Released on = March 7, 2006, 3:14 am

Press Release Author = Kumar

Industry = Government

Press Release Summary = All the disputes between India and Pakistan is because of
Kashmir. There is no rear lines that's why problem creat on border and both go to
war over Kashmir. But the Government now refine the policies for bringing stability
in the entire state of J&K.

Press Release Body = India and Pakistan have in the past fought four wars over J&K
and held several talks to resolve the 56 year old problem, but till now no tangible
results have emerged, except for a composite dialogue. Although, both India and
Pakistan are trying to move the peace process ahead, yet there are very few
indications in a policy shift. Pakistan continues to stick on to the line of Kashmir
remaining a dispute territory and an 'unfinished agenda' of Partition, India
maintains its stand on J&K "Accession document" which remains final and complete and
the problem which remains is cross border terrorism. Most conflicts around the world
remain unresolved; however, there are exceptions and dialogues have resulted in
signing peace agreements like the signing of the Aceh accord, the Northern Ireland
peace accord and the diffusion of tension in the North Korean nuclear issue after
the six party talks. Notwithstanding the above, tension is still rampant in a number
of places after a brief spell of peace and sensibility.

There are no 'rear lines' where democratic societies are safe and actually a 'war
against terror' is a misnomer, because it is difficult to wage war against an
unknown enemy. The phases of conflict in J&K have followed different patterns and
have been terrain and climate driven. The shift in strategies in the conflict has
been dependent on the target and visibility, of a seen or an unseen enemy of a
stable or an unstable Government and to apply appropriate pressures, the masters
remotely separated from ground situation, at times apathetic, institute checks and
balances through their respective styles of governance. In this overall process, the
centre of gravity, the main focus of all strategies in combating terrorism, the
people of J&K have become secondary and the Security Forces deployed for the
security of the people, at times forget the purpose of their stay resulting in a
paradigm shift in the overall security of the entire region. To offset the impasse,
a continuous process of refinement, in policies with changed scenarios, keeping the
new world order as a calibrated system of progression, is an inescapable commitment
for bringing about peace and stability in the entire state of J&K.

Pattern of Conflict

The pattern of conflict has varied from a mix of seen and unseen enemy presenting
different targets in the State of J&K, to a conventional type of declared war
scenario. In the initial phases of the first conflict of 1947-48, Maj Gen Akbar Khan
of the Pakistan Army orchestrated the infiltration of the Kabailies, who created
mayhem, in looting and arson in the Kashmir Valley and at other places and tried to
capture Srinagar. They nearly succeeded in their effort and could only be stalled in
their tracks on the arrival of the Indian Army troops on the 27th of October 1947, a
day after the signing of the 'Instrument of Accessation'. In 1965m Operation
Gibraltar with the Pakistan military disguised as civilians tried to make inroads
and incite the civilian population to rebel and tie the security forces down while
the Pakistani army would attack along the Line of Control, a mix of seen and unseen
enemy. The 14 days war of 1971, which was fought in J&K was essentially a war with a
visible enemy and then came a phase of an unseen, insular force which became
difficult to identify a friend or foe and it is 16 years since, which has given
birth to the concept of a proxy war or a limited war.

It will now be pertinent to see a shift in the pattern of the proxy war scenario
from 1989 onwards and the jig saw puzzle of the change in locations of the thrust of
the conflict will start making sense when the inputs of terrain and demography are
meshed into it. The initial phase was concentrated in the Valley, with the
insurgency movement gaining impetus with the kidnapping of the three Air Force
personnel who were subsequently killed. The problem spread in the Kashmir Valley and
the Security Forces came down heavily on them and the requirement of raising a force
to deal with the problem was felt. The raising of the Rashtriya Rifles Force (RR)
commenced in 1990 and now the force boasts of strength of over 60 Battalions. The
conflict then gained impetus on the higher reaches of Shamshabari Ranges in the
Kishtwar - Warwan areas and though inputs on such camps were scanty, yet little
action was taken to confirm reports and to deal with the situation. The focus
shifted from predominantly Kashmir to Kishtwar and Bhaderwah areas of the Doda
District and efforts were made by the insurgent tanzeems to become active during the
second half of 1990's, while near normalcy returned to the Valley. With the
attention of the security forces now focussed in the Jammu Region, Pakistan in the
guise of mujahaddin, occupied the Kargil heights and tried to cut off the only life
line to Ladakh. However, with the importance attached to clearing the opposition,
the Pakistani designs were neutralised and again till 2001, the overall situation
improved. With some respite to the security forces and with the requirements of the
tanzeems showing their prowess, it became important for their to re-charge their
struggle and the focus was once again to raise the ante in the Kashmir Region with
infiltration attempts on the rise in the Jammu Division. However, when the situation
became difficult for the Security Forces in 2002-03, 'Sarp Vinash' which caught the
head lines in the months of May 2003, when the Army launched 'Operation Sarp
Vinash', which caught the headlines in May 2003. Later, that year a unilateral
declaration of cease fire, along the Line of Control by Pakistan, and the ferocity
of operation reduced considerably.

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