I/III. http://www.thequint.com/opinion/2016/01/06/the-pathankot-attack-was-a-disgrace-for-us
OPINION | 4 min read The Pathankot Attack Was a Disgrace For Us Lt General HS Panag (Retd.) Today, 4 hours ago An email was sent by Lieutenant General HS Panag (retd), a former Northern Army Commander, to Major General Pradyot K Mallick (retd), formerly of the National Defence College. It was what a former Lt General felt as the Pathankot Terror attack unfolded. It was first published by Mohan Guruswami on his facebook page. The letter has been edited here for readability. Dear Pradyot, You are being mild. It is better to raise a hue and cry while the incident is still in the limelight. In two days, the next party will begin. This operation was a disaster from the word go. Luck and providence saved the air base. Infiltration can be effected with impunity all around the Shakargarh Bulge. The border Security Force (BSF) always lies. Pathetic internal coordination. Despite the windfall of SP Salwinder Singh’s carjacking and the use of his mobile, we were not only slow to respond, but also caught with our pants down. Lt Gen H S Panag(R) @rwac48 2/2 @hsmishra1961 Having been surprised the tespose showed lack of coord.Casualties must not become an emotional cover 4 lapses. 4:01 PM - 4 Jan 2016 9 9 Retweets 5 5 likes Be that as it may, Doval held a conference on 1 January at 1500 hrs which was also attended by the Chief of Army Staff. The air base was assessed as the target and everyone was warned. A battery of the National Security Guard (NSG) was dispatched to Pathankot air base. A Special Forces team was flown in and put in location at Mamun. No lead agency or overall Commander was appointed. Unless Doval felt he could control the events. The area in the vicinity of the base was not combed. The public was not informed. It was a failure of the Pathankot police and, possibly, the Indian army, if they were tasked at all. If the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 29 Div was in charge, this would have been done. Preventive security of the air base was not beefed up. Given the size, an Infantry Battalion should have manned the perimeter and patrolled the wall from outside. [Photo: Soldiers stand guard near the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot in Punjab, India, January 3, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)] The less said about the security of our air bases in general, the better. Four-five platoon (60 men) of rag tag DSC are capable of being static security guards only. There are approximately 20-30 poorly trained Garuds. No electronic sensors of any kind are present along the wall and fence and the outer periphery is not lit up. Civilian houses are right next to the wall. Recall Air Forward Defence Battalions in 1971. One was located at the Pathankot air base but was later merged with normal infantry. Our air bases are sitting ducks. We have been singularly lucky that despite Mehran and Kamra, ISI did not target air bases near the International Border. Despite the 24 hour warning, 5-8 terrorists scaled the wall and entered the administration area and attacked the DSC Mess where men were unarmed despite the warning. Five men were lost. Lt Gen H S Panag(R) @rwac48 @binugazi Problem is we fail to reform. 4:09 PM - 4 Jan 2016 2 2 Retweets 2 2 likes The less said about the response of the NSG and the Garuds, the better as well. The initial casualties imposed too much caution. The Indian army moved in and killed two terrorists while two were killed by the NSG. Victory was declared by the evening of the 2 January by everyone including the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. Fundamental precaution of combing the area was not taken. Consequently, it took another 48 hours to get one more terrorist – the operation was still on. A Lt Col of the NSG was lost due to not following Standard Operating Procedure on 3 January. Seven to eight NSG were wounded. The villain of the piece seems to be Doval, followed by the Indian air force and the Indian army. What was the NSG doing in a purely military installation? The time is not far when we will take orders from the Home Minister, the National Security Advisor or the police. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at Rajya Sabha (Photo: ANI) Once again we have become the laughing stock for the whole world, and given our weaknesses on a platter to the ISI. The operation should have been under GOC 29 Div. Air base security should have been placed under the Indian army. An Infantry Battalion responsible for preventive security, Special Forces team and Infantry quick reaction teams should have been placed inside the base. On 1 Jan, the area in the vicinity of the base should have been combed. Any one of us familiar with our air bases and their lack of security, and with the hindsight of Mehran and Kamra would have done this. All this has been put on Twitter by me from day one! It is better to shame ourselves in public to force reforms rather than do nothing! II/III. http://www.thequint.com/opinion/2016/01/05/probing-suspect-gurdaspur-sp-may-open-can-of-worms OPINION | 4 min read Probing Suspect Gurdaspur SP May Open Can of Worms Vipin Pubby January 6, 2016, 2:30 pm Snapshot * Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh