Indian Defence Review

Critics would scoff at the word ‘oxymoroning’ saying there is no such word. What the minister could not learn at Oxford that it was the minister’s party that had first coined the phrase “Nationalist Muslims” rightly for people like Maulana Azad which set the tail of MA Jinnah on fire, who in turn labeled them “Congress Muslims”. So any Indian, of any religion, caste or creed can be a Nationalist no matter how hard you want to deny it.

Ironically, nationalism is something most Indians appear to have forgotten, partly because it hardly is part of our education system aside from perfunctory routine shows on Independence and Republic days. The bottom line is that the minister, his peers and media puppeteers need to understand that a Hindu Nationalist is not an oxymoron. But the minister himself, his peers, media puppeteers and the pressured or paid media that bending backwards to Pakistan and China for sake of political power and personal gains will, if not already, earn them the unenviable title of “oxymoron” – or shall we say “political oxymoron” irrespective of being Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, whatever.

Political oxymoroning will obviously be lapped up by adversaries, latest example being, Ma Jun  of PLA’s Academy of Military Science describing the 19 kms deep PLA intrusion in Depsang Bulge as “activity not deliberately staged – camp set up merely to keep out the cold”, obviously cashing on the minister’s description of the intrusion as “a small acme on the face”. But what even Ma Jun fails to elaborate is whether the 30 feet red banner proclaiming the area as Chinese territory was made of pashmina to keep the intruders warm, whether the particular spot was chosen because of some unknown hot springs to “keep out the cold” and with this startling discovery whether the area is being claimed for keeps as a tourist destination, replete with bowls of hot biang-biang noodles.

One wonders how many in our political hierarchy are aware that in a ‘Letter to the American People’ that Osama-bin-Laden wrote in 2002, he stated that the one of the reasons he was fighting America is because of its support to India on the Kashmir issue. Simultaneously, the Christian Science Monitor reported in the same year their investigations having evidenced that Al-Qaeda and its affiliates were prospering POK with tacit support of the ISI. Now that was 2002 and today in 2013, the ambiguity created is that whether Al Qaeda is fighting America, if so in what measure or more importantly, whether Al Qaeda is fighting ‘for’ America? Same goes for Taliban. Those who cannot see the writing on the wall have surely qualified to the next level of oxymoroning – the ‘blind oxymoron’.

Now America using Al Qaeda in Libya and Syria, arming and embedding them in Middle East is no secret. Unfortunately, the Al Qaeda has not made much progress in Syria in toppling the Assad, implying that much is the delay in tackling Iran. But lo and behold, the Pakistan Taliban is now setting up base in Syria to help oust Assad; another remarkable fallout of America-Pakistani or shall we say Obama-Kiyani Bhai Bhai syndrome. Afghanistan in any case is offered to Al Qaeda-Taliban-Pakistan on a platter. So, the obvious pressure on India to give or rather keeps giving “more concessions” to Pakistan – act like Big Brother (India) because Big Brother (America) says so. Not without reason plenty analysts feel America couldn’t care less if J&K and even Arunachal Pradesh goes to China-Pakistan as long as India supports America in the Indo-Pacific Regions as part of their Asia Pivot.

There is every possibility that when our hierarchy is so much at loss simply about ‘nationalism’, it would be utterly chaotic for them to understand as to what are these concessions to Pakistan that Big Brother is hinting at. But then for learning, one must start with the basics as to what is the ground situation, what ‘concessions’ India has already given and how has Pakistan responded. The 1948 UN Resolution on Kashmir, vide which Pakistan still demands, plebiscite, had categorical pre-condition that Pakistan withdraw all her security forces from territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) prior to plebiscite.  Pakistan did the opposite and, unlike India, drastically altered demography of POK by design. 1948 UN Resolution on Kashmir gave Kashmiris only two choices – either remain with India or join Pakistan.

Results of first ever poll both sides of the Line of Control in J&K conducted by Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatam House), UK in conjunction King’s College during 2009-2010 brought out that 98% of people in J&K do not wish to be part of Pakistan and 50% of people in POK do not wish to remain with Pakistan. It may be noted that this poll was financed by Gaddafi’s son on instigation of Pakistan. India has more Muslims than entire population of Pakistan. Muslims in India enjoy freedom of action in all spheres.

Three former Presidents of India and current Vice President (in his second tenure) are Muslims. Muslim community of Mumbai unanimously refused to permit bodies of Pakistani terrorists killed in the 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack to be buried in their burial ground. Indian Parliamentarian, Maulana Mehmood Madani of  Jamiat-e-ulema-e-Hind , gave President Musharraf a shut up call during the India Today Conclave held at New Delhi in 2009, telling him to mind his own business and leave Muslims of India alone. India has a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Army has its own Human Rights set up. Figures of NHRC (available on the web) prove that only 4-5% of human rights allegation in J&K against security forces have proved true. Where allegations have been proved true, exemplary punishments are given.

