Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Debunking Pakistan’s claims about Kargil war, former ISI Lieutenant General Shahid Aziz has stated that there were no mujahideen in 1999’s war that he has described as a meaningless “misdeed” by Pakistan.
In a scathing hint at Pakistan’s ongoing misadventures along the LoC, the former ISI official wrote, “ Medals for some, few songs, a cross road renamed, and of course annual remembrance day and a memorial for those who sacrificed their tomorrow for our today; thus preparing more war fodder for our continuing misadventures”.
Headlined, 'Putting our children in line of fire', the Pakistani official, who retired in 2005 as former corps commander of Lahore, wrote "The whole truth about Kargil is yet to be known. We await the stories of forgotten starved soldiers hiding behind cold desolate rocks, with empty guns still held in their hands...Such precious blood spilled without cause!"
“Kargil, like every other meaningless war that we have fought, brings home lessons we continue to refuse to learn. Indeed, our children penning down our misdeeds with their blood!” In an honest critique on Kargil conflict in a Pak daily, Lt. General Aziz, who headed the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI)’s Analysis Wing during the war, said that Pakistan has been fighting “meaningless wars and refuses to learn the lessons”.
“There were no mujahideen, only taped wireless messages, which fooled no one. Our soldiers were made to occupy barren ridges, with hand held weapons and ammunition”, he wrote.
He added, "We continue to indulge in bloody enterprises, under the hoax of safeguarding national interest. How many more medals will we put on coffins?
"If there is purpose to war then yes, we shall all go to the battle front, but a war where truth has to be hidden, makes one wonder whose interest is it serving?"
“Our leaders seek personal glory and desire honour in the eyes of other nations... It certainly wasn’t a defensive manoeuvre. There were no indications of an Indian attack.”
“We didn't pre-empt anything; nothing was on the cards. I was then heading the Analysis Wing of Inter Services Intelligence and it was my job to know," he wrote.
“General Musharraf had put a tight lid on Kargil. His cover-up was revealed many years later, on publication of his book,” wrote Lt. Gen Aziz.
“To say that occupying empty spaces along the Line of Control was not a violation of any agreement and came under the purview of the local commander is astounding. This area was with the Indians as a result of Simla Agreement, and there had been no major violation of the Line of Control since 1971”, he writes.
The Pakistani officer said assumptions were made that Indian Army would not be able to "dislodge us and the world would sit back idly".
"The entire planning and execution was done in a cavalier manner, in total disregard of military convention. In justification, to say that our assessment was not wrong, but there was, 'unreasonably escalated Indian response' is a sorry excuse for not being able to assess Indian reaction," he said.
"The enemy still couldn't manage to capture the peaks, and instead filled in the valleys. Cut off and forsaken, our posts started collapsing one after the other, though the general publicly denied it," he said.
Indicating the recent beheading of Indian troops by Pakistani soldiers on the LoC that caused much uproar and strained Indo-Pak ties to another low, the former Lt. General wrote, “We continue to indulge in bloody enterprises, under the hoax of safeguarding national interest”.
(With PTI Inputs)
First Published: Sunday, January 27, 2013, 15:59