Jammu, May 27
As the date for the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan is being scheduled ahead of the December 2014 deadline, the pressure on the Indian Army is on the rise.

So, it has worked out a strategy to deal with the worst-case scenario of the militants making more bids to cross the Line of Control.

The thinking is that militant outfits operating in Afghanistan at the behest of Pakistan will be diverted to Kashmir. This had happened earlier in 1989 when Russian troops moved out of that country. Funds were directed towards Kashmir to foment militancy which, till date, has left 50,000 dead.

Pakistan’s intentions on Kashmir are “unchanged”, argue senior Army commanders. It would send into Kashmir the militants who are not needed in Afghanistan after the NATO withdrawal.

“Pakistan has the capability to do that,” a senior Army officer, who cannot be named under the defence rules of reporting, told The Tribune.

“This matter has been discussed at all levels in the Army. This was one of the reasons for the Army’s objection to the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act,” the officer said.

The ball for the early withdrawal of NATO forces was set rolling by French President Francois Hollande, who during his visit to Afghanistan this week, declared that French troops would be back home this year - two years ahead of schedule.

The Indian Army’s worries are also rooted in the “poor training” of the Afghan national army.“Though they have flashy weapons, their level of training is not up to the mark and they are no match for the Taliban and other groups there,” the Army officer said.

On the anti-infiltration grid, he said that infiltration bids cannot be brought to zero despite the high level of vigil along the 742-km-long Line of Control between India and Pakistan. “There is no human chain at the LoC and it cannot be formed in the future either,” the officer said.