Firing with heavy automatic weapons and shelling of villages close to the International Border in R.S Pora and Arnia sectors by Pakistani Rangers continues unabated. As firing intensified, it became unavoidable for the local civilian population to move away to safer places away from the targeted areas of Pakistani Rangers. At least five people including a BSF jawan have been injured, and houses that have come under fire have been damaged extensively. People mostly stay in bunkers and they cannot come out to till the land and sow the seed for fear of being hit by the enemy shelling,
Authorities are fully prepared to meet the situation and a contingent plan has been floated. Civil and security officials are present on the scene and they are all performing their duty that has been drawn under the contingent plan. Accommodation has been already earmarked in Government schools, and other buildings where the migrants will temporarily be sheltered. More than 3,000 of them have already been shifted leaving behind only some elderly persons and the cattle but they do not move out of their homes.
Pakistani rangers have pounded all forward posts of BSF and even civilian area with heavy mortar-shelling and heavy firing from automatic weapons.
In yet another incident the security forces discovered another tunnel build by Pakistanis in Pallanwla sector in Akhnoor. Two years ago, a 500 meter long tunnel originating on Pakistani side and brought inside Indian territory was discovered and destroyed by the security forces. Making tunnels is the new tactics of Pakistani Rangers to help infiltrators sneak into our side of the International Border.
The situation on the LoC and IB has gradually deteriorated this summer. Infiltration attempts have increased though most of these have been foiled by security forces. Attacks of militants on BSF and police personnel, vehicles or posts have also increased in the valley particularly in Pulwama sector. Obviously there is method in Pakistan’s madness. In the first place, Pakistan might be testing the endurance and ability of the new Government in Delhi to what extent it can withstand pressures. The ISI would very much like to assess the reaction of Modi Government to their provocative activities in Jammu and Kashmir. ISI has been giving much publicity that the BJP led Government in New Delhi is said to be the Government of hardliners, therefore they would like to know to what extent the new government will go and what will be its policy towards Pakistan’s interference in Kashmir. To know the adversary is the part of the game.
Secondly, Pakistan is faced with deep internal crisis. There is a massive popular demand for the ouster of Nawaz Sharif Government. In all probability this movement is covertly supported by the army because the army is increasingly feeling that the civilian Government in Islamabad is not prepared to give much space to the army and would trespass into the forbidden areas of country’s foreign policy, Kashmir and overall policy towards India. The army, though denying all accusations of conniving at with the political dissidents, yet is not enjoying the full trust of Nawaz Sharif group. After all Nawaz Sharif knows them very well.
The third crisis looking straight into the eyes of Pakistani Government and the army is the threat of TTP and the fighting going on in Waziristan. There is large scale resentment among the people against military action on Waziristan, The army has suffered many casualties and according to one report more than 6,000 army personnel have been killed in the fighting so far. By firing and shelling at the border, Pakistan wants to achieve two things. One is to divert the attention of the people from deepening internal crisis to border situation and the second is to exacerbate hate-India frenzy in Pakistan so that nobody has time to raise domestic issues that bedevil the country. The patent policy of Pakistan is to whip up anti-India frenzy whenever there is internal crisis in Pakistan. Anti-India slogan sells well in Pakistan because the generations of Pakistanis have been brought up in the vicious atmosphere of hate India.
Apart from the phenomenon described above, there is one strong reason for Pakistan open heavy automatic firing and shelling of our border posts whether in RS Pora or in Poonch and Rajouri sectors along the LoC. In November the State Legislative Assembly elections will be held and preparations for that have already begun in right earnest. As we know, the separatists and secessionists in Kashmir valley have been boycotting the elections in the past on the behest of their mentors across the LoC. The dissenters feel that by giving a call for boycott of elections, they are keeping the Kashmir issue alive and go on internationalizing it. This may be true from their point of view but at the same time they fail to realize that people come out in large numbers to cast the vote and there is international media monitoring the process of elections in Kashmir. In the past the international media has been giving fairly good reports of the elections being held in Kashmir freely and fairly. Firing and shelling would invite retaliation from India and then the Pakistani press highlights the action as “atrocities by Indian forces perpetrated on the Muslim population on Pakistani soil.” This helps in whipping up the frenzy and fanaticism of the majority community in the valley.
As far as our reaction is concerned, the security forces and the army are taking adequate steps to counter the firing. Pakistan is not honouring the cease fire agreement of 2003 despite several reminders by Indian security forces. Pakistan is indulging in unprovoked firing not only on Indian posts along the LoC or IB but also on civilian population destroying houses, crops, cattle and wounding civilian population. The purpose of Rangers is to force eviction of civilian population along those sectors of IB or LoC where it is easier for the infiltrators to sneak in and then indulge in attacking the security forces. This is proved from the tunnels which they have adopted as their new strategy.
Our border security forces and army have to be prepared to give a befitting reply to the adversary. This may not lead to a full scale war between the two, and Pakistan does not want that. She wants to keep the pot boiling. Therefore, we need to reply them in their coin though that is not a decision which India would like to take. The oft repeated action one can suggest for our security forces is this: keep your powder dry and stick to your guns.
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