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'There is a tendency in our country to remember soldiers only in times of trouble.'
General (retd) VP Malik : Hello friends. I am here to
answer your questions on Kargil war. Today is the second anniversary of the war.
I think we should remember today for three main reasons: First, to pay homage to
soldiers who made supreme sacrifice for the nation: Second, to recollect our
lessons from that war: Third, to take inspiration from the success achieved
during the war. Shiva : General Malik: Do you support VAjpayee's move of inviting General Musharraf? General (retd) VP Malik : Yes. India and Pakistan are geographically ordained to be neighbours. We can't be fighting always. After every war we have to look for peace. So I am not against the effort to resolve our differences. Jeevan : Mr Malik: Do you think it was intellegence failure from our side? If yes, why? General (retd) VP Malik : I would like to draw your attention to the report submitted by the Kargil review committee, which went into great details on this aspect. There were weaknesses in collection, collation and making proper assessment initially. rags : gen malik how did brig surinder get fixed wheras the bigger culprits - gen budwar and GOC 15 Corps get away without any action General (retd) VP Malik : I do not wish to go into these details except to say that all these actions were based on courts of inquiries and other investigations done at unit and formation levels. rajujs : SIR, DO U THINK THAT IT WAS INDIA'S MISTAKE TO ALLOW THE TERROROSTS TO ESCAPE WHILE AGREEING FOR CEASFIRE General (retd) VP Malik : Please remember people who intruded in Kargil sector were not terrorists. They were Pakistan Army personnel in the garb of jehadis. These people withdrew after India and Pakistan agreed on the ceasefire and their withdrawal. tyger : can we not do extensive mining and wiring in Kashmir General (retd) VP Malik : These can be breached, so it would reduce infiltration but not eliminate it. Incidentally most of the LoC stands mined and wired already. rakeshkumarojha : Don't you think sir that Gen. Musharraf should have sorry to the family of Kargil Martyr's General (retd) VP Malik : I can not answer this question. He is the President of Pakistan now. roy : Why did we deploy age old fighter jet aircraft like MIG-21 and MIG-27 when we had the sukhoi multifunctional fighter jets. Are those jets too valuable to lose? General (retd) VP Malik : Sukhois had not been inducted for combat at that time. The Air Force used all types of planes which they considered most ideal for that environment. Ashutosh : What do think Sir, will ultimately happen to J&K and the terrorist menace? General (retd) VP Malik : This has internal as well as external dimensions. With the kind of support being given by Pakistan, I am not able to predict when we will be able to overcome this menace. We have to remain alert and keep fighting it. But either through terrorists or directly Pakistan is not capable of annexing our part of J&K. srikanth : Sir, given a chance under no political obligations can the three defence services clearup the mess in kashmir. General (retd) VP Malik : In a democratic set up such policies must be laid down by political leadership. Nidheesh : sir why can't we attack these terrorsit gropus in pakistan thru a secret mission General (retd) VP Malik : It has political implications. I cannot answer it as a military man. anantsrivastava : Mr. General why did indian army lost so many of it's soldier's in this war General (retd) VP Malik : Because of the terrain and the fact that our earlier assessment, which was wrong, that they were jehadis. But I would also like to inform you that Pakistan lost about 700 soldiers, more than us, as per intelligence assessments. manish : sir why the win of TIGER hill was so difficult? General (retd) VP Malik : The photograph of Tiger Hill will tell you. bharat : general. i think we should take israil type army action agaiest terrorist in kashmir General (retd) VP Malik : I like your thinking. We may have to think in terms of special groups, if the jehadi menace continues to persist. anandabose : What do you think was the most effective step taken by the India Army that resulted in the fadeout of the Pakistani Forces General (retd) VP Malik : It was a righteous war. Every soldier knew it on the ground and wanted victory. Our politico-military strategy made it clear that we shall take all steps to defend our territory. vishalmishra : how you are feeling today? General (retd) VP Malik : I feel sad remembering the soldiers whom we lost. But I also feel proud that we achieved our aim, and came out victorious. Roshan : General , Where do you see the Kashmir issue going General (retd) VP Malik : Long way to go and I am an optimist. sonam : Why Tibetan Army name are not mention in Indian News paper. As I know that they some have also work hard for the nation. Please answer my request. General (retd) VP Malik : I do not know of Tibetan Army. But Some Tibetans who are now Indian citizens participated in the war and did well. Sumantra : General Sir, I feel sorry for those Junior Officers who are being persecuted, why this treatment? Your comments Sir General (retd) VP Malik : I do not know the details of these cases except from what is appearing in the newspapers. Such matters are decided at the lower levels. But I do not believe that any commander is taking action against anyone due to vindictivness or without detailed investigations. The Army Act and Army rules are there to ensure that justice is done. Parag : Which is your birth place ? General (retd) VP Malik : A place called Dera-Ismail Khan, which is in North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. My family migrated to India just before Partition. vvrlswamy : Sir a serious