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Government expects to evict intruders in 8-10 weeks

George Iype in New Delhi

It will take at least eight to 10 weeks more to flush out the Pakistani infiltrators from the Kargil hills and restore the status quo ante on the Line of Control, government sources indicated today.

Three weeks after India launched air attacks and ground operations to evict the intruders, reviews carried out by the defence ministry reveal that Operation Vijay has proceeded on expected lines and the armed forces will be able to recapture all the heights in eight weeks.

According to a defence ministry source, the Kargil mission has been "partially successful" till date, given "the step-by-step operation".

The casualties -- some 100 soldiers killed and nearly 300 wounded -- are also within the acceptable limit considering the odds the jawans face, he said.

The source said the army has so far deployed more than two divisions -- 35,000 men in all -- in the Kargil sector and is prepared for a long haul.

Though the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government is of the view that the Pakistani incursion in Kargil has been contained militarily and its repercussions managed well diplomatically, the caretaker regime is in a hurry to complete the operations.

On the military front, the Indian army has ensured that the Pakistani misadventure has become just that. Pakistan wanted to alter the Line of Control, choke the vital arterial link to Leh, and link the Kargil crisis with the larger Kashmir issue, all of which aims are in a shambles.

After the failure of the foreign ministerial dialogue, the government has come to the conclusion that Pakistan is fighting a losing battle in Kargil and sooner than later Islamabad will realise that it cannot continue with the crisis with its limited economic resources and increasing international pressure.

But Pakistan is said to be interested in keeping the conflict on the LoC alive till September for a number of compelling reasons.

First, Pakistan believes if the crisis is sustained till September, it can effectively internationalise the issue. The United Nations General Assembly meets in September.

Second, it hopes that prolonging the conflict will lead to widespread unrest and anti-Vajpayee sentiment in India, especially on the eve of the crucial general election scheduled for September.

Third, even if the Nawaz Sharief government wants to end the crisis, it might not be in a position to do so, given the virtual control the army has on the Pakistani establishment.

In light of these Pakistani motivations, the test for the Vajpayee government now is to ensure that India remains firm and gets over with the task of throwing out the infiltrators as early as possible.

The Kargil Crisis

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