Will Kargil turn into another Siachen?
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, May 30 — Will Kargil turn into another Siachen mountain glacier for India, defying immediate solution and causing economic bleed to New Delhi?

This question is being debated by several political analysts in the state who have watched closely the 15-year-long conflict on the mountain glacier in eastern Ladakh where not a blade of grass grows. For the past 22 days Indian troops have been battling against severe odds to clear the Kargil and Dras areas of Pakistani intrusion. For four days the Indian Air Force strikes have not been able to smash all the camps of the Pakistani infiltrators and troops holding Indian areas in Kargil and Dras.

What Pakistan troops did it in Siachen 15 years ago was repeated in Kargil a month ago. It was in 1983 that Col N. Kumar, who headed the warfare school in Gulmarg, had gone on an expedition to mountain peaks in eastern Ladakh along with his Army jawans. He saw that Pakistani Army troops had scaled the 20,000-foot-high Siachen glacier and had left the area open to foreign trekkers.

His article caused ripples in the Ministry of Defence and a decision was taken to send Indian troops to the mountain glacier to prevent the Pakistani soldiers from making inroads into Ladakh, especially the Nubra valley. And when in June, 1984, the Indian troops reached the glacier they were greeted with gunfire from the Pakistani soldiers. This led to one of the fiercest armed conflicts between the two sides.

Since June, 1984, it has been a see-saw game on the 64-km long glacier between the two sides. And during these 15 years India has spent over Rs 6,000 crore on the maintenance of troops on the glacier and more than 10,000 soldiers have been wounded and crippled during the period. Pakistan has suffered bigger losses but Islamabad has not accepted India’s suggestion for a status quo and for demarcating the Line of Control on the basis of the position of the two armies.

India cannot leave the Siachen glacier because it overlooks the strategic Nurba valley in Ladakh. Loss of Siachen could endanger the Ladakh region.

The Pakistani troops followed exactly the Siachen pattern in Kargil and Dras where large chunks of "unheld"areas were "grabbed" by the Pakistani infiltrators who received full artillery support from the troops across the border. They came in small groups and after they found that the Indian troops were not present the infiltration rate was increased. Each camp of infiltrators was equipped with Stinger missiles, MMGs and LMGs besides assault rifles. And when the Indian forces started preparations for sending their men to the higher regions, as used to be the case with the advent of the summer, they were restricted by the Pakistani troops and infiltrators who pounded their bases with artillery shells. On the first day of the Pakistani attack the Army’s ammunition depot was destroyed.

It was after 20 days’ of deliberations that the Centre agreed to given clearance to air strikes to provide support to the ground forces. The authorities have made it clear that even though some lower areas had been cleared of infiltrators, the upper reaches continued to be under the occupation of the Pakistani troops and infiltrators.

Since these infiltrators’ supply line has yet to be snapped, it indicates that it may take several months to regain the vast areas in Kargil and Dras that the Pakistani troops and infiltrators have occupied. Judged by the resistance shown by the infiltrators, the turmoil may get prolonged if the Pakistan Government does not direct the infiltrators to return to their territory. Chances for such a decision are remote because it is in the interest of Pakistan to hold on to the posts as long as possible. Once the conflict defies immediate solution, Islamabad will try to cash in on it as it has been doing in the case of the Siachen conflict.

For India the Kargil-Dras belt is as important militarily as any other part of Kashmir and if Pakistan succeeds in holding on to the vantage posts the security of Kargil and Dras town, including the national highway, will always be in danger.

Defence experts are of the opinion that New Delhi has to take a quick and firm decision on retrieving the areas held by Pakistan. They are of the opinion that the diplomatic channels should be given weightage to resolve the crisis which if left unsettled, could trigger another major armed conflict between the two countries or create another Siachen-type headache for India.

Airport reopens to civil traffic

SRINAGAR, May 30 (PTI) — Srinagar airport was reopened to civil traffic today, an official spokesman said here.

The airport had been closed to civil planes temporarily on May 26 when the IAF began air strikes against Pakistan-backed infiltrators in Dras, Kargil and Batalik.

Unsolved crime cases pile up in J&K

JAMMU, May 30 (PTI) — Increased involvement of the police with counter-insurgency operations has led to the piling up of crime cases over the past nine years.

According to official data, of the 7482 crime cases registered in the state during the past nine years, only 952 had been solved by the police till January last.

The performance of the police in solving crime cases works out to a poor 13 per cent in the state against up to 60 per cent before 1989.

Militancy has badly affected the system of criminal investigation, a senior police officer told PTI here.

Officials attribute the trend to police personnel being busy with militancy-related work and weakening of the investigation set up. "What can a cop do ? Will he attend to VIP security, counter insurgency operations, law and order problems or the normal investigation of different crime cases?" they ask.

A police station with a strength of 20 to 35 personnel cannot devote time to investigation work, according to them.

In 1998 as many as 736 crime cases were registered in the state. So far, only 173 cases have been solved, showing a low 23.50 per cent success.