Reema Shaukat
INDIA is always ready and set to create melodrama. In
the recent past, about the extension of Pak Army Chief
General Bajwa and then Supreme Court verdict about ex-President and ex-Army Chief General Musharraf, India left no stone unturned to accuse Pakistan and portrayed to world as if Pakistan state affairs are run by military only and the decisions are made in favour of army men. While this notion was totally proved wrong on Pakistan’s part, India also took a step where its Chief of Army Staff is given a new role and task.
With New Year 2020, world will witness India’s shrewd army chief as Chief of Defence Staff. According to Indian government decision, General Bipin Rawat who will be the country’s fourth four star General after the Army, Navy and Indian Air Force chiefs ‘fits the bill for the new CDS post because he can push the boundaries to drive the desperately-needed integration among the three services’. India lately amended its military rule to appoint Bipin Rawat as CDS as now CDS can serve till age of 65 years and Rawat will turn 62 in March, 2020. Bipin Rawat is considered as an interesting character in India and people often comment on him as predecessor of PM Modi. World is very much well aware what India did and still doing under Modi’s leadership where it claims itself as big democracy but nothing is free in this state.
Case of Indian Occupied Kashmir is enough to tell world truth what happened in Occupied Kashmir in the year 2019 and past so many decades. Also India with its inherent animosity towards Pakistan keeps on adding fuel to fire through different means. Instead of trying to have better strategic relations and as nuclear neighbours where both are expected to act normally but, Indian side is seen as igniting any issue and grabbing the matter for long. What to talk about Pulwama, where Pakistan taught India a lesson for years to come but India still considers it as victory and same mantra of victory was chanted by Modi to re-win his seat as PM and then later it used to give new appointment to its army chief. Indian media after appointment of Bipin Rawat as Chief of Defence Staff is boosting that under the leadership of Rawat, the Indian Army has taken some of the most stringent steps against Pakistan.Besides Pakistan, Rawat has also managed military affairs along the border with China, following the Doklam standoff that went on for over two months.
In September 2016, India created a sham surgical strike just to divert attention of the rest of world and particularly regional players from its nefarious activities in Kashmir and arms race in South Asian region. To make a situation like war, India created hysteria among masses by broadcasting on and off that Pakistan starts firing across line of control and India answers fully Pakistani violations anywhere. India keeps its rhetoric just to give shield to its brutalities in Kashmir and divert world focus on Pakistan, India escalates tension which actually India fabricates for its easy escape. India despite being exposed many times to this charade adopts this notion of surgical strike.
After Prime Minister Modi who is always vigorous in creating misunderstanding among masses and an active supporter of strict RSS policies towards human rights violations, Indian Army Chief and now new Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat appeared as his new follower. General Rawat after assuming office on 31 Dec 2016 as 27th COAS was regularly seen interacting with media like none of his predecessors before. On “Surgical Strikes”, General Rawat once said that it was well thought out operation and India has sent across a message with the strikes that attack won’t be tolerated. He further said that Indian Army will not shy away from a second surgical strike if peace in the region is disrupted. India did similar ‘mis-escapade’ in February, 2019 where two of its fighter planes were shot down by PAF and instead of accepting its defeat it showcased to world that Pakistan attacked India and they have defeated Pakistan by giving them huge loss. One wonders how Indian war mongering nature is exposed to world but it still has art to conceal facts by simply denying in front of world and blaming every time Pakistan for cross border terrorism. Certainly, it’s a visible sign of hybrid war which it has started against Pakistan at all levels.
During the past tenure of Modi’s extremist government, India raised its defence budget, signed defence deals, purchased arms and ammunition in bulk and experimented nuclear war heads and Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) on regular intervals, and it is still doing so under the senseless command of Rawat and now with additional powers he will also head two new agencies for cyber and space which he created during his tenure as army chief. Question arises that with presence of person like Bipin Rawat who is tagged as yes man might go for some kind of mishap and may take another step in the form of revenge from Pakistan if he is again given so much power? It is also known from sources that India is planning to form Integrated Battle Groups, which are new fighting formations comprising a mix of all combat and support elements, along the borders with Pakistan and China. General Rawat has also ensured to its army that the man behind the machine remains important, hence arming them with new assault rifles procured from the US. Without an iota of doubt, Modi’s initiative to appoint him as CDS seems like India is planning to play on loftier grounds but without any confusion they must remember the kind of prompt response they received from Pakistan by their so-called drama on Pulwama.
— The writer works for Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, a think-tank based in Islamabad.