INDIA Army Chief’s statement about threat perception from Pakistan and war under the nuclear scenario is not only irresponsible but also xenophobic, unwise and provocative. Chief of the Army Staff General V.K Singh informed Indian media that around 25 infiltration attempts have been made by militants from across the Line of Control (LoC) in the last two months and 35-40 terrorists have been killed by the security forces during the same period. He said the number of infiltration attempts has gone up in the last two months but the Indian Army has been able to control it to a large extent. General Singh said to counter infiltration, the Army has evolved a strategy under which even if somebody manages to infiltrate Indian territory, “he gets killed later on.” “As far as infiltration is concerned, we have controlled it to a large extent... The war mongering Indian General maliciously revealed that the latest trends on training the youth across the border from India to Pakistan on a regular visa in the name of visiting their relatives where these Kashmiri youth get trained in handling arms and ammunitions (weapons and explosives) at selected camps within Pakistan conducted by Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT). To make his story plausible, he let on that these recruits are being given a weeks’ complete religious course on Islam and then inducted to undergo training modules in daura-e-aam. The “informed” General went on to suggest that the modus operandi is to look out for the educated youth from Kashmir for which there are many placement agencies across Kashmir. These agencies recruit the youth under various schemes & arrange passports to Gulf & Pakistan. The trainees undergo training in modules like 'daura-e-aam' and 'daura-e-khas,' in which the recruits are trained in making improvised explosives devices and carrying out sabotage. Then these recruits are shipped back to Gulf countries from where they travel back to India and resume their normal work and wait for orders from across the border. As evidence to support his preposterous claim, the General stated that the police apprehended one person from Budgam who had ostensibly gone across the border for meeting relatives and later extended it by another two weeks during which he underwent the 'daura-e-aam' (basic) training being organized by the LeT. During interrogation, the youth, whose identity has been kept under wraps, told the investigators that there were other youths who were using the same modus operandi to get the training facility. To support the evidence, a huge dump of arms and ammunition, supposedly recovered in Budgam was shown to the media with the implication that it was actually meant for such recruits.
The General’s insinuation is easily refutable, because the Kashmiri youth, who are spearheading the fresh uprising, have spurned the use of force. They come out into the streets of Srinagar and other major towns chanting the slogan of “Azadi” (freedom) and “Indian dogs go home.” They are not only unarmed, but they have stated in their blogs, MMS and SMS that they will resort to peaceful agitation. That is another story that since June this year, Indian Armed Forces in Occupied Kashmir have martyred more than 125 unarmed youth. The gory images of the slaughter of their brothers and sisters have been captured by the Kashmiri youth and transmitted globally to expose the bloody atrocities of the Indian State Terrorism. Touched to the quick, India is retorting by such false statements by its Army Chief, who is looking for excuses to undertake suppressive measures against unarmed protesters in Indian held Kashmir.
There is another even more macabre angle to such machination. India is alleging that hundreds of Indian Maoists are receiving arms training in Nepal’s Terai region from the Nepal Maoists’ People Liberation Army and Operatives of the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT). Indian propagandists along with their strong lobbyists in the western media have invented stories regarding presence of Chinese troops in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The fact is that despite being propped up by the US as a counterweight to China, India is jealous of Pak-China affinity and therefore leaves no stone unturned to insinuate against these two friendly countries. Recent Chinese decision to build a new nuclear reactor in Pakistan and Beijing’s wish to construct a road linking western China with the port of Gawadar in north-western Pakistan is disturbing for India and challenging her role in South Asia. The Indian Army Chief has declared that China and Pakistan posed a major threat to India’s security.
The war-phobia struck Indian General considers China and Pakistan as two major irritants to India’s national security. Referring to China’s reported intrusion in Arunachal Pradesh, General Singh has stated that due to a border dispute with China, Beijing still remains a threat to India despite several Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) taken by the two sides to defuse tension and build a good bilateral relationship. The Indian Army chief further warned that India remains concerned over the security of its island territories much due to the proximity between Pakistan and China. General also reiterated that till the time the terrorist infrastructure remains intact on the other side, India has something to worry. He also referred to the threat posed by China, which was rising both economically and militarily. General Singh declared that the threat from China impacts the way he will task his army and the role that he will give to it so that it can do the task that the nation wants. He declared that despite having a stable border with China, he cannot take chances. He then dropped the bombshell that along with developing conventional war-fighting capability, India must enhance its nuclear weapons arsenal. General VK Singh’s remarks come close on the heels of Indian Defence Minister AK Antony stating that China was exhibiting ‘assertiveness’ in its military posturing in the region and asked the armed forces to remain vigilant to counter any threat.
It has become abundantly clear that the Indian Army Chief, is not only a delusional megalomaniac, but in the mould of Don-Quixote, is obsessed with inventing imaginary demons and enemies, for which he wants India to spend billions of dollars. Indian frenzy with building its armed forces, acquiring weapons of mass destruction and achieving a military might way beyond its genuine security concerns already knows no bounds. Indian madness of amassing arms and military hardware already borders on schizophrenic concerns. Now General VK Singh’s xenophobic statements are meant to provide a rationale for its war phobia by conjuring threats from China and Pakistan as well as justify its terrorist activities against both its neighbours it considers as threat. Moreover, India also needs to satisfy its impoverished masses that it is amassing weapons at the cost of their sustenance and livelihood and the detractors of its advanced nuclear program, for which it has found a willing abettor in USA. Saner Indian elements are questioning the wisdom of India’s mad pursuit of the nuclear weapons path in the garb of nuclear energy programs with the help of the US. VK Singh’s statements are crude attempt to silent its critics.
