Indian
troops fight an uphill battle in Kargil
Indian
Air Force, Army Exchange Blows Over Kargil Failure, Killings
By
Josy Joseph
NEW
DELHI: Rubbishing the Indian Army's claims that delayed air strikes
led to higher casualties in Kargil, the man who was in charge
of air operations during the 1999 conflict has said the blame
lies with the army's poor leadership.
Dismissing
the findings of an army report that came to light recently, retired
Air Marshal Vinod Patney, the air officer commanding-in-chief
of the Delhi-based Western Air Command during the Kargil war,
said one must probe further why the report has been leaked now.
Air
Marshal Patney, one of the most decorated fighter pilots in the
Indian Air Force's history, was awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva
Medal for spearheading air attacks during the Kargil war. He was
also a member of the last National Security Advisory Board.
The
six-volume report by the Directorate of Military Operations and
Army Training Command was completed a couple of years after the
Kargil conflict, but its contents had remained a secret.
According
to details available now, the report says delays in starting air
strikes in Kargil led to the large number of army casualties.
It
also speaks of lack of coordination with air force, poor air space
management over the battlefield and the vulnerability of communication
links.
"By
now the whole country and international community knows that the
Indian armed forces, particularly the army, was very poor (in
tactical planning). Instead of keeping quiet, they (the army)
want to point fingers at others," Air Marshal Patney told
rediff.com
"There
should have been better coordination. They find fault, but they
did not consult us before completing the report. They not at all
consulted us, not at all," he said.
Raising
serious questions about the leadership of then army chief General
Ved Prakash Malik during the conflict, Air Marshal Patney said:
"It was such poor leadership by sending men to their deaths.
The tactical options (exercised by him) were militarily E grade,
that is fail and worse."
The
air marshal said it must be investigated further why the report
has been leaked now. On the face of it, the blame for delaying
the air strikes is being laid at the door step of the last government.
But there could be others gaining out of the entire exercise,
he said.
The
Kargil report has come as ammunition for the new government, facing
criticism over the alleged criminality of some of its ministers.
The
report has also come at a time when intense jockeying is underway
between senior military officers to become the first chief of
defence staff.
"During
the Kargil Review Committee meetings, we pointed out that there
was no problem in coordination and we all said we must have better
intelligence gathering. The fact is if we were allowed to cross
(the Line of Control) we would have done anything," Air Marshal
Patney said.
He
said it is also not right to blame the last government for delaying
air strikes. "We were ready from about May 6 for air operations.
The political decision was required. The point is till quite a
long time nobody actually knew how serious the problem was. If
it was so serious, why would the army chief push off on a foreign
tour?" the air marshal asked.
General
Malik was on a tour of Poland till May 19. By then the Indian
Army suffered heavy casualties on the Kargil peaks.
Air
Marshal Patney said the army officially did not place a request
for air strikes until after May 20 or so. "The case for air
operations was put up to the government after Malik returned from
the foreign trip and toured Srinagar and other areas. Under those
circumstances the government asked for more details and that took
three or four days. That is not a great amount of delay. The air
strikes were cleared on May 25. The government didn't dilly-dally.
It was a clear intelligence failure," he said.
"The
other argument that army casualties could have been less had the
air force began operations early is unfounded. Some 80 percent
of their casualties were due to Pakistani artillery firing, not
frontal attacks. The road from Zojilla to Leh was full of military
convoys and were easy targets. Since they (the Pakistanis) had
taken up positions at heights they were able to direct artillery
with accuracy," he added.
Air
Marshal Patney said had the air force been allowed to cross the
LoC "it would have been a different story."
He
revealed that during discussions on crossing the LoC, General
Malik had opposed the idea. "Had
we crossed, we would have dealt with their artillery, their supply
lines etc," Air Marshal Patney said.
He
said the entire operation by the army lacked any tactical sense.
"What they (the army) ought to have done was to hold on to
the positions, take stock of the situation and ask air force to
go out and hit their (Pakistani) artillery and supply lines, soften
them out and then send the army on ground. That would have been
correct militarily. But they wanted to charge, wanted quick results."
- Courtesy Rediff.com
