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Veterans pitch for a stronger, well-prepared military

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

In the celebrations of the Kargil victory, the government should not forget the lessons learnt from earlier wars in 1947-48 with Pakistan, 1962 with China, 1965 and 1971 with Pakistan, say retired army generals. The opportunity should be used to sensitize the public about the importance of the military and in explaining to politicians the need to have a strong military, the generals believe.

Says former army chief General V N Sharma, "Earlier wars did not catch the public's imagination as much as the Kargil war did due to various reasons. An active media, both television and print, brought home war images and the government's decision to bring home the body bags had a major impact on the people.

"Bodies came to every corner of the nation, capturing the public imagination," points out Gen Sharma. It was the first time such a decision was taken. Besides, the fact that the nation was caught by surprise added to public curiosity.

"It reads like a novel, a gripping novel where soldiers, mostly young men, retrieve territory captured by the enemy. That is why the reaction," Gen Sharma points out. He had seen action in the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.

It is not that the public did not react during the earlier wars. Even in 1962, thousands of women came forward to donate their gold in response to Jawaharlal Nehru's call. "I saw these crowds in Ootacamund where I was posted with the Staff College," he recollects.

Though the nation celebrates Vijay Divas (on December 15) since the past three years, the general says it should have begun from 1971, "but politicians have their own compulsions."

"These are milestones, the nation must remember," says Major General Y K Gere, a veteran of the 1971 war and the Indian Peace Keeping Force operations in Sri Lanka. He points out that reactions to earlier were suppressed for unlikely reasons. For instance, after the 1971 war, the then prime minister was 'worried that Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw would take over'.

According to Lt Gen K S Khajuria, former Director General of Military Intelligence and a veteran of several conflicts, "the Kargil victory is a lot of bloody hype." The government "bungled and bungled all through," he says. "The fighting part was superb. Nothing can take away glory from the infantry, gunners and Air Force," he adds.

In the light of the loss of over 500 lives, the celebrations should have been subdued. Moreover, "Kargil should have never happened," he says.

Gen Khajuria argues that the Kargil operation was nothing in comparison with the 1971 war with Pakistan. "India had no choice but to go to war. We went in and created a country. Isn't it great? It is unprecedented in the annals of history," he says. While it showcased India's military might, the 1962 war with China exposed its unpreparedness.

The generals were of the opinion that the Indian armed forces should be technologically and professionally equipped at all times to face any external threat. The Kargil operation may have been mounted by Pakistan under the presumption that India was not well equipped and that the armed forces were over stretched due to the ongoing low intensity conflict across the country.

Defence Minister George Fernandes on Wednesday said that Kargil taught India several lessons. Foremost among them was "not to trust anyone" when it comes to the nation's security, he said in apparent reference to both Pakistan and China.

"India has to live with Pakistan as its neighbour, there is no two ways about it. India should register great economic progress so that Pakistan feels the pressure to give up its troublesome attitude," argues Gen Gere.

ANOTHER REPORT
At least Pak shelling has stopped, say Kargil residents

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