PAKISTAN BOGEY: BREAKING THE BACK

PAKISTAN BOGEY: BREAKING THE BACK

Galwan has broken the back of Pakistan Bogey the way Abrogation of Article 370 broke the back of Counter Insurgency Industry

My article on  Kashmir Through My Eyes talks about how abrogation of Article 370 broke the back of Counter Insurgency Industry in Kashmir. Everyone milked Kashmir. With one stroke the spine of this industry was broken. That was Kashmir. What was the bigger game? Milking Pakistan was a full time job of politicians, military men, bureaucrats, middlemen and commission agents. It paid to keep Pakistan as Enemy No.1. How did a country with 1/20th of our GDP become a national passion?

Galwan has broken spine of the Pakistan Bogey. Balakot- ‘Hamne ghus ke mara’ by Prime Minister Modi to going back to 1971 when breaking Pakistan into two was the biggest event exploited by Indira Gandhi. China never came up with any General in last 58 years except one. Army Commanders, Vice Chiefs, Chiefs and a few generations have gone past the retirement gate but China never came up. Counter Insurgency and Pakistan Bogey were exploited. Today it’s so easy for the CDS to say ‘Pakistan is no longer military threat’. IT NEVER WAS. CDS knows what the Prime Minister wants to hear.

I really love Indian Military experts. Many have ‘General’ preceding their names. Post 1971 they all mastered the art of milking Pakistan for personal growth & putting Pakistan phobia in politicians. Result? We have an ‘three white elephants’ (three Strike Corps) of Army facing Pakistan. Where was the necessity to have three strike corps? The elephant became so big facing Pakistan that we ignored China. The elephant could not turn to face China. We need to convert this elephant into tiger. Who will do it? 

Northern Command, Western Command and Southern Command faced Pakistan. Our great military minds forced government to create another command in between, South Western Command. Four Commands, three Strike Corps in depth and six defensive corps on the borders with Pakistan.

Pakistan bogey made careers. Kept focus away from China. It made the Government comfortable in false belief that we need to tackle only one enemy. Pakistan in turn did its bit. After 71 war for a decade it licked wounds, aided Punjab and then J&K militancy. Our Military Leadership got so consumed that in the bargain it promoted and encouraged a generation of officers that only knew how to rise up in ranks. Conventional War mindset was killed. Military thinkers dried up. Talent left Army or was stifled.

A brief spark of hope was Gen Sundarji. Before the impact could be felt, IPKF adventure in Sri Lanka dented the pride of Army. So it was a decade plus after 71 war, Punjab, IPKF and Kashmir all in succession. Kashmir lasted 30 years till its spine was broken by Abrogation of Art 370. Do you see the distrust between Political and Military Leadership for 48 years? 1971 to 2019? Insurgency could have been tamed decades back but finally Govt decides in 2019. What was military’s contribution? It simply towed line. It is beyond doubt that Congress at Centre and NC in Kashmir were hell bent to let status quo remain. My article  ‘Kashmir Through My Eyes’ explains how the Counter Insurgency Industry worked. WORST WAS EVEN MILITARY FELL FOR IT.

GALWAN has hit us like ton on bricks. WHY? Whose job was it to not let it happen? PM? No. It was Military. You can never ignore my article ‘Kashmir Through My Eyes’ on since it has the core reason. Since 1990 to Gen Bipin Rawat each COAS and each Army Commander, without exception, has to be held accountable for not advising political leadership on

1. How to end Insurgency in Kashmir

2. Re focus of national threat to redesign military to take on China.

Both did not happen. 

It gets more complex. At lowest level, a unit, 30 years of insurgency has resulted in each Infantry Bn to have at least 6-7 field tenures of which 4-5 would be in Kashmir and 2-3 opposite China. Artillery would be 5-6 field tenures of which Kashmir would be 2-3 tenures.  Rashtriya Rifles has been permanently in Kashmir. 70 odd units. 100% commanded by infantry. 100% Infantry has been deeply marinated in Counter Insurgency. It’s intense and does not give time to even think outside unit Area of Responsibility. Where does Armoured, Engineers go? Few see tenures as Majors in RR but most in staff. Complete focus of Northern Command is on CI since it’s a professional gold mine. This Command also has China in half its area. It has other half in insurgency.

So when I insist that it’s only Army Commanders and above that need to be held accountable, there is a professional and logical reason. TRADITIONALLY Corps Commanders of 15 Corps(Srinagar Corps) desire to become Army Commanders & Chief OR GOVERNOR J&K. 

With the two main Corps Commanders and huge number of Divisions and RR Forces ALL under these two corps, the Army Commander Northern Command becomes the strongest and most talked about. WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE LADAKH? A poor second. Nothing to mine. 

To the Army Commander Northern Command, Pakistan is a hen that lays Gold Eggs. Now let us move West. Western Command has practically complete Punjab. International Boundary. Fencing. How does the Army Commander continue to be relevant? Attack Pakistan !!! OR Pakistan WILL attack !!! Same story with South Western Command. Same story with Southern Command. THREE MAJOR COMMANDS, each having a strike corps, air assets & strategic weapons. All surviving on a border with one country, 1/20th of our GDP, imploding country & a failed state.

That leaves what? Central Command with no borders to guard. Army Training Command with no operational role.

EASTERN COMMAND from Sikkim to Arunachal to Nagaland to Manipur to Mizoram to Tripura to Bangladesh. WHO IS LOOKING AFTER CHINA?

DO YOU REALIZE THE MESS? Who is responsible? We broke Pakistan into two in 1971. Bangladesh became independent. So since 1972 we did not have any Army Commander and Chief advising Government to balance out responsibilities of land frontiers!!!!! 48 years and no reallocation of lopsided responsibilities. Now we create another Command called South Western Command. Again for Pakistan. More opportunities for Milking Pakistan but not one to streamline the military to align with threats!! CHINA? We accept that the complete lot of military thinkers, strategists, writers, Army Commanders, Chiefs, Institutions and others in domain did not find China as threat. Except Gen Sundarji no one ever thought China was threat in FORTY EIGHT YEARS? 

Milking Pakistan was a full time job of politicians, military men, bureaucrats, middlemen and commission agents. It paid to keep Pakistan as Enemy No.1. How did a country with 1/20th of our GDP become a national passion? 1971 war victory euphoria made us forget the DRUBBING at the hands of China 9 years earlier. This was the moment of truth for India. China – Enemy No.1. Pakistan Enemy No.2. India experienced in TWO FRONT WAR. So with no other threat the job of COAS and Political Leadership was set. Reorganise Armed Forces to take on Enemy No1-CHINA, and now by default, configure Armed Forces to take on Pakistan. So

1. India vs China

2. India vs Pakistan

3. Worst case scenario – India vs China AND Pakistan. 

Where are we?

Galwan has broken the back of Pakistan Bogey the way Abrogation of Article 370 broke the back of Counter Insurgency Industry.

24 Aug, 2020 : Dot On Target Post 1 Pakistan Bogey