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The Rediff Special/ Chindu Sreedharan

'Pakistan will not survive even two days of war'

A driver's misfortune was my fortune.

An adventurous young chap, he had enthusiastically run over a small boulder and on to a steep slope while making way for a truck. His vehicle overturned, of course. And hogged most of that narrow, militarily important road somewhere in the Batalik-Kargil area.

That was how I found it a little later. Solidly jammed. Thoroughly unnavigable.

The driver, one of those lucky devils, had escaped with nary a scratch. He was gone in search of only-he-knows-what. And me, lucky me, I was left with the option of waiting it out on the road, with sounds of Indian and Pakistani artillery around me for company.

So wait I did. In the sun, cursing my luck. Till along came -- hmm, what shall I call him? -- The Officer. Let's just say he was from the army, but did a kind of specialised job that extended him certain privileges -- like, for instance, not wearing uniform...

Anyway, we soon fell into conversation. He, sitting on a rock-structure, unflinching as guns boomed in the background; me, nearby on another, jumping every time a shell left or landed. Here's how it went, as far as memory can salvage:

Seems we will be stuck here for a while, I begin.

"Yeah, I guess so. When did you get here? You are a journalist, right?"

I confess to the title, and also that I have been here for the last 40-plus minutes. It's tough these days to get information, I complain bitterly, there is such a clamp down in the army. Now journos are not even allowed to go where they want!

The officer smiles. "So you were turned back, eh? I agree that the media should be allowed access. But you chaps should also behave responsibly. You shouldn't go around publishing whatever you feel like. I saw the other day a picture of a radar. We let you in there because we trusted you not to publish such things. The Pakis might be able to get that info, but why make it easier for them?"

I agree.

"You have been talking to the people in Kargil, right? What do you think of them?"

They seem to be pro-India, I reply.

"You are wrong. They are neither pro-India or pro-Pakistan."

Then?

"They are bloody Iranians. Half of them are followers of Khomeini. They get money from there. Iran has huge pockets. And they pump in money here. Iran can get at least 50,000 people to stand up for it anytime. The people of Kargil are among that 50,000."

Oh? And I thought they preferred India! Especially since the area is dominated by Shia Muslims, who are a minority in Pakistan.

"Yeah, that is there. And I must say that Pakistan (where the majority population is Sunni) is using the Shias to **** each other. All the affected area on Indian side is Shia-dominated. Drass, Kargil... in Kargil, 90 per cent is Shia and the rest Sunni.

"And who is fighting India? The Northern Light Infantry, the bulk of which is made up by Shias. The rest of the Pakistan's army, like the Rangers etc, is standing behind. You see, till the great Lal Bahadur Shastri decided to be magnanimous, the region up to Skardu was ours. The people along both sides of the border are Shia... and they are being screwed now."

Despite this, how come Pakistan is finding supporters in Kargil? There were news reports that they had people, including a woman, guiding artillery fire.

"They (Pakistan) must also have been saying the same thing when we demolished some of their bases. They have been trying to hit the army ammunition dump for three years. This year they succeeded."

But what about the "mubarak ho" radio intercept (wherein a woman was heard congratulating the Pakistan forces when they hit the television relay station in Kargil)?

"For all you know that might have been a man sitting with a synthesiser. That's another thing I have against you chaps. You published that they were speaking in Balti. Now they have stopped talking in that language. We lost a major link because of that.

"Yes, there were a few people here... Four men and a women. But they got out via the Leh-Manila road in a Gypsy. The woman was quite sophisticated -- she could drive and was wearing jeans. We got the information about six hours late."

Indians? Why do they do such things?

"They were Indians. They don't have any loyalty. They do it for money. There are more people in Kargil like that."

But Kargil is a small place. It is not that difficult to spot a spy.

"How much can you do? How much can you watch a person? The trouble we are facing is that the Armed Force Act is not in effect here. We cannot pick up anyone for questioning. We have to go through the police... and you know how they are.

"For instance, suppose I pick you up today, saying you have photographed sensitive areas. I question you. You would get pushed around, beaten up sometimes -- we have to put the fear into you, na? And if we don't find anything you have to be released. Then you would go to court and where would I be?"

That would definitely be unpleasant. By the way, do you think this will turn to a full-fledged war?

"No. Pakistan will not survive even two days of war. But we can fix them without that. The intruders are in a bad situation. The summer has started early this time. Earlier the troops were saying 'Give us snow boots'. Now they are asking for jungle boots because it is too hot to move around in snow boots.

"The intruders are running out of rations and water. There is only little snow at the top now. Once that melts, they will have severe water trouble. Then all we have to do is dominate the water springs -- and these springs are not on the top of the ridges where they are sitting, but down the slopes... They will have to come down."

Many say the casualty figures on the Indian side is higher than that is projected.

"No. What we are giving out are the correct figures. Unlike them we don't have to lie."

Aren't there any officers with the intruders? If so, how is that none have been killed?

"Of course there are. And we have killed some of them. Anyway we can make out that there are officers in the group from our wireless intercepts (they speak in English). We also think that there are some foreigners with them -- some speak with foreign accent."

How much work needs to be done now?

"Well, we have gained in Drass and Kargil. Batalik and Kaksar are major trouble areas. In Drass, the Tiger Hills remain. The backside is open to Pakistan, but we should be able to take it soon.

"I would say Kaksar is the worst sector. There is no structure like the one there. Probably it will be the last to be cleared."

One thing the war has done, I venture, is create quite a few heroes.

"Yes. We have plenty. Major Saravanan -- what an officer he was! Every one of his men speaks so highly of him. One of the jawans who was with him got back to us. He was injured, but managed to crawl back on his buttocks after nine days. He would eat snow and a little of his field rations everyday... When we got him there was no flesh left on his back. You know what he says? 'We were finished the moment sir got hit.' Saravanan was really a hero..."

I ask about the allegation of intelligence failure. The officer considers it for a moment before answering.

"Let me just say that was not the case. All the information was there. Including the number of infiltrators waiting across the LoC (the Line of Control). But nobody acted on it. They were busy with other things."

I push forward another controversy: Defence Minister George Fernandes. But surprise, the officer is all praise for him (incidentally, so are quite a few others)!

"Yaar except for a few ulta-seedha statements, he is the best defence minister we have ever had. I wish we would have him back after the election. The things he has done for the army..."

The road, meanwhile, has been cleared. And it's time to end our interesting chat.

"What are you doing tonight?" the officer asks as he takes leave, "Nothing? Okay, I will pick you up at 8, 8.30. See you then..."

He never turned up that night.

The Kargil Crisis

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