Man who won Kargil says don’t let Pak decide your response

Punitive strikes against Pakistan may serve only as a signal rather than a solution, General Ved Malik, former Chief of Army Staff, told The...

Punitive strikes against Pakistan may serve only as a signal rather than a solution, General Ved Malik, former Chief of Army Staff, told The Indian Express today. India’s patience may be running out after the latest terrorist attack in Jammu, but no move should be made in haste, he said in an interview.

‘‘Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf has not kept his word on putting a lid on terrorism. The Pakistan Army’s policy of terror towards India has not changed even after his January 12 address. But undertaking a punitive strike at this stage is not the solution. We need to gather hard evidence of Pakistan’s support to terrorists and tell the international community. Only then will pressure will build on Pakistan,’’ General Malik said.

General Ved Malik

He pointed out that India’s experience since 1947-48 had shown that cross border terrorism could escalate easily into a conventional war. ‘‘We have to be prepared for such a contingency. At this time, it is important that we manage our internal security problems,’’ he said.

All diplomatic and economic initiatives had not yet been exhausted, General Malik observed. ‘‘We must not react to Pakistan but respond at a time and place of our choosing and in a manner of our choosing.’’

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He added, ‘‘We have to undertake measures to make counter infiltration posture more effective. It may require occupying heights in areas through which the infiltrators manage to cross the LoC.’’ Asked if the present deployment along the Indo-Pak border had put pressure on Pakistan, General Malik said: ‘‘The aim of the deployment was to ensure that the al Qaeda men do not infiltrate into India and convey the message that India was reaching its threshold. I would say that the mobilization has not achieved its full aim.’’

Malik, who fought the Kargil war ‘‘with whatever equipment we have,’’ made an emphatic plea for equipping the armed forces. ‘‘The government must ensure that the short term requirements of the armed forces are met. We talk of acquisition of Admiral Gorshkov (aircraft carrier) and additional Mirages. But the immediate requirement of the Army are the artillery guns, ammunition and equipment spares. These deficiencies need to be met,’’ he said.