Numerous concessions given by India to Pakistan, some of which are : India declared a unilateral ceasefire in J&K in 1948 when Pakistani forces were on the run and Pakistan still illegally held one third of Kashmir. As per UN resolution of 1948, Pakistani security forces were to clear out from POK. Not only did Pakistan counter the UN mandate by reinforcing her security forces in POK, she has deliberately altered the demography of POK; India did not pursue delineation of Cease Fire Line (CFL) between India-Pakistan under the Karachi Agreement of 1949 beyond NJ 9842 – “northwards” to the Wakhan Corridor bordering China and Afghanistan; India did not go to UN when Pakistan transferred the Shaksgam Valley of J&K to China; India is giving 80 percent of water to Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty – far in excess to global norms related with size of the river basin; captured strategic Haji Pir Pass was returned to Pakistan in 1965; India treated 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of the 1971 prisoners with respect and returned them relying on verbal promise of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto during the Shimla Accord to resolve the Kashmir issue – a promise Bhutto reneged later; with a heart filled with friendship, Prime Minister Vajpayee took the bus to Lahore while Musharraf prepared to stab us in Kargil; Indian Army gave formal religious burials to Pakistani soldiers unclaimed and abandoned by Pakistan during the Kargil Conflict while Pakistani Army brutally tortured, maimed and killed Captain Saurabh Kalia, five other Indian soldiers and Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja; India granted MFN status to Pakistan years ago; India has given investment opportunities to Pakistanis in India.

Now let us look at how Pakistan has responded to Indian concessions: breeding terrorism in India; infiltrating terrorists; creating an armed terrorist architecture pan-India since early 1990’s; engineering endless terrorist attacks / acts in Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Gujarat, other parts of India including IC-814 hijack, attack on Parliament, 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack etc; refusing to act against Pakistani perpetrators of 26/11, nurturing,  patronizing and masterminding LeT acts against India; using the Haqqani network to target Indians and Indian interests in Afghanistan; pumping drugs and fake currency (minted in Pakistani government facilities) into India; open rallies in Pakistan professing balkanization of India, collection of funds and recruitment for jihad against India under the very nose of the administration and with open support of military veterans in connivance the ISI and military; refusal to acknowledge continuation of the ‘Karachi Project’ and other Pakistani complicity as disclosed by Abu Jundal; funding anti-India terrorists openly –as done in Pakistan’s Punjab etc.

Our political hierarchy needs to understand that given the stranglehold over Pakistan, the Pakistani Army does not ‘want’ peace with either India and Aghanistan least they be asked to return to barracks. This is the harsh truth and Pakistan has the backing of China and even the US in what they are doing to both India and Pakistan. So any amount of back bending is not going to ease the situation whether it is naiveté, Nehruvian utopia of everlasting peace or political oxymoroning for the sole purpose of retaining political power. The situation is going to get from bad to worse. The short, medium and long-term consequences of what policy we are following must be strategized with the bottom-line that India is on its own in conflict situations but at the same time we have no dearth of power if we know how to harness it.

As the story goes, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Musharraf came close to striking a deal on Kashmir in 2009. According to a US Embassy, New Delhi cable of April 21, 2009 leaked by Wikileaks,  Manmohan Singh confirmed this to a visiting US delegation, saying that the solution included free trade and movement across LoC. How have we accepted the perfidy of Musharraf in the first place when the slimy reptile has stabbed us at every possible step, describes India as the most devious enemy in his autobiography, was the master architect of Kargil intrusions, used Haqqanis to target Indians in Afghanistan and is being treated as an oxymoron in his own country? Let us not be carried away by open borders, trade and MFN, Pakistan will not stop working towards the balkanizing of India in conjunction China.

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Most significantly, what is quoted in the wikileaks cable “solution included free trade and movement across LoC” is hiding the treachery behind the agreement;  softening of Line of Control, self-governance, phased withdrawal of troops from entire Jammu and Kashmir and joint supervision by India and Pakistan. No matter you may confer the Sadr-e-Riyasat what Omar Abdullah is angling at but then you are not fooling the Indian public are you? Even Omar and Co may end up paying with their lives since this agreement would be a prelude to Pakistan gaining full sovereignty over the Kashmir Valley and adjoining areas unless Omar takes an oath of allegiance to Pakistan. By restricting the army only to the borders and opening up the hinterland to terrorists, are you yourself not stabbing your own army in the back no matter however insignificant the military is for you? As it is, you have been facilitating the Hurriyat hardliners travel to Pakistan to meet Hafiz Saeed and gang, keeping the population in the dark, and with both the IB and ISI lining the pockets of these fellows, future plans for J&K must have already been chalked up in conjunction Pakistani military-ISI-Let especially after Americans scoot from Afghanistan. Then you are also instituting visa on arrival to facilitate terrorists entry so why this agreement?

What appears incomprehensible is that you are not able to read indications like and are talking of open borders when: Pakistan is not letting up on terror against India – arming and supporting terrorists and insurgents including Maoists; LeT is attending the Maoists meetings; both LeT and Al Qaeda are firmly linked with the Popular Front of India headquartered in Kerala (as confirmed by both R&AW and IB) but political oxymoroning in india is preventing the MHA banning this organization; Pakistan is trying its level best to revive the Khalistani movement. This has also been conveyed directly to us by Special Forces of friendly countries who have been to Pakistan for training in recent times. Pakistanis have been telling them they ‘will’ succeed in this, these being just few examples.

The looming danger now is during the Prime Minister’s forthcoming visits to Pakistan and China that may also be preceded by some specially chosen oxymorons. As marriages are made in Heaven, so are Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers. Disregarding national interests for political power is not going to help. As for strategy, one could read the Gita but then that may itself be construed oxymoroning. So why not then heed at least Chanakya, who simply said that you neighbor is you natural enemy but more importantly went on in great detail to describe how to deal with neighbours. There is this document called Arthshastra provided our policy makers have the time to read and interpret it.