must be subjected to an IB-led interrogation There has been a delay in questioning Singh, and his two acquaintances. * Singh recently received a punishment posting against accusations of sexual harassment by five Punjab Police women constables. * A strong drug mafia-politician-police nexus exists in Punjab, and is spread across the border. *Singh might have been involved in the drug net. *The counter-operation should not have been called off 3 January, without properly sanitising the area. As the counter-terror operations came to a close in Pathankot, with security forces confirming that all six terrorists have been eliminated, intelligence agencies must now find out how the suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad operatives gained entry into Indian territory. The needle of suspicion continues to remain pointed at the Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police (Headquarter) Salwinder Singh. His presence in neighbouring Pathankot district, close to the India-Pakistan border, his so-called providential escape from the clutches of the terrorists, and unconvincing explanations are sufficient grounds to subject him to an Intelligence Bureau-led interrogation. Prior to the Pathankot attack, SP Salwinder Singh was abducted by suspected terrorists. His unconvincing answers are sufficient grounds for interrogation. (Photo: ANI screengrab) Why the Delay in Questioning Salwinder Singh and his Acquaintances? The Director-General of Punjab Police Suresh Arora today said that Salwinder’s activities in the company of a jeweller friend, and his cook were suspicious enough to warrant a probe. The circumstances leading to the terror attack on the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Pathankot will be jointly investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Punjab Police. [Video: Also watch Pathankot Attack: Gurdaspur SP Recounts his Abduction] But questions are being raised on the delay in interrogating Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma, and cook Madan Gopal. The SP’s claim that he was in Pathankot to pay obeisance in a shrine, at midnight on 1 January strains credulity. Did he walk into a trap set by the drug mafia that operates in Punjab, as well as across the border? Was he then forced to give up his official car –perhaps explaining why he, his friend and cook were spared their lives – which the terrorists drove before launching their attack at the air base? In the attack at the airbase that cost many soldiers their lives, why were Salwinder Singh, his friend and cook spared? (Photo: PTI) A Nefarious Police-Politician-Mafia Drug Nexus The SP’s story has at once baffled and amused intelligence and security officials in Punjab. Whenever the official probe against Salwinder begins, the Punjab Police would be nervous about the details of the drug mafia-politician-police nexus that might emerge in the course of the investigation. A former senior Punjab Police officer Shashi Kant had earlier said that “drug money is used in financing militancy. To check militancy we will also have to control the drug problem. But the trade is flourishing because of the alleged involvement of politicians, bureaucrats and police officers.” Security officials continue to express doubts over the presence and conduct of the SP in Koliyan village under Narot Jarnail Police Station. They insist that the probe must try to find out whether he made, or received phone calls, to, or from Pakistan. The SP was transferred a few days ago, in what is called a punishment posting as Deputy Commandant in Punjab Armed Police (PAP), following complaints of sexual harassment by at least five female constables of Punjab Police. Army being mobilised in Pathankot to neutralize the militants who attacked an Indian Air Force (IAF) base in the city on Jan 2, 2016. (Photo: IANS) Blunders and Lessons for the Future Yet the information provided by him to his seniors about the presence of `four to six’ terrorists forwarded to the central security and intelligence agencies indeed led to the dispatch of commandoes to Pathankot. However, looking back, it seems that enough steps were not taken to seal the sensitive air force station to prevent their entry. Security analysts have now begun to describe the latest attack as an undeclared war, since the terrorists appeared to have been trained and briefed about holding out retaliation by Indian security forces and to target the defence establishment. The blunder in calling off the operation on 3 January, without sanitising the area is something that would need explanation and would serve as a lesson for future counter-operations. (The writer is a Chandigarh-based senior journalist) III. http://www.thequint.com/opinion/2016/01/04/pathankot-air-base-attack-why-this-hysteria OPINION | 4 min read Pathankot Air Base Attack: Why This Hysteria? Amar Bhushan January 5, 2016, 9:04 am Snapshot * Defence analysts vouching for proactive military action are forgetting that it will mean full-fledged war, which is unpredictable and expensive. * Carrying out covert military operations in Pakistan will mean that India becomes the perpetrator, not victim of terror. *Prevent another Pathankot by remaining vigilant against both internal and external