04-04-2007, 10:22 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Travels along the LoC </b>
Pioneer.com
Ashok K Mehta
Besides connecting Kashmiris belonging to different regions of the State, the mission of Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation, a Delhi-based think tank, is to project their hardships due to wars, infiltration and fencing along the Line of Control (LoC). A CDR team last week toured across the Jammu region from Akhnur to Poonch at the height of the debate on demilitarisation. Clearly no echoes of this shrill political statement were heard south of the majestic Pir Panjal range which greeted us every morning despite the occasional thunderstorm. Unlike the Jhelum, nothing sets the Chenab on fire.
<b>Srinagar, not Jammu, is the jewel in the State crown. People here are very resentful of their second-class status, neglect and inadequate representation in the peace process.</b> Our travels covered Akhnur, Naushera, Jhangar, Rajouri, Mendhar and Poonch, for the most part hugging the LoC and the fence. We were to study the plight of the civilians residing close to the LoC, especially those displaced by operational turbulence.
I was revisiting some of the border posts and towns after the 1965 war. The region is marked with continuity and change. The pickets are exactly where they were along the Cease Fire Line as it was then called. But troop density has increased substantially now after the proxy war of 1989, Kargil (1999) and the elaborate network of fencing (2003-04). The area south of the Pir Panjal is the operational responsibility of 16 Corps with 25 Infantry Divisions in charge all the way from Naushera to Poonch. It is the largest Infantry Division on earth.
The most impressive feature of the new defensive layout is the controversial network of fencing astride the LoC laid in record time of one-and-a-half years at a cost of Rs 200 crore. The then Army Chief, Gen Nirmal Vij, overrode considerable internal opposition to the concept. His idea was to end infiltration across LoC by creating a second-tier suitably lit, electrified, supported with early warning devices and covered by troops. As the fencing could be breached in about six to seven minutes, a quick reaction team had to be able to thwart the attempt. Two years and considerable on-job experience later, the Army has refined its drills to minimise chances of any breakthrough. Snowfall, terrorist genius and vagaries of terrain were factored to renovate and, where necessary, realign the fencing.
The alignment of fencing is being reviewed in 16 Corps. In winter, when snow makes infiltration into the Valley impossible, efforts are trained south of Pir Panjal, first to enter the sector, subsequently to cross the Pir Panjal and enter the Valley. In 2004, the famed Hill Kaka below Pir Panjal had become a transit point for terrorists and had to be cleared through one of the biggest operations after Kargil. Through trial and error, fencing has become very effective and infiltration brought down to five per cent, according to Mr Pervez Malik, Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri. Violence is down to zero and terrorist population has dwindled to around 50. Just when the peace dividend was delivering last week Lashkar-e-Tayyeba killed a family of Hindus in Rajouri in tandem with politically manipulated communal tension in Mendhar. Operationally, fencing, everyone agrees, is an asset but at a cost.
For villagers living near the LoC, fencing has a human dimension. They are either fenced in or fenced out. The difficulty is for the latter as they have to move to their land through gates in the fencing which are regulated by the Army. By dusk, they have to return home in the rear. In Khapriyal near Akhnur and elsewhere people so affected complained about routine inconvenience faced by them, also the inadequacy of compensation. Although Rs 77 crore has been paid by the Army through the civil administration, money may not have reached in all cases.
<b>Kirni in Poonch is the case of a village that had to be vacated in 1991 as it was very close to LoC and dominated by the Pakistan Army posts. It had become a staging post for infiltration launched by Haji Pir Pass and, therefore, had to be sanitised through a tough battle</b>. The villagers were relocated, are fenced in and are shepherded to their old homes daily for grazing cattle. Two villages in Jhangar bowl are the only ones we came across which are happily fenced out: They have not been separated from their land and homes as the LoC is some distance from the villages.
