Cover Story: Pakistan: High Hopes

India Today issue dated June 14, 1999
June 14, 1999

PAKISTAN
High Hopes

Whatever the result of the conflict, Pakistan is euphoric that Kashmir is back in the limelight.

By Zahid Hussain

In Control: Sharif with army chief Pervez Musharraf near the LoC in February In Pakistan, the sense of euphoria that at Kargil it has done a Siachen on India has not receded. Islamabad's power circles believe that they have cocked a snook at India and are now in a position to dictate terms in a vital region exactly the way India did by capturing the heights of the Siachen glacier in 1984. "We are much more prepared this time round to counter any Indian aggression," declares a senior Pakistani army officer.

There is a sense of incredulity over Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes' assertion that the Pakistani Army plotted the Kargil build-up without the consent of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "This presumption is absurd," maintains a senior official. "Important issues related to defence cannot be taken unilaterally by the army." The decision to shoot down Indian fighters was also cleared at the highest level with Sharif asserting that Pakistan would "not tolerate any violation of its air space".

Pakistani military officers assert that the battle for Kargil has put Indians under tremendous pressure as the militants -- they still maintain that the infiltrators are Kashmiri insurgents, not army regulars as India claims -- could block its supply line to Siachen. They are confident that it is almost impossible for Indian forces even with the help of the air force to dislodge them. Another defence expert asserts that air strikes were ineffective in the mountainous terrain. "It was a major blunder committed by the Indians. This sector can turn into a bleeding wound for India," he says.

At this stage, Pakistan is desperately trying to get the US and western countries to intervene. But senior leaders admit that their efforts have not been successful. However, they contend that the heightening tension in the region has brought back Kashmir as an international issue.

Pakistan's offer to send Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz to Delhi for talks is largely the result of pressure exerted by the West to bring the two countries back to the negotiating table. Pakistan believes it has seized the diplomatic initiative and can now negotiate from a position of strength just as India does in all its talks over Siachen. Aziz says, "It is up to India whether it is interested in talks to defuse the tension. Pakistan wants peace." It is very clear that Pakistan would like the talks to be focused on the Kashmir issue, which seems unacceptable to India. In this backdrop, there is little optimism in Pakistan of any diplomatic breakthrough in talks to defuse the tension.

Prime Minister Sharif , however, appears quite adamant about not allowing any reversal in position in the Kargil sector which has caused the latest flare-up in Kashmir. "We will continue to provide material and moral support to the Kashmiri mujahideen. They are freedom fighters and not terrorists," he declared last week. The statement by Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed that Pakistan could use any weapon in its arsenal if its security was threatened clearly indicates a toughening of its stance as the battle along the line of control intensifies. It is part of Pakistan's strategy to heighten fears that the region could become flashpoint for a possible nuclear war if the international community and the United Nations did not intervene. So far the rest of the world has been lukewarm to its warnings.

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