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Date & Time Dsk Vers Slug Status Dur'n St
Jan 30 19:58 C* PARTITION: Tape 89 (cont) -:OK 3:46 R*
By; *** Mod; 255 Lang;
Captain Bharat Verma, former captain in an Indian armoured
regiment, now editor of 'Indian Defence Review'; pro-army,
hawkish, affable, articulate; interviewed by AW in Gautam Nagar,
Delhi, 28 Jan 2000
Q: re legacy of partn - influence on Indian politics, and rise
of BJP, of K issue
A: don't think K issue is related to rise of BJP directly
Q: on ground, how formidable a mil threat to K militant groups
pose
A: 'potential of mil's not that o/whemling, yes incidents after
Kargil, operated on miolitary operations, probem is Ind pol
1/ship refusal to ise the mil asset, eg when you refuse to cut
across the lines to sbdue threat, allows enemy to dominate yr
own side of the f'ball field ... Skardu cd have been bombed ...'
Q: wd have meant all out war
A: 'don't think so; Pak as reluctant to go to war as we are; our
prob is .. policy making in I ... instrument of war has been a
footnote ... when your're defending yr territory and won't go yo
cure the prob, it becomes more diff'f to defend ... in K state
has not allowed mixing of composite culture .. ND's policy has
been more akin to a police action ... if instrument of war is
given primacy it deserves ... prb can be tackled'
Q: subst; body of opinion in I army wants to provoke war
A: 'to be honest, there is a trem amount of pressure coming from
the armed forces to resolve issue in whatever matter poss ...
the I armed forces ... those pressure have been ignored for a
long time; look at Kargil, I army desired an action plan where
cd cross 1-o-c, but ND wdn't allow it ... if enemy knows it can
keep coming in, and will meet nothing but police action, well
Q: what wd militarty like to do
A: 'intel wanted to ... get across 1-o-c, cut across line of
supply ... air force, strategy to bombard Skardu, feasible and
wd not have escalated war .. that was where base for Kargil war
... but cos instrument of war not profitably employed by ND,
that's where problem is'
Q: does army want to provoke a war
A: 'not provoking a war; army accepts ,,, we are at war, and at
war for a long time ...ND just accepted this fact that. yes. we
are at war ... armed forces ... wd like to get it over with ...'
Q: what wd like to do to pursue war more effectively now
A: 'intelligence agency also part of mil power ... pump into
sectarain strife inside Pak ... activate 1-o-c-, and where nec
carry out hot pursuit ... that's what armed forces want to do so
they are not on defensive, but other side is any action like |
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