Though Poonch was severely jolted by the earthquake in 2005, its spirit and vibrancy remain intact. It is a picture of communal harmony: Majority Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus cohabiting. Victims of the earthquake Khari-Kharimera are model villages adopted by the Army. For them nature's fury was a blessing in disguise. Close by are Zero Point, Chakkan-da-Bagh and the Poonch-Rawlakot bus terminal. The Poonchis rattled off a plethora of problems pertaining to the arrival and departure procedures of divided families. In one word, 'delay". The Border Roads Organisation, which has a distinguished record, excels in evocative wayside slogans. Near Zero Point is this one: "Bicchre hue bhaiyon ka mel, karishma hai kudrat ka khel".
The Army is the backbone of this region.<b> "Fauj hai, mauj hai" and "without Army there is no security" came out from our interaction with Poonchis</b>. A very amiable and healthy civil-military interaction is evident though that does not rule out hardships faced by the people. While there is a conscious effort to reduce alienation and win hearts and minds through Sadbhavana projects, security forces are under a scanner. Poonch elders narrated a list of excesses by the Army and security forces in the late 1990s in Mandi, Surankot and Marovachai. Some of the incidents are horrendous and, if true, a repudiation of all the 10 or 13 Commandments followed by the Army. At the time of our visit, a local court was allegedly hearing a very creative incident of counter-infiltration masterminded by a Deputy Brigade Commander. Some day soon, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission would be needed to forgive and forget.
Finally, on demilitarisation. Our interlocutors were clear that this issue had been hoisted for political one-upmanship. Even so, there is merit in reviewing the density of troops vis-Ã -vis the improved ground situation as suggested by the Mufti brigade. <b>Demilitarisation, like strategic, is a frequently misused term. Its implementation is contingent upon de-militantisation.</b> What the good Mufti is talking about is relocation and thinning out from civilian areas vacating civilian property occupied by security forces. Meanwhile, 27 Mountain Division finally permanently returning home to Kalimpong-Darjeeling and being replaced by 39 Infantry Division along the fencing in 16 Corps is only rotation of troops.
My most disconcerting image from the LoC tour is the reaction of our Innova driver. On seeing a military vehicle he would just stop. "Army ki gaadi hai," he would explain.
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Pioneer.com
Ashok K Mehta
Besides connecting Kashmiris belonging to different regions of the State, the mission of Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation, a Delhi-based think tank, is to project their hardships due to wars, infiltration and fencing along the Line of Control (LoC). A CDR team last week toured across the Jammu region from Akhnur to Poonch at the height of the debate on demilitarisation. Clearly no echoes of this shrill political statement were heard south of the majestic Pir Panjal range which greeted us every morning despite the occasional thunderstorm. Unlike the Jhelum, nothing sets the Chenab on fire.
<b>Srinagar, not Jammu, is the jewel in the State crown. People here are very resentful of their second-class status, neglect and inadequate representation in the peace process.</b> Our travels covered Akhnur, Naushera, Jhangar, Rajouri, Mendhar and Poonch, for the most part hugging the LoC and the fence. We were to study the plight of the civilians residing close to the LoC, especially those displaced by operational turbulence.
I was revisiting some of the border posts and towns after the 1965 war. The region is marked with continuity and change. The pickets are exactly where they were along the Cease Fire Line as it was then called. But troop density has increased substantially now after the proxy war of 1989, Kargil (1999) and the elaborate network of fencing (2003-04). The area south of the Pir Panjal is the operational responsibility of 16 Corps with 25 Infantry Divisions in charge all the way from Naushera to Poonch. It is the largest Infantry Division on earth.
The most impressive feature of the new defensive layout is the controversial network of fencing astride the LoC laid in record time of one-and-a-half years at a cost of Rs 200 crore. The then Army Chief, Gen Nirmal Vij, overrode considerable internal opposition to the concept. His idea was to end infiltration across LoC by creating a second-tier suitably lit, electrified, supported with early warning devices and covered by troops. As the fencing could be breached in about six to seven minutes, a quick reaction team had to be able to thwart the attempt. Two years and considerable on-job experience later, the Army has refined its drills to minimise chances of any breakthrough. Snowfall, terrorist genius and vagaries of terrain were factored to renovate and, where necessary, realign the fencing.
