Thursday, Oct 17, 2002
Thursday, Oct 17, 2002 |
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By Sandeep Dikshit
The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, at the National Security Advisory Board meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday. He is flanked by the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, the National Security Adviser, Brijesh Mishra, and the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha. — Photo: Rajeev Bhatt
However, there was no question of breaking diplomatic bread with Islamabad till it stopped supporting terrorism on Indian territory, the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, told presspersons. "We don't interact with Pakistan. There is no question of a dialogue with Pakistan as long as it supports terrorism," he said when asked if the Government expected Pakistan to reciprocate the gesture. This is the third major step taken by India in the last few months to de-escalate tension with Pakistan. Warships were withdrawn from forward locations in the Arabian Sea in May and before that over-flight curbs on Pakistan planes were lifted. While the Pakistani Navy is too small to merit a mention, Islamabad has continued with the curbs on Indian planes flying over Pakistan. The CCS decided to withdraw the troops following an interaction earlier in the day between the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and the National Security Council (NSC), which is also chaired by the Prime Minister. Basing its recommendations on a `cost-benefit analysis' concluded last week, the NSAB told the NSC that continued full-scale deployment may not be the best option. The NSC was also treated to a `major' presentation — by the former Chief of Army Staff, V.P. Malik — on the consequences of continued forward deployment. Talking to The Hindu, Gen. Malik said there was total consensus in the NSAB against keeping the troops on a state of permanent alert as it was impairing their fighting ability. The NSAB document said the disadvantages of keeping the troops posted on the border far outweighed the advantages. Mr. Fernandes maintained that the decision was based entirely on the country's security considerations, refuting suggestions that this step was taken under pressure from the international community. "The United States has never been a factor in our taking decisions." The CCS, at its meeting, noted that troops had been asked to redeploy from positions on the International Border with Pakistan without impairing their capacity to respond decisively to any emergency. There would be no lowering of the vigil in Jammu and Kashmir, it resolved. The CCS placed on record and acknowledged its whole-hearted appreciation of the conduct of the armed forces. The successful completion of the elections in Jammu and Kashmir capped their achievements, noted the resolution. A CCS statement sought to convey the impression that "as the armed forces have, with great distinction, achieved the objectives assigned to them, thus upholding all the traditions of the Indian military, they now be asked to redeploy". But given the evidence on the ground, there was no doubt that the withdrawal was unilateral. The decision was taken due to evidence of erosion in the fighting ability of the armed forces and the heavy burden imposed on the exchequer without concomitant gains — political or tactical. Flanked by the Defence Secretary, Subir Datta, Mr. Fernandes asserted that forward deployment had achieved its objective, which was "to act on the orders that would be given and secure the frontiers which were being threatened. They have done their job." When asked repeatedly about the timeframe in which the "redeployment" would take place, the Minister said the onus was now on the three service chiefs. Mr. Fernandes declined to field queries on the costs incurred so far, saying they were still being tabulated. The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, the Union Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, the three service chiefs and other senior officials attended the CCS meeting.
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