-up would force it to divert its troops from the Afghan to the Indo-Pak. border, compromising vigilance on the fleeing Al-Qaeda remnants. Gen. Musharraf, according to media reports, has now asked the U.S. to ensure that Indian forces are restrained, in order to enable him to mount more pressure on extremists in his country.
India, is unlikely to pull back forces unless Pakistan takes some dramatic decisions that will make the military mobilisation redundant, the sources observed. They pointed out that the mobilisation has been central to the intense international pressure now being imposed on Gen. Musharraf for a crackdown on terrorists of all hues. Given its success, New Delhi would like its coercive diplomacy vis-a-vis Pakistan to continue by ensuring that the military situation on the borders remains basically unaltered.
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