The alignment of fencing is being reviewed in 16 Corps. In winter, when snow makes infiltration into the Valley impossible, efforts are trained south of Pir Panjal, first to enter the sector, subsequently to cross the Pir Panjal and enter the Valley. In 2004, the famed Hill Kaka below Pir Panjal had become a transit point for terrorists and had to be cleared through one of the biggest operations after Kargil. Through trial and error, fencing has become very effective and infiltration brought down to five per cent, according to Mr Pervez Malik, Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri. Violence is down to zero and terrorist population has dwindled to around 50. Just when the peace dividend was delivering last week Lashkar-e-Tayyeba killed a family of Hindus in Rajouri in tandem with politically manipulated communal tension in Mendhar. Operationally, fencing, everyone agrees, is an asset but at a cost.
For villagers living near the LoC, fencing has a human dimension. They are either fenced in or fenced out. The difficulty is for the latter as they have to move to their land through gates in the fencing which are regulated by the Army. By dusk, they have to return home in the rear. In Khapriyal near Akhnur and elsewhere people so affected complained about routine inconvenience faced by them, also the inadequacy of compensation. Although Rs 77 crore has been paid by the Army through the civil administration, money may not have reached in all cases.
<b>Kirni in Poonch is the case of a village that had to be vacated in 1991 as it was very close to LoC and dominated by the Pakistan Army posts. It had become a staging post for infiltration launched by Haji Pir Pass and, therefore, had to be sanitised through a tough battle</b>. The villagers were relocated, are fenced in and are shepherded to their old homes daily for grazing cattle. Two villages in Jhangar bowl are the only ones we came across which are happily fenced out: They have not been separated from their land and homes as the LoC is some distance from the villages.
Though Poonch was severely jolted by the earthquake in 2005, its spirit and vibrancy remain intact. It is a picture of communal harmony: Majority Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus cohabiting. Victims of the earthquake Khari-Kharimera are model villages adopted by the Army. For them nature's fury was a blessing in disguise. Close by are Zero Point, Chakkan-da-Bagh and the Poonch-Rawlakot bus terminal. The Poonchis rattled off a plethora of problems pertaining to the arrival and departure procedures of divided families. In one word, 'delay". The Border Roads Organisation, which has a distinguished record, excels in evocative wayside slogans. Near Zero Point is this one: "Bicchre hue bhaiyon ka mel, karishma hai kudrat ka khel".
The Army is the backbone of this region.<b> "Fauj hai, mauj hai" and "without Army there is no security" came out from our interaction with Poonchis</b>. A very amiable and healthy civil-military interaction is evident though that does not rule out hardships faced by the people. While there is a conscious effort to reduce alienation and win hearts and minds through Sadbhavana projects, security forces are under a scanner. Poonch elders narrated a list of excesses by the Army and security forces in the late 1990s in Mandi, Surankot and Marovachai. Some of the incidents are horrendous and, if true, a repudiation of all the 10 or 13 Commandments followed by the Army. At the time of our visit, a local court was allegedly hearing a very creative incident of counter-infiltration masterminded by a Deputy Brigade Commander. Some day soon, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission would be needed to forgive and forget.
Finally, on demilitarisation. Our interlocutors were clear that this issue had been hoisted for political one-upmanship. Even so, there is merit in reviewing the density of troops vis-Ã -vis the improved ground situation as suggested by the Mufti brigade. <b>Demilitarisation, like strategic, is a frequently misused term. Its implementation is contingent upon de-militantisation.</b> What the good Mufti is talking about is relocation and thinning out from civilian areas vacating civilian property occupied by security forces. Meanwhile, 27 Mountain Division finally permanently returning home to Kalimpong-Darjeeling and being replaced by 39 Infantry Division along the fencing in 16 Corps is only rotation of troops.
My most disconcerting image from the LoC tour is the reaction of our Innova driver. On seeing a military vehicle he would just stop. "Army ki gaadi hai," he would explain.
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