Posted by Dr. Gopal Unnikrishna Kurup
It was an audacious and provocative attack. Pakistani soldiers, obviously belonging to Pakistan Border Action Team(BAT) numbering about 20, intruded into the Indian territory past midnight yesterday and ambushed a six member patrol party at the Sarlah post on the Indian side of the LoC. A Subedar and four jawans of the 21 Bihar Unit were killed in the attack which took place at around 2 AM while one soldier was injured. The attack took place 450 meters from the LoC on the Indian side. The Sarlah post of Poonch Brigade near the Chakkan-da-Bagh area, is over 200km away from Jammu. The incident occurred just hours after the ceasefire violation in Samba sector on Monday evening in which one BSF soldier was injured.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists and the Pakistani Army, according to sources, took advantage of the weather conditions and topography of the area to sneak across the LoC. The attackers took the advantage of dense vegetation. The patrol party was passing through a vulnerable (unfenced LoC) sector of some 300 mts between Cheeta and Begum posts when they were ambushed.
As usual according to their game plan, Pakistani security officials denied any involvement in the deaths of Indian soldiers saying there had been no exchange of fire on the border and that, in fact, there was no such incident whatsoever,
What Defense minister AK Antony chose to say in Parliament was, very differently, that the attack on Indian soldiers was carried out by about 20 heavily armed men "dressed in Pakistani military uniforms"(?). However Additional Directorate General of Public Information for the Indian Army had tweeted : "Ensuing firefight, 5 Indian Soldiers were Martyred & 1 Soldier injured." Also, minutes before Antony's statement, a press release sent by the Defense Ministry said "Pak Border Action Team attacked Indian Soldiers" clearly indicting the Pakistani Army that has denied the charge The Jammu press communique was issued after collecting details from the Northern Army Command which is tasked to protect entire Jammu and Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan have Border Action Teams (BAT) which function as crack special forces often used as quick reaction teams to address emergencies at the border. An embarrassed Defense Ministry had no other recourse but to make a sudden vault e face and withdraw the release. The Minister's dubious statement has since been severely criticized.
The Govt. has of cource gone through the usual rituals, protesting and sending diplomatic missives and uttering template statements. India summons Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner; lodges strong protest over killing of its soldiers at the LoC in Poonch sector. Defense minister AK Antony speaks " We strongly condemn the incident. The army is fully ready to tackle such occurrences. We're ready to take all steps to protect the LOC." Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh is taking stock of the situation, and Indian DGMO being asked to lodge a strong protest with his Pakistani counterpart over the hotline. Business as usual.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 2pm after uproar over the killing of five jawans where .Yashwant Sinha thundered: “Is the Congress with India or with Pakistan? They should come clear on it,” “Since January, there have been continuous attacks.. our Army, this Parliament, this country has the strength… we should respond back in the same way,” he said. Sinha also demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh make a statement in the House. Narendra Modi has called the killing of five Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops a "dastardly ambush" and that the death of five Indian soldiers is unacceptable. From China's intrusions to Pakistan's ambushes- UPA government has been absolutely lax in securing the Indian borders. When will Center wake up?, Modi asked. BJP and SP members raised slogans protesting the killing. The BJP said India should not hold talks with Pakistan in the wake of the killings .
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav demanded that the government inform parliament about the steps it was taking to stop repeated intrusions across the border by China and killings of Indian soldiers by Pakistan. Pakistan and China may have some secret understanding, he said. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had to say: "These incidents don't help efforts to normalise or even improve relations with Pak and call in to question the Pak Govt's recent overtures."
Striking a different note and significant in repercussive ways, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said in a strong statement: "India cannot be cowed down by such blatant acts of deceit" and urged the government to "take appropriate action." Incidentally, this appears to be the latest in a series of her oblique stands divergent from govt. attitude.
Apparently incongruous is the Minister's statement in Parliament. When the minister says something so ambiguous like 'people dressed in army uniforms' it gives Pakistan a route of escape Conflicting statements on who killed the Indians, add a worrying dimension to the debate. By attributing the attack to men dressed in Pakistani uniforms, the Defense Minister has let Islamabad off the hook. Isn't the Government giving Pakistan a way out? While questions continue to be asked as to why AK Antony stopped short of mentioning the Pakistan army in Parliament, it well may be a way of keeping the dialogue process on with Pakistan.
