Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 18

The stories of the men who have fought wars must be recorded for posterity so that the new generation of officers learn from their experiences, do not repeat the mistakes and write history with more blood, said Kargil war veteran Brig US Bawa (retd) on Friday.

Stating this while speaking about his recently published book, ‘Mashkoh – Kargil As I Saw It’, Brig Bawa (retd) said that the focus of the book is on identifying the mistakes committed during the conflict.

“Each and every citizen should know about how the war was fought and the sacrifices made by the soldiers,” he said.

“Generally battalion histories are relegated to the museums and archives, but everyone should know about it. The book also details the problems faced by soldiers and their families after the war,” he added.

Brig Bawa had commanded 17 Jat during the Kargil conflict. He was decorated with the Vir Chakra for gallantry. His unit had been tasked to capture Pimple Complex, part of Point 4875 in Mashkoh Valley adjoining Dras.

On why he chose to write the book, he said, “There is a very eventful point in everyone’s life and in my life, it was the Kargil war. Though it gave me and by uint a lot of awards and fame, it also made me sad on losing my men.”

The book tells the stories of bravery, humour, emotions, tragic losses and hard-won victories in extremely challenging high-altitude terrain of the Kargil sector along the Line of Control in northern Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

Maj Gen Amarjit Singh (retd) said that very few books on military operations have been written by men who have fought a battle and faced bullets.

Brig Bawa said the book is based on first hand, experience, emotions and ground incidents.

New Delhi, December 18

India’s dominant position at the geographical centre of the Indian Ocean as well as its robust economy and global standing as an upholder of law and democratic values placed it in a firm position to play a vital role in the quest for peace and stability in the region, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen SK Saini said on Friday.

In his address at the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), a military think-tank, he said India believes that adherence to rule of law, transparency, and respect for all nations and peaceful resolution of disputes are non-negotiable aspects to harness the vast potential of Indian Ocean.

His comments came amid growing global concerns over China’s increasing military muscle-flexing in the Indian Ocean, a region that is critical for India’s strategic interests.

The Vice Chief of Army staff cautioned that the increasing interest of “extra regional forces” and the existing challenges of piracy, human trafficking, ad illegal fishing have all made the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) volatile and a potential “global battlefield”.

India has significantly expanded its deployment of warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean Region in the last few months following its border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, ostensibly to send across a message to Beijing.

Lt Gen Saini identified preserving and facilitating the freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as among key challenges, adding inadequate arrangements for equitable and peaceful harnessing of natural resources were also important aspect of the overall scenario.

“These concerns have been further accentuated by unilateral actions by some of the nations which have not only questioned the rights of the IOR nations to utilise their exclusive economic zones but have also challenged their sovereignty over some of the strategically located Islands itself,” he said.

The Vice Chief of Army Staff said such actions to change the “well-established equilibrium” has resulted in “immense turbulence and an intense superpower rivalry” in the region.

“India’s dominant position at the geographical centre of the IOR, a robust economy and a global standing as an upholder of law and democratic values, places it well to play a vital role in the quest for peace and stability in the region,” he said.

Lt Gen Saini said India has been increasingly engaging with all nations of the IOR and its outreach towards the East through the doctrine of SAGAR or ‘Security and Growth for All’ has been a pillar of its overarching foreign policy.

“India recognises and believes that to harness the vast potential of the Indian Ocean for economic development, adherence to rule of law, transparency, and respect for all nations and peaceful resolution of disputes will be inviolate and non-negotiable aspects,” he said.

“It would be appropriate to say that our role as a net security provider in the region is now a strategic obligation and no longer a matter of choice. India, therefore, needs to formulate a well defined IOR strategy and follow a robust capability development road map to live up to its potential in this region,” he said.

Lt Gen Saini said the unfolding diplomacy in the IOR is a clear indicator that the world powers want to forge partnerships with India to ensure peace and development in the region.

The Vice Chief of Army Staff reiterated that the geographical factors coupled with the slow and steady shift of power from the West to the East, have resulted in the IOR becoming a hub of global geopolitical rivalry.

The discussion was organised to get the defence forces, Indian industry, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders into a common platform in order to understand the complexities of changing dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region and to evolve coherent policies to address the future challenges. — PTI

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 18

Stating that India’s pre-emptive moves in the Kailash Range in Ladakh has partially neutralised Chinese advantage in that sector, Lt Gen HS Panag, former GOC-in-C, Northern and Central Commands, stressed that India must not make any compromises because even a stalemate in this situation would be a defeat for China.

Speaking at a session on Sabre Rattling in Ladakh during the Military Literature Festival here on Friday, he said that though the overall advantage still lies with China so far, it India can advance troops in some areas like the Indus valley sector and southern sector, the Chinese advantage can be neutralised fully.

By carrying out multiple intrusions across the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, China has so far been able to sully India’s military and international reputation, prevented development of border infrastructure and secured key areas that enable it to seize large tracts of territory he said.

