The Hindu : Military preparations at a brisk pace

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 21, 2002

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Front Page

Military preparations at a brisk pace

By Atul Aneja and Sandeep Dikshit

Milkhi Ram, 80, sits outside his house damaged by Pakistan mortar shelling at Glar village in Samba Sector, 65 km from Jammu, on Monday. — AP

By Atul Aneja and

Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI MAY 20. As India's combat preparations gather momentum, Britain's Defence chief, Admiral Michael Boyce, arrives here on Wednesday to assess first-hand the Indo-Pak. military situation.

Admiral Boyce's arrival here assumes importance because of Britain's close proximity to the United States and the inclination of both countries to consult each other on issues relating to the sub-continent. Admiral Boyce will call on the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, and meet the Chief of the Army Staff, S. Padmanabhan, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Madhvendra Singh and Vice-Chief of the Air Staff, S.G. Inamdar, as the Air Force chief, S. Krishnaswamy, will not be in the Capital then. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, meanwhile, is beginning a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow. He will visit the forward posts at Kupwara as well as chair a meeting at the Unified Headquarters in Srinagar.

A day after the crucial meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Sunday, military preparations by the armed forces continue at a brisk pace. Accompanied by the Army and Air Force chiefs, Mr. Fernandes is now visiting the Rajasthan border areas including Bikaner. Signalling the armed forces' intent, they will witness precision-guided bombings by the Jaguar long-range fighter jets at the Mahajan firing range. An assessment would also be taken of the newly-acquired T-90 tanks.

In tandem with the military preparations, the Air Force today appointed A.R. Ghandhi as the Commander in Chief of the key Western Air Command, filling the month-long void created due to the shifting of his predecessor, Vinod Bhatia.

According to highly placed-sources, in a bid to bridge the gaps in its defence arsenal, India is also factoring in possible weapon imports from the U.S., including gun locating radars. The ongoing visit of the Defence Secretary, Yogendra Narain, to the U.S. may also see India seeking early acquisition of P3C Orion maritime long-range reconnaissance planes, as well as latest equipment needed for launching commando operations.

The day also witnessed an escalation in political rhetoric related to Pakistan. The Union Home Minister, L.K Advani, advocated changes in India's tactics to counter cross-border terrorism. "The Government is of the firm belief that the way we are retaliating will have to be changed,'' he said. "The issue was debated by Parliament on the last day of the budget session. On that basis and in consultation with the Army, the Government would go ahead and win the proxy war like we did in 1971.''

Analysts here point out that the one of the intentions of the ongoing mobilisation is to increase the credibility of India's "coercive diplomacy.'' In fact, sources say that India's response to the Jammu attack has already made key countries see the urgency for curbing cross-border infiltration. Germany, in a statement, has said that ``the Government of Pakistan has to do everything within its powers to stop the murderous attacks which take place on the Indian side. All cross-border activities of terrorists must be prevented.''

In a related development, India has taken exception to the reported Pakistani bid to take up the downturn in its relations with India to the U.N. Security Council. The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Nirupama Rao, said that such as step would be a "deflection from the primary area of focus which is terrorism.'' She also dismissed Pakistan's advocacy for positioning international monitors on the Line of Control on similar grounds.

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