The Pakistan Army had violated the ceasefire agreement over 33 times this year. On July 27, another BSF jawan was injured when Pakistani troops violated ceasefire twice in the space of 10 hours by targeting Indian posts along the Indo-Pak border in Poonch and Kathua districts. The Pakistani troops had used mortars, RPGs and heavy machine guns leading to heavy firing exchanges. On July 3, Pakistan violated ceasefire when it fired on cops, who had gone to LoC in Sabzian, Poonch to collect the body of a Pakistani intruder killed in an IED blast on July Pakistani troops fired on troops trying to evacuate injured porters after two were killed in IED attack by Pakistani militants along LoC in Poonch on July 8. On July 12, Pakistani Rangers fired on Indian forward posts in Pindi belt along international border (IB) in Jammu district. Pakistani troops opened small arms firing on Indian posts in forward area along LoC in Poonch district on the night of July 22.
If Pakistan wants better ties with India then this is not the way.. The incident could cast a shadow on the resumption of the Indo-Pak dialogue process. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif are slated to meet in New York next month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. The dialogue process was put on hold following the beheading of an Indian soldier and another soldier's body found mutilated following the January 8 attack by Pakistani troops in the Poonch sector This is the second biggest attack in Poonch area in a year, after the January 8 incident that had triggered a series of skirmishes along the LoC and the India-Pakistan international border. Official sources suspect that the last night's assault could have been a reaction to the recent elimination of over a dozen armed terrorists killed by the Indian security forces in counter-infiltration operations carried out in north Kashmir.
The hand of friendship cannot be extended from one side only. The incident has serious defense, security and foreign policy implications. Government should come out with a clear-cut and firm response to the latest Pakistani attack.This is a serious situation and requires a strong response from the government, one that will make Pakistan dare not to violate the sanctity of LOC and carry out dastardly acts like this any more and never ever.
The Deadly Ambush And An Ambivalent Government
It was an audacious and provocative attack. Pakistani soldiers, obviously belonging to Pakistan Border Action Team(BAT) numbering about 20, intruded into the Indian territory past midnight yesterday and ambushed a six member patrol party at the Sarlah post on the Indian side of the LoC. A Subedar and four jawans of the 21 Bihar Unit were killed in the attack which took place at around 2 AM while one soldier was injured. The attack took place 450 meters from the LoC on the Indian side. The Sarlah post of Poonch Brigade near the Chakkan-da-Bagh area, is over 200km away from Jammu. The incident occurred just hours after the ceasefire violation in Samba sector on Monday evening in which one BSF soldier was injured.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists and the Pakistani Army, according to sources, took advantage of the weather conditions and topography of the area to sneak across the LoC. The attackers took the advantage of dense vegetation. The patrol party was passing through a vulnerable (unfenced LoC) sector of some 300 mts between Cheeta and Begum posts when they were ambushed.
As usual according to their game plan, Pakistani security officials denied any involvement in the deaths of Indian soldiers saying there had been no exchange of fire on the border and that, in fact, there was no such incident whatsoever,
What Defense minister AK Antony chose to say in Parliament was, very differently, that the attack on Indian soldiers was carried out by about 20 heavily armed men "dressed in Pakistani military uniforms"(?). However Additional Directorate General of Public Information for the Indian Army had tweeted : "Ensuing firefight, 5 Indian Soldiers were Martyred & 1 Soldier injured." Also, minutes before Antony's statement, a press release sent by the Defense Ministry said "Pak Border Action Team attacked Indian Soldiers" clearly indicting the Pakistani Army that has denied the charge The Jammu press communique was issued after collecting details from the Northern Army Command which is tasked to protect entire Jammu and Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan have Border Action Teams (BAT) which function as crack special forces often used as quick reaction teams to address emergencies at the border. An embarrassed Defense Ministry had no other recourse but to make a sudden vault e face and withdraw the release. The Minister's dubious statement has since been severely criticized.