China’s aims, Lt Gen Panag said, were to re-assert its hegemony over India by undermining its status as a rising power, both laterally as well as internationally as well as to undermine the stong leadership of prime minister Modi who is seen by China as an alternate world leader to Xi Jingpin.

China also wanted to ensure that the status on the borders remains on its own terms with no development of infrastructure that can be a threat to it. Neutralising any threat to Aksai Chin and permannently securing areas up to its 1959 claim lines were other immediate objectives of Chinese mobilisation, he added.

China had occupied all territory it required by 1962 and it does not require any more land as far as its strategic interests are concerned. It is using such incidents merely as a tool to assert its hegemony over India and embarrass it. Stating that China wants India to be a junior cooperative partner on the world stage and not a competitor, he said that the moment China perceives India’s assertiveness, it will react through border skirmishes.

India’s growing relations with the US, Japan, Vietnman, influence in the Indo-Pacific region, aggressive posturing in Dokalam, development of border infrastructure in eastern Ladakh changing the status of Jammu and Kashmir and the Home Minister’s subsequent statement that Aksai Chin and Gilgit-Baltistan areas would be regained, were other triggers for the current stand-off, he said.

Lt Gen Raj Shukla, GOC-in-C, Army Training Command, said that tactically our response sto the Chinese have been fairly good, but we need to synergise them in the larger strategic framework. Stating that we need to brace up and act against the strategic squeeze from the LAC to the Indian Ocean Region, he added that a systematic and successful deterrence to China is very much possible. He said that a lot of work is being done in the arena of military education and the syllabus of all institutions right from the National Defence Academy to the National Defence College is being revamped. He also stressed upon making out response mechanism stronger and bolder.

Former GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt Gen DS Hooda said that it was clear from the level of preparedness that this incident was different from earlier incursions and the level of violence seen was unprecedented. “We were also taken by surprise as to why the PLA was doing it at this time when the entire world was affected by the Covid pandemic and neither ws there any breakdown in Sino-Indian ties or any large trigger,” he said.

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 18

Political and military affairs expert Dr C Christine Fair and former ambassador KC Singh discussed looming situation in Afghanistan after the US troops would move out and its repercussions in the session on ‘The Taliban are coming calling: Deep states in Pakistan and India and Role of Media’ during Military Literature Festival 2020 here on Friday..

Dr Fair said after US troops move out of Afghanistan, the real issue would be of air power.

“Afghanistan would need air support. Having said this, the troop withdrawal would happen. The problem is we (the USA) are handing over Afghanistan to Pakistan,” added Fair, while pointing out flawed US policy for the last 20 years in the region where no serious effort was made to curtail Pakistan has been made.

She also pointed out the issue of funding for Afghanistan. Singh said that once the USSR broke down and couldn’t fund Afghanistan, the government fell down.

“India could play a role here. Earlier, India and Iran had supported the Northern Alliance. Emirates and Saudis are upset with Pakistan. The US has to work with Iran but elections are coming up there. These fractures are working in favour of the Taliban,” he said, while highlighting that the Chinese presence in Ladakh would close some options for India.

Dr Fair said that a civil war could break out in Afghanistan.

“America is delegitimising democracy in Afghanistan. They want a puppet democracy. They are pushing Ghani (Ashraf Ghani) to give up the election. The Taliban is getting what they want. Pakistan is playing clever. They think that delegitimising democracy would create chaos in Afghanistan. Pakistan is maestro of chaos.”

On the role of media, Dr Fair said over the years the traditional media lost a lot of money.

“In the USA, the watchdog media shifted to access journalism. Access is money in India,” she said. Singh pointed out that newspapers run by trusts in India still have credibility.

Dr Fair said a lot of terrorist groups have presence over social media like facebook and Twitter including Taliban through proxies.

On deep state, Dr Fair said that Pakistan did have a deep state but in India military leadership has little say.

But Singh pointed out that Indian intelligence agencies were being used for political ends by the people in power.

“In case of the RAW, the oversight is missing. The ED and CBI are being used to go after people which the government doesn’t like,” he said.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 18

India and China held 20th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) through video-conferencing on Friday after a gap of over two months.

Both sides decided to continue to work towards ensuring complete disengagement at all friction points along the LAC at the earliest.

They also agreed to hold the ninth round of senior Army commanders’ meeting at an early date so that both sides can work towards early and complete disengagement of troops in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and fully restore peace, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The Chinese read-out said the two sides had “candid and in-depth exchange of views” and agreed on the need to focus on the disengagement of frontline troops and take “concrete measures to deal with the issues on ground” to further de-escalate the border situation. The Chinese side also welcomed the prospects of an early meeting of senior commanders to deal with the outstanding issues.

In an indication of the stalemate that had crept in over resolving the Ladakh standoff, there was no meeting of the WMCC all through October and November, although two rounds of commanders’ meetings were held on October 12 and November 6.