Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke for over 1,400 million Indians when he used the occasion of the eve of the Kargil Vijay Divas to warn Pakistan against continuing its futile policy of breeding and sponsoring cross-border terror.
Both the message and the timing were perfect. Prime Minister Modi has given voice to the frustrations of most Indians, and was echoing the viewpoint of the entire Indian polity and the Parliament by expressing the national consensus that Kashmir belongs to India. No policy of terror or act of violence or initiation of war-like action will ever deter India was his clear pronouncement.
He also reflected our national resolve strongly, and in an unimpeachable manner, that India would not think twice about doing all it takes to protect its territory and people. The anniversary of the Kargil war and our victory over Pakistan provided the perfect backdrop for him to make this statement.
Twenty-five years ago, India dealt a severe blow to the Pakistani Army by frustrating its plans to occupy Ladakh and other nearby parts of India by establishing non-uniformed soldiers on commanding heights overlooking the National Highway-1 connecting Srinagar with Leh. Another rationale that Pakistan watchers give for the Kargil war was that its new army chief Gen. Pervez Musharraf wanted to force India to accept a solution that was to his liking in Jammu and Kashmir.
A closer analysis of July 26, 1999, shows that this day not only ended the Kargil war but also set in motion a chain of events. Pakistan’s Kargil operations were in violation of the Line of Control, established by an international treaty and infuriated the entire world, including the United States. By virtually ordering Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to pull back his forces to cantonments, US President Bill Clinton laid a firm foundation for the Indo-US strategic relations which, a quarter century later, have become the mainstay of American foreign policy in Asia.
Nevertheless, as Mr Modi rightly said, Pakistan has not learnt its lessons. It continues to wage war in the garb of terrorism and proxy wars. And it still continues to be a sanctuary for anti-India terrorists if the recent surge in attacks in Jammu is any indication.
Indian leaders have time and again sought to mend relations with Pakistan and have made genuine overtures for peace. But each time we have received only deceit and backstabbing in return. In spite of being hated in Pakistan for his hardline nationalism, Mr Modi held out an olive branch by travelling to the neighboring country and offering Mr Sharif several gifts of friendship and warmth. What he got as a return gift was the Pulwama attack.
In the last 25 years, the differential between India and Pakistan in terms of economic prosperity and global reputation has sharply widened. But Pakistan has still not grown out of its desire to be hyphenated with India and is, in the process, only harming its own people.
India needs to introspect into whether it has learnt a lesson from Kargil, which occurred basically due to intelligence failure and our leaders’ blind belief in the good neighbourliness of Pakistan. India suffered again in 2020 due to Chinese incursions into Ladakh. It must strengthen its resolve — of never letting one more such incident happen.
