Ex-Generals for selective LoC crossing
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA July 2 — Retired Army Generals felt that to end the aggression by intruders and the Pakistan Army regulars in the Kargil-Drass Sector, selective crossing of the Line of Control (LoC) on certain features should be carried out but building diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to withdraw its forces was equally important.

Some of the retired Generals interviewed by The Tribune on Friday opined that military or diplomatic effort, whichever assured higher degree of success in terms of limiting the number of causalities and saving time, should be made.

The Generals were unanimous in suggesting that a neglect of the needs of the Army over the years by successive governments was now telling on soldiers who were putting a brave front in spite of fighting against better-equipped intruders.

Lieut-Gen Depinder Singh (retd), who was GOC-in-C of the Southern Command and was the Commander of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka, said that the decision to cross the LoC was subordinated due to political and diplomatic reasons. Holding diplomatic efforts on a higher scale, he said that in the past 50 years, the international community had never before supported India. It was due the restraint shown by the nation in not stepping across the LoC.

He believes that diplomats should tell the world the practical compulsions in spite of which the country is sticking to its side of the LoC. "The world should be made to understand the compulsions under which our forces could cross the LoC, if and when in specific areas," he said.

Lieut-Gen B. S. Nalwa (retd), who retired as Commandant of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, supports crossing of the LoC on specific features as part of tactical requirement as it will cause less causalities. The LoC was not a "Lakshman Rekha" which could not be crossed but it was a matter of restraint being observed by the country, he said He also said the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had been specific in making the nation's stand clear on the issue.

Commenting on the operational problems being faced by troops in the Drass sector, General Nalwa said the biggest hurdle was the chill factor. He said, "If Pakistan does not respect the LoC and questions its existence, India should be free to capture certain features in the POK to cut supply lines of aggressors. The longer the confrontation, the more will be the causalities."

With the aggressor country caring little about the LoC, the Indian political leadership could choose to cross it at any place at a convenient time, he said. Lieut-Gen J. L. Malhotra (retd), who was the Chief of Staff of the Central Command and the Northern Command, said the decision to cross the LoC was a tactical one to be taken at a higher level. He said that in spite of the odds, soldiers of the Army were capturing ridge after ridge. He said unlike the public opinion, which was in favour of the defence forces, the political leadership was indifferent to the needs of the Army.

Not supporting the view that the operation in the Kargil-Drass sector had been prolonged, General Malhotra said that fighting in mountains as high as 14,000 feet and that too with the enemy entrenched at a higher position, was not an easy task. "Whatever has been achieved by our heroes in the past one month has been remarkable. Our soldiers are best trained to fight in mountains in spite of the lack of better equipment and ammunition."

Maj-Gen K. Khorana (retd) said that crossing the LoC would be relevant if the nation decided to settle the issue of Jammu and Kashmir with particular thrust on ending insurgency. Another possibility could be, crossing the LoC in some other sector to tie down Pakistan to withdraw its troops.

He said that the main aim of Pakistan was to cut off the route to the Ladakh area and Siachen Glacier. He said that the reaction by the Army was timely because had the intruders scaled down the mountains to the Srinagar-Leh highway, it would have been a different situation. He held intelligence agencies responsible for the failure to track down the buildup by the intruders. He said there was a need to equip our intelligence agencies and forces with better aerial reconnaissance and satellite imagery facilities.

Selling unhygienic food articles
From A Correspondent

CHANDIGARH July 2 — In Sector 22, one of the busiest sectors of the city, the continuation of a long corridor of shops is dotted with rehriwalas selling eatables under unhygienic conditions. Swarms of flies and foul smell from the adjoining toilets add to the problem.

Have the authorities concerned not ever seen them? If yes, then how is it that they are still there and that too for the past 10 years? People allege that the rehriwalas give ''hafta'' to officials. The rehriwalas, on the other hand, claim that they possess licences.

They use the store rooms of the toilets for keeping their cooked food which they serve to the people. Whereas during the daytime there are only four or five rehris, their number swells as the evening approaches. The customers coming after 10 p.m. are those who do drinking and this goes on till 2 a.m. Due to all this the people hesitate to visit the market.

"We had gone to the Deputy Commissioner, the SHO and the Superintendent of Police with complaints a number of times. They have visited the site also, but the result is the same again," complains the President of the market association, Mr M.R. Nandwani.

Even some restaurant owners bring their utensils in the corridors. While condemning all this, the councillor from the area, Mr Des Raj Tandon, explained that in spite of raising a question on this problem in the municipal House, no steps had been taken so far.

Not only this, the area is full of different kind of vendors, who sit under trees and in the corridors, thus blocking the pathway. Above all, there is a rush of irregularly parked vehicles. "If we take any action against them, they would hold rallies against us. Ultimately, we have to stop. They are challaned also, but they come back. So far parking is concerned, we started charging people for that but they did not cooperate," clarifies the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, Mr Satish Gathwal.

He expressed his helplessness, stating that the corporation was short of staff.

The Commissioner ordered a ''raid'' on rehriwalas while the talks were going on.