question: Whats the guarantee that Kargil misadventure wud not be repeated. operation vijay was successful, bu the fact is India still spending a considerable % of GDP on its Defence expenditure. General (retd) VP Malik : There is no gurantee at all. We must remain alert and prepared. I do not agree with your statement on the defence expenditure. India spends much less than most countries on defence. There is scope to spend more and and also to get more out of every buck that we spend. chand : You have been an Army person for so long. When you look back at the past and your life and introspect, do you think joining the Army was the right choice. Do you really feel that fighting a war helps at at all ? General (retd) VP Malik : I look back on my Army career with satisfaction and pride. No one in right senses wants to fight a war. But you must do so for the sake of your country whenever required. vivek : general why is it that the Indian Army takes its daily casualities in kashmir lightly.Imagine whether the Israelis will take this type of killings lightly? General (retd) VP Malik : Army does not take its casualties lightly. When you are fighting a war, proxy war or any other type of war, casulties are inevitable. Israeli Army follows a pro-active defence policy. Our policy is different. artidesai : sir, salute to you and indian army who did indeed great job two years back , sir, we our army is quite capable of handling terririsom in Kashmir by figting with millitants however,it is always better to solve the problem by peaseful talk to avoid loss of life for many but now when after summit it is clear that the other side is not accepting the word terririsom why army should not play a role and solve the issue once for all and if the decision of the Civil authorities are required why army can not prevail upon them and convince them for an action, why only a defensive play , why should we not become aggresive? General (retd) VP Malik : I am sure all aspects and their implications are discussed from time to time. These are matters of policies. Mund : Dont u think Lt Kenguruse should have been given a PVC? General (retd) VP Malik : Lt Kenguruse was a brave soldier and he did well. The awards are committee decisions. srahul : sir when we know that in last 50 years talks, ceasefire etc etc have resulted nothing than again we rely on same old theory time and again..why ? General (retd) VP Malik : Because no two countries can afford to fight for ever and ever. However, we have to remain alert and prepared all the time. Rambhamish : Sir is it true that Indian army has lost the will to fight in kashmir and wants govt to go for political solution at any cost ???? General (retd) VP Malik : This is not correct. In all internal security problems the final solution is a political decision. The security forces create a situation where political process can start and lead to a solution. rush_in : I really apreciate the the then brigadier pathak of 102 brigade for having taken stern action in badhaur complex in siachen 1992-93 by being offensive and killing the pakis brigadier and two major n destoryning the heli in his own supervision on the ground for which he was awarded yudh sewa medal , why is it then that the army the 4th largest in the world is not allowed to cross loc in kargil conflict General (retd) VP Malik : I am sure General Pathak would be happy to hear your views. Crossing fo LoC is a political decision and it has serious implications. rahulsharma : SIR,DO you agree to the Pakistani statement there are no POWs in Pakistan General (retd) VP Malik : No. Anil : Sir dont you agree that we won Kargil on due to braveness shown by our soldiers, where as it was totally non responsible behivour of our Top Militery offcials, General (retd) VP Malik : I do not agree. War is a combined effort, not only of the Army and other services but also of the rest of the nation. Every soldier on the ground needs strategic and operational directions and the necessary support. kiran : sir, did all the money that we have collected and gave to you did reach the soldiers or not after the war or during the war?.. General (retd) VP Malik : I am certain that the money sent to Army Central Welfare Fund has been utilized properly and payments have been made to wounded soldiers and the families of the martyrs as per laid down rules. rakeshkumarojha : Sir, what measure should we adopt to stop cross-border terrorism ??? General (retd) VP Malik : We should stop cross-border infiltration by military and political means. nanand : Sir, do you have any spiritual leanings? General (retd) VP Malik : I am not an atheist. KS : Sir In US if one soldier dies in war US president used to come for the funeral or atleast to receive his body why this is not in INDIA. is is beacause here we don't have any value for human life General (retd) VP Malik : It should be done. There is a tendency in our country to remember soldiers only in times of trouble. kaushik1 : SIR, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE SIACHEN GLACIER General (retd) VP Malik : Many times. I can't recall the number. General (retd) VP Malik : Before I sign off, I want to say once again that during Kargil war Pak regular troops in the garb of jehadis carried out intrusion into our territory but were forced to vacate and withdraw. Pak plan was ambitious and achieved success so long as its surprise and deception lasted. But it failed finally because of our military successes on the battlefield and our politico-military strategy. It is not the beginning that matters but how you end the war. I hope both India and Pakistan have learnt the right lessons from Kargil war. General (retd) VP Malik : I am unable to answer rest of the questions due to time shortage. Thank you for your interest.
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