There is no let up in Pakistani Rangers resorting to unprovoked firing and shelling across the International Border in Arnia sector of Suchet Garh. This is despite a flag meeting on Thursday last when the Rangers handed over a BSF jawan to our security men at the Octroi Post in Suchet Garh. The BSF jawan had been drifted down by a strong wave in the turbulent waters of Chenab neat Akhnoor. The two sides had talked about recurrence of unprovoked firing across the IB and the cease fire line and had agreed to observe utmost restraint. But hardly two days had passed when the firing and shelling by Rangers took place in Arnia sector.
Two jawans and two civilians including one woman have been injured in the shelling and firing by the Rangers. The firing was unprovoked. Five mortar shells landed in a private compound and the firing squad of BSF defused them later on. Owing to Rangers’ firing and shelling, many structures and houses have been damaged and a war-like situation prevailed in the Arnia sector throughout the night till guns fell silent in the morning. Obviously BSF retaliated and silenced the Pakistani shelling.
Observers have noted albeit with concern that ever since the Pakistan Army began operation against the TTP-Al Qaeda gunmen in North Waziristan, infiltration bids by Pakistani infiltrators across the LoC and the IB have increased. Pakistan Army has been claiming that it is inflicting heavy losses on jihadis. But there is a wave of resentment among Pakistanis against the Army for its brutalities in North Waziristan and there has been persistent demand in the length and breadth of that country that operation against the TTP should be terminated. The TTP leaders have been issuing dire warning of revenge over the killing of their leaders. While this is the scenario between the TTP and the Army, the civilian Government in Islamabad is trying silently to conduct secret talks with the TTP something that does not fit in the strategy of the Pakistan Army. Therefore as a measure to reduce the resentment of civil society in Pakistan over Army’s action in North Waziristan, the Army, among other measures, has exacerbated sabotaging activities along LoC and IB with India. Its purpose is to divert the attention of Pakistani people from action against TTP in Waziristan to the Indo-Pak border situation.
Relations between Pakistan Army and the elected Government of Nawaz Sharif are tenuous. It is rumoured that Pakistan Army is now asserting for its traditional role. There are rumours of Army takeover, something to which neither PM Nawaz Sharif nor the people of Pakistan are an alien. By exacerbating the tense situation along Indo-Pak border, Pak Army is finding rationalization for an act of taking over power through a military coup.
There is another reason for Pakistan Army to activate Indo-Pak border. Nawaz Sharif would like to deal equitably with Afghan Government once US-led NATO forces begin the draw down this year. Since Nawaz Sharif is inclined to reverse Pakistan’s policy of patent animosity towards India for several decades, he would not want to make Afghanistan a place where India and Pakistan would fight a proxy war. This type of Nawaz Sharif’s India policy does not suit Pak Army. Its traditional role has been of keeping the Kashmir pot boiling so that it continues to enjoy the privileges and authority. Therefore to bring further pressure on the elected Government at home, the Army is deeply interested in raising tension on the border and provoking India into lodging protests and taking retaliatory action to the extent that Pak Army gets a pretext to say that any talks with India are fruitless. Moreover the impending foreign secretary level talks on 24th of August are gall to Pakistan Army. They would want to see it sabotaged in some way.
This is the background of Rangers firing and shelling, using mortar and that too on International Border. Well, what has been said above is, by and large, the internal situation in Pakistan and it is of not serious concern for us. We have to take it that our borders are threatened and our security posts, at least 12 of them along the border in Arnia sector, have been fired at resulting in wounding of two jawans. Whatever be the relationship between the Army and civilian structure in Pakistan that melts into insignificance when we look at things from our security point of view. Therefore the simplest answer to the firing is tooth for tooth and eye for eye. We would not want wanton destruction of human life be it the soldiers or the civilians, but the security and defence of the country are supreme and more important. We have no option of demonstrating weakness or vacillation. Therefore our security personnel have to be alert all the twenty four hours and give a befitting answer to the enemy when it dares to begin a mischief.
It is true that being a close neighbour, whatever happens in Pakistan has its direct or indirect impact on us somehow or other. We could have relied on good will and good offices of various agencies in restoring peaceful and normal relations with that country. But we know that it is a society deeply divided on ethnic, linguistic, sectarian and other counts. Sometimes it appears that this is a nation fighting against itself. Many commentators also believe that this is not at all a country but a rogue people with no authority to control it. The world is keeping very close eye on the internal situation developing in Pakistan. Their concern is not what happens to Pakistan, and who wins and who loses. Their real concern and our concern also is whether or not Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal will willy-nilly pass into the hands of rabid fanatics and terrorists like TTP, LeT, JM, Al Qaeda, numerous Lashkars and lately the ISIS sympathizers and scores of other small and big armed groups and suicide squads. Therefore our security and armed forces have to be prepared for any eventuality, even one beyond our expectations, to develop in our neighbourhood with direct impact on us.
Apparently Pakistan Army may not be seriously intending to undertake military coup and remove the elected Government. International circumstances do not favour such a move. The Army also knows that if it stages a coup then it will be fully engaged infighting the terrorist outfits and cannot attend to normal administrative matters. That might cause a collapse of the State. Therefore, it will prefer to maintain sustained pressure on the elected Government and not allow it to strike any solid deal with India on regional peace and non-interference.
In final analysis we can convey a crisp message to our security forces: Boys keep your powder dry!
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