It talks of peace but blatantly provokes India
Fourteen years after the 1999 War, when Pakistani troops breached the ceasefire in the Kargil sector for the first time last week, their unprovoked firing should have been enough to shatter the illusion of peace-building that New Delhi continues to harbour. The first violation happened in the intervening night of August 11 and 12, initially at Kaksar and then at Chenigund post, incidentally the same post from where Captain Saurabh Kalia was taken in April 1999. The ceasefire was then violated again on Thursday, August 15, when Pakistani troops fired with automatic weapons at Sando Post in the Drass sector — making it amply clear that Pakistan is looking to provoke, rather than seek peace. Ceasefire violations in the Kargil sector have been followed by similar breaches all along the line of Control. Viewed together, it’s evident that Pakistan wants to widen the conflict. In fact, since the August 6 firing at Chakan da Bagh post in Poonch sector that killed two Indian jawans and fuelled an outrage across the country, there have been as many as 18 ceasefire violations. And that is not all. The ceasefire violations are part of a package deal that includes, as usual, an increased number of infiltration bids. The Indian Army has reported that it has killed as many as 28 terrorists in the past two months. In effect, then the Pakistani Army is providing fire cover to jihadis as they sneak into India, while also inciting the Indian Army which has, of course, returned fire with full force.
Apologists for Pakistan could get away with blaming “irregulars” or “armed men in Pakistani Army uniforms” for the attacks, but the sheer scale and intensity of the violation gives the game away. It is unimaginable that 18 attacks in just about 10 days could have been carried out without express orders from Rawalpindi and at least tacit consent from Islamabad. Of course, the so-called peaceniks will be quick to claim the Pakistani Army's shenanigans at the loC do not have Islamabad's approval and are designed to weaken the position of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, supposedly India's new best friend. Even if that were the case, it only proves that Mr Sharif has no control over his Army (much like, as he has claimed, he didn't have during Kargil). Either way, the end result is the same for India.
In spite of all this, those in New Delhi who still believe that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should meet with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the annual UN jamboree in New York in September, must consider this: Even though it is Pakistani troops who violated the ceasefire, it is Pakistan’s Government that passed a resolution in the National Assembly which blamed the Indian Army for “unprovoked aggression”. And this is a step that has been taken by the civilian Government in Islamabad led by Mr Sharif himself. Sure, India too passed a counter-resolution but it was Pakistan that made the first move. And it did so despite knowing that New Delhi seemed from all indications then, committed to the Singh-Sharif meeting in New York. To that end, the Sharif Government's resolution, which has vitiated the atmosphere further, complements the actions of the Pakistani Army along the loC. It also exposes the hollowness in the argument that Mr Sharif is sincere about friendly relations with India.