A live LAC not only forces us to keep troops deployed along it but also compels the PLA to do the same despite the constraints of distance and internal disturbances that its soldiers already confront
On the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 11, a newspaper report informed us that a suicide is committed every four minutes within our borders. That is truly horrendous, overwhelming and tragic, even more so given how little attention is paid to this issue. However, the frenzy surrounding the alleged suicide by young and upcoming actor, Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR), is a spectacle we could have certainly done without. It reflects very poorly on us as a society and of the times we live in, especially in view of how blatantly this tragedy is being used to further personal agenda and selfish interests. Nobody, but nobody, connected in any manner to this unfortunate episode, comes out clean, least of all his family, his so-called friends and well-wishers, the politicians and their handmaidens, including of course, the police and investigative agencies.
For all practical purposes, the very foundations that go towards making of a just and caring society, like the rule of law and ethical conduct, have been thrown out of the window. In all of this, the worst offenders, and that too by a huge margin, of course, have been some media channels. Their unseemly behaviour and the utter lack of professionalism expected of them just cannot be excused. They have acted as if they are covering a one-day match, reporting every little twist and turn as they occur, with expert comments and all. Worst of all, the way they have pandered to those propagating the most outlandish of conspiracy theories, clearly motivated by rewards they see within their grasp, has been bizarre, to say the least.
Some would suggest that in their rush to garner TRP, some of the players in the mainstream media no longer know any better and have plumbed depths that were inconceivable just a decade ago. But to draw such a conclusion may be patently incorrect given the fact that some of the smartest minds on the planet are associated with these channels. Obviously, what is in short supply is the spine required to stand up for what is correct. It is not that those working in this field are the only ones short of moral courage; in fact this malaise has greatly impacted all our public institutions. But what distinguishes the fourth estate from the rest is that it is supposed to be the conscience keeper of the people and it is this quality that gives them the moral authority to hold the powers that be to account.
Even those of us embodied with just modest intelligence fully understand that the media’s focus on the most inconsequential of issues at this critical juncture, when lives and livelihoods are at stake and unwanted conflict looms large on the horizon, is a diversionary tactic to keep public attention from these very issues. Suspicions that this is being done at the behest of the Government cannot be overlooked.
One understands that given the complex challenges it faces, the Government has no interest in being further buffeted by the onslaught of public sentiment. However, that is neither here nor there because such an abrogation of one’s duties allows governments, both at the Centre and States, to avoid accountability for their lacklustre performance and moribund attempts at controlling the pandemic and kickstarting the economy. It is now fairly obvious that the Union Government has concluded that our only hope of controlling the pandemic rests on how quickly an effective vaccine is developed and distributed. It believes that competing priorities of life versus livelihood no longer allow it the luxury of resorting to draconian lockdowns of the kind we had earlier.
They are now leaving it to individuals to take protective measures such as social distancing, wearing of masks and hand-washing to prevent the spread of the virus and avoid getting infected. In that sense, the Government has raised the white flag and has resigned itself to whatever fate awaits us. Such a hands-off attitude obviously cannot bring our economy back on the rails or help us confront the challenges we face on our northern borders.
Fortunately, on the issue of the Chinese border tangle, we have finally taken some positive action, albeit rather late and still only incremental in nature. Yet, this was wholly unexpected by the Chinese and has clearly pushed them on to the backfoot and forcibly swung the spotlight directly on President Xi. Whichever way this confrontation goes from here, he cannot avoid being held directly responsible. In this context, while his survival may not be at stake at present, he will undoubtedly find the going very tough if this initiative, obviously engineered by him, is seen as unsuccessful.
Clearly, available force levels suggest that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) underestimated Indian resolve and just does not have the requisite troops to go in for a full- fledged offensive to throw out our troops from the dominating heights that they occupy or even throw us out of Ladakh, as some analysts envisage, at least not before the next campaigning season. The Foreign Minister’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet, and their mutually-agreed statement, suggests that the Chinese are buying time and the statement is probably not worth the paper it is written on.
This is not to suggest that the PLA might not still attempt limited offensive action either against our positions in the Pangong Tso heights or elsewhere in an attempt to wrest the initiative for which we are undoubtedly fully prepared. The additional commitments that have been thrust on us should not be seen as detrimental to either our economic health or our military capabilities. Our military has been neglected for far too long and it has taken Chinese perfidy to open Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s eyes and force him to provide it the requisite funds to upgrade capabilities. It has also made clear that economic development and military capabilities are directly linked, and we cannot build up one at the cost of the other. Being the politician that he is, Modi will no doubt figure out ways in which the military can be funded to meet future threats without greatly impacting our economic development.
In this context, the manner in which the formal induction ceremony for the first Rafale Squadron had been organised, with the Defence Ministers of both countries being present, is instructive. In the normal course of events, the formal induction ceremony would be kept to the level of the Chief of Air Staff with representations from the concerned embassy in attendance, with the ceremony being kept low-key. This was the process followed when the Jaguars were inducted in 1979, the Mirages in 1985 and the Sukhois in 1995. However, we know that Narendra Modi has never shied away from taking political advantage from military endeavours to enhance his nationalistic credentials.
It is indeed ironical that while in his previous tenure he used the military to enhance his political credibility, as the Balakot operation and surgical strikes show, without improving their lot, Modi now finds himself cornered with his future dependent on how the military performs in the days ahead.
Finally, a live LAC not only forces us to keep troops deployed along it but also compels the PLA to do the same despite the constraints of distance and internal disturbances that its troops already confront. In effect, China has converted Tibet into an unstable Kashmir for itself, with an intransigent neighbour to boot. More so, if we refuse to accept Chinese sovereignty over it and use the Tibetan diaspora to our advantage.
It also gives us an opportunity to mirror Chinese actions that have resulted in a gradual loss of territory over the years and improve our defensive posture, thereby ensuring that as and when the LAC is finally delineated, we are not at a disadvantage. One is hopeful that Modi has the stamina to go the distance.
(The writer, a military veteran is a Consultant with the Observer Research Foundation and a Senior Visiting Fellow with The Peninsula Foundation)
