proxy war by Pakistan Cost of ISI terror

[Guest guest]

Namaskar,

this an extract from an essay on the site www.esamskriti.com titled Indo Pak Wars.

LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT

Having realized the futility of a conventional war with India, egged on by the

acquisition of Nuclear capability in 1987, P decided that the best way to make

I bleed was through a Proxy War. Subsequent events have shown how effective

strategy it has been.

Firstly, Punjab. Starting 1972, Bhutto began supporting pro-Khalistani elements.

In the early eighties matters started getting hot. With an aim of retaining

power in Punjab, Mrs Gandhi, assisted by Giani Zail Singh started supporting

people who were opposed to the Akalis, Bhindrawale being one of them. The flow

of arms from across the border continued. In fact Bhindrawale, was released

from jail on Zail Singh’s instructions, if I remember correctly. The Jat

peasantry in Punjab supported the cause as they were opposed to the Congress,

did not want the waters of the Bhakra Nangal Dam to flow to Haryana through the

Sutlej Yamuna Canal. Lack of effective govt action only compounded the problem.

In such an environment happened Operation Bluestar, followed by Mrs

Gandhi’s murder and the Anti-Sikh riots. The situation continued to

worsen and became particularly bad during the rule of V.P.Singh. Thanks to

Beant’s Singh’s efforts and the gutsy K P S Gill, both of whom were

ably assisted by the Indian army and the Punjab police, normalcy was restored.

What did Pakistan achieve? One, it stalled all development activity in

India’s premier state. Secondly it alienated the Punjabi Sikhs from the

Indian state. Thirdly, it created a rift between Punjabi Monas ( Hindus)and

Punjabi Sardars to the extent that the Sikhs believe theirs religion is

separate from Hinduism. ( How untrue it is would be a topic of a subsequent

essay ). Fourthly, the cost of fighting insurgency added to the fiscal deficit.

Secondly,Kashmir. Again, the desire of having the Congress in power saw Mrs

Gandhi take some unwise decisions. First she encouraged the fall of Farooq

Abdullah’s govt in 1983 if I remember correctly and got his Congress

friendly brother in law as CM. Rajiv Gandhi compounded the problem by helping

Farooq A come back as CM in 1987, in what is believed to be a rigged election.

This alienated the valleys Muslims and provided Pakistan with a launching pad

for Operation Topac. The kidnapping and release by militants of Mufti Mohammad

Sayed’s daughter in 1990 ( Home Minister in V.P.Singh’s cabinet )

is believed to have given a fillip to the P supported movement.

Infiltration continued unabated. Hazratbal, Chasme-shareef are campaigns that

the Indian armed forces would like to forget. Corruption, non-governance, P

propaganda , inadequate military actions amongst others ensured that the

Kashmir was a boiling pot. Whether by design or default the situation improved

with the advent of the BJP led govt.

So what have P achieved. One is they have successfully internationalized the

issue. Two they have ensured that a substantial part of the army’s time,

resources are used in fighting the proxy war. A soldier is trained to fight the

enemy and not his countrymen. It can also alienate the army from the local

population whose support is imp in the case of a conflict with P. Three it has

costs the country thousands of crores to save theValley, for what is a ? you

might like to ponder over.

Three, as part of its strategy to trouble India it has projected Pakistan as the

protector of Indian Muslims. Its role in encouraging communal disturbances, the

Mumbai and Coimbatore Bomb Blasts is well known. When things got hot in Dubai

for Mumbai’s underworld, Dawood Ibrahim and Abu Salem moved to Karachi.

Ace shooter Feroz Konkani, amongst Mumbai’s dreaded gangsters, is

believed to have fled to Karachi.

By doing so, P have increased the divide between the Hindus and Muslims.

Basically, P does not want to see a strong and stable India. As Najam Sethi,

well known P journalists pointed out, it would mean accepting the failure of

the Pakistani state. More about that later.

COST OF ISI TERROR 1988-1998.

According to a White Paper prepared by the Home Ministry, the numbers are –

Expenditure on Internal Security - Rs 64,500 crs.

Civilians killed - 29,151.

Security men killed - 5,101.

Rendered Homeless - 2,78,000.

Property Damaged - Rs 2,000 crs.

Weapons smuggled in - 61,900.

Indians hired by ISI - 19,000.

Pak/ foreign militants sent in - 7,125.

The money spent on combating the proxy war could have been spent on education,

health, power plants and what not.

I blame none but ourselves for the present situation. We have allowed ourselves

to become a soft state. Do what you want but India will never respond. We are

worried about what the West thinks about us rather than our national interests.

We are a non-violent nation. My mind goes back to the eighties when the

Centenary Match between England and India was being played at Mumbai with

Vishwanath as captain. One of the English players was wrongly given out by the

Umpire. Realizing that it was error , Vishwanath called the batsmen back. The

batsmen went on to win the match for England. I am sure that no other country

would have behaved that day. Good boys do not win matches. We are afraid of

taking tough decisions.

Rajiv Gandhi made the cardinal error of reducing India’s defence

expenditure at a time when our neighbors were increasing theirs.

Long Live Kshatriya Dharam,

Discover your Roots - Visit www.esamskriti.comThe site has 10 sections. 1.

Culture and philosophy.2. Wars and foreign affairs.3. Festivals of India.4.

Great men of India.5. Ancient India and the outside world.6. History.7.

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