Who is Responsible for LoC Killings

Dear Editor,

The recent attack on two Indian soldiers on the Line of Control has outraged the two countries. As New Delhi raged over the attack by Pakistani troops claiming the lives of two its men on the LoC, the Union ministry of home has received inputs that suggest that Indian army units in the Uri sector could have provoked the incident. While there was sporadic firing exchange in some parts of the LoC, a cross-border raid by the a commando platoon of the 9th Maratha Light Infantry (MLI) in the early hours of Sunday has led to the provocation.

Top sources in the Union Home and defence ministries had said that the Pakistani attack was in all likelihood a retaliation for the attack carried out by 9 MLI.

The commander of the 161 brigade, stationed in the Churchunda sub-sector, Brig Gulab Singh Rawat, had decided to take a very aggressive posture. Sources said that he asked the commanding officer of 9 MLI to take “proactive action”, to launch a quick raid against a post. The Indian raid led to the death of a Pakistani non-commissioned officer and escalated tensions across the LoC.

Normally, such an escalation leads to the issuing of a formal alert from the Udhampur-based North Command of the army to all its formations. This alert should have gone out to all the three corps that it commands — the Nagrota (Jammu) based 16 Corps, the Srinagar-based 15 Corps and the Leh-based 14 Corps. Of these, 14 and 15 Corps are the most active as they man the LoC from Jammu right through to Kargil, from where 14 Corps takes over.

The Union home ministry is looking at the role played by Brig Rawat and whether his “aggressive posture” could have been avoided.

According to the reports, Brig Rawat has a very “aggressive track record” which could have escalated tensions on the LoC at a time when the nine-year-old ceasefire was holding up well. 

Here I would like to say that, its India, who is solely responsible for these killings, not only at the LoC, but in the Kashmir valley as well. India has outrightly rejected an independent probe by the United Nations for this incident, because they know it very well that they will be exposed before the world. Whatever be the reason of these killings, the point here is that there are some vested interests involved, who do not want to see the Kashmir situation going in the right direction.

Shoaib Bhat

Muhammed Ali Road

Near Khoja Masjid

Dongri, Mumbai