enemies. * The entire Pak Army is not against normalisation of relations between the two nations. * As far as Modi’s visit to Pakistan is concerned, it must take place as scheduled. Proactive Military Action Will Prove Expensive The Jaish-e-Muhammad fidayeen attacks on Pathankot airbase on 2 January have evoked ill-informed reactions, betraying immaturity to comprehend strategic realities. Defence analysts are screaming for proactive military action, meaning that you carry out trans-border raids on training centres and staging posts of terrorists in Pakistan. But you can not do this unless you are prepared for a full-fledged war, which will cost a huge number of lives. Besides, you have no idea of how it will end and whether or not nuclear arsenals will be emptied. You are not Israel, nor are you dealing with Palestinians. Such is the world military equation today that even Russians cannot attack Turkey to avenge the downing of its military aircraft. Let’s stop talking of military adventurism. It is true that more of our security personnel are getting killed than terrorists, but in any defensive war, casualties are always disproportionately higher for those at the receiving end. What then we must do is to make the border security impregnable and get in the habit of trusting inputs of intelligence agencies – however insipid and laughable they may appear – and take follow-up measures. The Pathankot attack clearly illustrates the lapse in following up the leads, seriously and assiduously. An Impractical Alternative As an alternative to military action, security experts are making a strong pitch for covert operations, suggesting that we train agents and push them inside Pakistan to destroy Pak defence installations and engineer blasts. They want the agencies to hit Pakistan so hard that it realises the depth of pain that goes with sending terrorists in India on suicide missions. This idea is maddening. If you practice this, you will be branded not a victim but a promoter of terrorism with far reaching, adverse consequences for your economy, your defence preparedness and your quest to be counted in the comity of nations. The only way you can prevent another Pathankot is by remaining eternally vigilant against both your internal and external enemies. A military truck at the Pathankot Air Force Base. (Photo: AP) Confused, Ill-Informed Political Discourse Meanwhile, political commentators have made outrageous remarks. Some say caustically that Prime Minister Modi has been back stabbed by Nawaz Sharif within a week of hosting him over tea. Others maintain that if he has to talk, he should instead talk to Raheel Sharif, Army Chief in Rawalpindi. They argue that notwithstanding former ISI’s chief’s meeting with the NSA in Bangkok, Pak Army would never allow its politicians to compromise on military support to Kashmiri separatists and creating instability in India through terrorist operations, no matter how much Delhi humours the civilian leadership. Hence, they want Delhi to freeze all interactions with Islamabad for next several years and PM to cancel his forthcoming talks with Nawaz Sharif. To believe that the entire Pak Army establishment is against normalisation of relations is not wholly correct. It is true that majority of rank and file who were radicalised during General Zia-ul-Haq’s rule are still inimical to India but the way to neutralise them is to keep them engaged in dialogue. The communication must not end with only Janjua’s meeting with NSA but opportunities should be created for top level officers of the Defence Forces of the two nations to meet and exchange their concerns freely and frequently. Protestors hold placards and shout slogans, condemning the attack at Pathankot Air Force Base. (Photo: AP) Modi Must Visit Pakistan As far as PM Modi’s visit is concerned, it must take place. If nothing else, it will at least give him an opportunity to confront Sharif and question him on why he had to invite him over tea when plans were afoot to attack Pathankot air base. An embarrassed Sharif will surely pour his heart out about what went wrong. This will also make Sharif’s political life difficult if he has conspired with the Army to hurt us strategically, as our hawkish experts would like us to believe. Finally, in an operation of this nature, politicians must avoid making brave and inaccurate claims about casualties and the nature of the operation. It is also inadvisable to indict the Pak Army unless we can prove conclusively the handler’s connect with them. It is true that such attacks will not take place without the active assistance of Pak Army, but mere suspicion will show us only as cry babies. Let evidence speak for our charges, only then we will be taken seriously. We Must Not Exhibit Panic We must also refrain from exhibiting panic. There was no need for our Foreign Minister’s brainstorming session at this time with ex-foreign Secretaries and former High Commissioners to Pakistan. It sends wrong signals all around. Such discourses produce only a cocktail of outdated ideas and add confusion to the decision-making process. It is saner that you trust your men in harness and encourage them to break the logjam that bedevils India and Pakistan relations. 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