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Indian seeks Kashmir solution in
technology
As part of a
multi-tiered and multi-pronged strategy to combat
infiltration of militants from Pakistan into Jammu and
Kashmir (J&K), the Indian army has begun erecting a
fence along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch and
Rajouri districts of the state. Notwithstanding
Pakistan's announcement of curbs on militant groups,
including the Hizbul Mujahideen, the Indian army is not
taking any chances and is bracing itself for a spurt in
infiltration this summer.
The army's
three-pronged counter-terrorism strategy includes
blocking infiltration routes, reviewing troop deployment
along the LoC and installing an electronic warfare
system to cut off communication between militants and
their mentors in Pakistan.
And the fence. The
army is now placing electrified barbed wire parallel to
the LoC that separates Indian-administered Kashmir from
its Pakistani counterpart in stretches known to be used
by infiltrators. About 275 kilometers of the LoC will be
fenced in the first phase and by next year it is hoped
this will be extended to about 600km of the 780km total
length.
India has already fenced considerable
sections of the international border between India and
Pakistan in Rajasthan. "But fencing along the LoC is far
tougher, not only because of the terrain here but also
because fencing will have to be done under constant
shelling by the Pakistanis," said an army officer.
The armed forces are also using "force
multipliers" such as imported night-vision devices and
thermal imagers to detect infiltrators, as much of the
infiltration takes place at night. In the past, the
security forces had not been able to detect militants
sneaking past just meters away from them. The
night-vision devices have changed that. Besides,
Israeli-made thermal imagers have improved detection of
infiltration immensely. (A thermal imager can track
presence/movement of a person through body heat
emissions and can differentiate between human beings and
animals.)
According to sources in the Indian
Ministry of Defense, troop deployment along the LoC is
also being stepped up. Several battalions have been
deployed along the Poonch-Naushera sector of the LoC.
The government is also putting in place an elaborate
electronic system that can detect and jam all
transmissions from Pakistan to militants operating in
J&K.
It is through the LoC that the
overwhelming proportion of infiltration takes place and
despite their best efforts, the Indian military and
paramilitary forces have not been able to plug the flow
of militants from Pakistan. This is in part because of
the treacherous terrain through which the LoC runs. It
snakes along fast-flowing streams and through thick
forests, high mountains, icy ridges and glacial valleys.
"In such terrain even if the entire Indian army
was to be deployed along the LoC it would not be
possible to make it completely infiltration-proof," said
the army officer. "It is humanly impossible to watch
every bit of the 780-kilometer-long LoC."
Added
to the tough terrain are the difficult climatic
conditions. If summer in Rajouri and Poonch districts
results in soldiers having to suffer soaring
temperatures in bunkers, winters in the higher altitudes
are nightmarish too, when the temperature at some places
dropping to minus-30 or minus-40 degrees Celsius.
Monitoring a frontier for infiltration in such
terrain and climatic conditions would be a tough task
for any country. What makes India's task all the more
difficult is that the frontier is with a hostile country
and one that is aiding the infiltration into Indian
territory.
Indian army officers firmly believe
that Pakistan's persistent shelling along the LoC is
directly related to infiltration. The Pakistanis, they
say, try to distract Indian security with shelling even
as they push through militants across the LoC. The
shelling increases in summer when the snows melt and
infiltration is highest.
For Indian soldiers
cooped up in tiny bunkers and constantly crouching to
avoid hostile fire from across the LoC, the threat comes
from an array of sources - a treacherous terrain,
inhospitable weather, attacks from infiltrating
militants and enemy shelling. Not surprisingly, the
casualty rate along the LoC is high. Living under
conditions of prolonged stress have also contributed to
depression and other psychological ailments among the
security forces.
Security analysts have called
for increased use of technical measures of monitoring
the LoC to increase efficiency in detection of
infiltration and to cut down on human costs. Army
officers maintain that the use of thermal imagers and
sensors has significantly improved detection of
militants crossing the LoC.
Should India then
rely more on technical monitoring systems at the LoC?
Defense planners point out that such equipment does not
come cheap. At the same time, they say the financial
cost incurred is preferable to the loss of human lives.
Besides, some of the monitoring equipment is within
India's technological capacity to produce.
Another question is whether the functioning and
effectiveness of the monitoring equipment would be
adversely affected in the inhospitable climatic
conditions that exist along the LoC. Would it be prudent
to entrust the security of the LoC to a sensing device
that could malfunction?
Defense planners argue
that a technology-intensive monitoring mechanism does
not mean that machines would replace humans. The two
would complement each other. Data generated by the
machines would need to be interpreted by human beings.
"Thus, the technical monitoring machines would not
replace man; they would replace the man on the line,"
said an official in the Ministry of Defense. Technology
will enable the man in the bunker to perform better
while reducing the risks he faces.
The increased
use of technical monitoring and the improved
surveillance of infiltration routes notwithstanding, the
outlook for the soldier in the bunker remains bleak. As
one soldier put it: "Thermal imagers and other equipment
help us nab the militants. They do not stop the
infiltration. And infiltration will stop only when
Pakistan changes its mindset towards India."
With that not likely to happen in the near
future, it does seem that the security forces cannot
afford to lower their guard for some time to come.
(Copyright 2003 Asia Times Online Co, Ltd. All
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