New Delhi, June 13
The Vajpayee government is currently on a wait-and-watch mode and does not plan to take any more diplomatic, political and military steps for easing tensions with Pakistan in the immediate future.
Well-placed sources here said an indication of no-immediate-de-escalation policy of the government was that none of the three strike corps of the Indian Army, at present deployed on borders with Pakistan, had been recalled to peacetime location. It is understood that the strike corps will not be withdrawn in the near future.
The government is waiting for two things: reciprocation from the Pakistan side to India’s recently announced three steps aimed at de-escalation; and to further study the pattern of cross-border infiltration and what measures Pakistan has taken to permanently dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism.
According to official figures, an area of concern is a marked escalation in firing along the Line of Control by Pakistani forces. In 13 days before Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s May 27 speech, 26 Indian civilians had been killed in Pakistani firing along the LoC. Comparatively, in the 13 days after May 27, the number of Indian civilian casualties spurted to 45.
Besides, the government is also apprehensive that a major terrorist strike may take place in India in the coming days.
The government is well aware of the fact that notorious terrorist outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad can strike in a big way to push India and Pakistan once again to the brink of war.
In case such a terror strike were to take place eventually, it would make a mockery of any troop withdrawal, whether of strike corps or the corps which are defensive in their charter of duty. Moreover, it takes a lot of money, effort, time and, above all, political will to mobilise troops for war duty.
By keeping the strike corps of the Army in fully mobilised and combat-ready position, the government is effectively conveying a message that it is keeping all options open, including the war option.
Firm indications of a military de-escalation and de-alert can emerge only when the strike corps are sent back to the barracks.
Besides, in case the terrorists were to strike at yet another symbol of the Indian state (after Red Fort and Parliament attacks), the government would not expose itself to the allegations of pursuing a flip-flop policy. Such allegations would become inevitable if the government, after having de-mobilised troops, were to once again reinduct troops in theatre of war.
The government is also aware that terrorist outfits are itching for an Indo-Pakistan war and can go to any extent to create such a situation.
It is in this context that the Vajpayee government is understood to have assured Washington during the just-concluded visit of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that India will not display any knee-jerk reaction if the feared terrorist strike on a symbol of India were to take place.