The Govt. has of cource gone through the usual rituals, protesting and sending diplomatic missives and uttering template statements. India summons Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner; lodges strong protest over killing of its soldiers at the LoC in Poonch sector. Defense minister AK Antony speaks " We strongly condemn the incident. The army is fully ready to tackle such occurrences. We're ready to take all steps to protect the LOC." Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh is taking stock of the situation, and Indian DGMO being asked to lodge a strong protest with his Pakistani counterpart over the hotline. Business as usual.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 2pm after uproar over the killing of five jawans where .Yashwant Sinha thundered: “Is the Congress with India or with Pakistan? They should come clear on it,” “Since January, there have been continuous attacks.. our Army, this Parliament, this country has the strength… we should respond back in the same way,” he said. Sinha also demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh make a statement in the House. Narendra Modi has called the killing of five Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops a "dastardly ambush" and that the death of five Indian soldiers is unacceptable. From China's intrusions to Pakistan's ambushes- UPA government has been absolutely lax in securing the Indian borders. When will Center wake up?, Modi asked. BJP and SP members raised slogans protesting the killing. The BJP said India should not hold talks with Pakistan in the wake of the killings .
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav demanded that the government inform parliament about the steps it was taking to stop repeated intrusions across the border by China and killings of Indian soldiers by Pakistan. Pakistan and China may have some secret understanding, he said. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had to say: "These incidents don't help efforts to normalise or even improve relations with Pak and call in to question the Pak Govt's recent overtures."
Striking a different note and significant in repercussive ways, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said in a strong statement: "India cannot be cowed down by such blatant acts of deceit" and urged the government to "take appropriate action." Incidentally, this appears to be the latest in a series of her oblique stands divergent from govt. attitude.
Apparently incongruous is the Minister's statement in Parliament. When the minister says something so ambiguous like 'people dressed in army uniforms' it gives Pakistan a route of escape Conflicting statements on who killed the Indians, add a worrying dimension to the debate. By attributing the attack to men dressed in Pakistani uniforms, the Defense Minister has let Islamabad off the hook. Isn't the Government giving Pakistan a way out? While questions continue to be asked as to why AK Antony stopped short of mentioning the Pakistan army in Parliament, it well may be a way of keeping the dialogue process on with Pakistan.
The Pakistan Army had violated the ceasefire agreement over 33 times this year. On July 27, another BSF jawan was injured when Pakistani troops violated ceasefire twice in the space of 10 hours by targeting Indian posts along the Indo-Pak border in Poonch and Kathua districts. The Pakistani troops had used mortars, RPGs and heavy machine guns leading to heavy firing exchanges. On July 3, Pakistan violated ceasefire when it fired on cops, who had gone to LoC in Sabzian, Poonch to collect the body of a Pakistani intruder killed in an IED blast on July Pakistani troops fired on troops trying to evacuate injured porters after two were killed in IED attack by Pakistani militants along LoC in Poonch on July 8. On July 12, Pakistani Rangers fired on Indian forward posts in Pindi belt along international border (IB) in Jammu district. Pakistani troops opened small arms firing on Indian posts in forward area along LoC in Poonch district on the night of July 22.
If Pakistan wants better ties with India then this is not the way.. The incident could cast a shadow on the resumption of the Indo-Pak dialogue process. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif are slated to meet in New York next month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. The dialogue process was put on hold following the beheading of an Indian soldier and another soldier's body found mutilated following the January 8 attack by Pakistani troops in the Poonch sector This is the second biggest attack in Poonch area in a year, after the January 8 incident that had triggered a series of skirmishes along the LoC and the India-Pakistan international border. Official sources suspect that the last night's assault could have been a reaction to the recent elimination of over a dozen armed terrorists killed by the Indian security forces in counter-infiltration operations carried out in north Kashmir.
The hand of friendship cannot be extended from one side only. The incident has serious defense, security and foreign policy implications. Government should come out with a clear-cut and firm response to the latest Pakistani attack.This is a serious situation and requires a strong response from the government, one that will make Pakistan dare not to violate the sanctity of LOC and carry out dastardly acts like this any more and never ever.
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