'India's weak response to Kargil led to terrorism'

New Delhi, Nov 16: Even as the news of possible terror attacks on India hit the headlines, a retired Army General has blamed India's fainthearted response to the 1999 Kargil war for the series terrorist strikes in the country starting with the 2001 attack on the Parliament.

Critising the then political, executive and military leadership, "Our (NDA"s political and military leadership"s) timid response at Kargil, laid the foundation for future terrorist attacks on India, starting with the attack on the Indian Parliament," former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Harwant Singh writes in an article for the next edition of Indian Defence Review.

From the Rs 1,000 crore spent on troop mobilisation after the attack on Parliament House, to huge money being spent on strengthening NSG, Coast Guard and police after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks is all because India acted weakly during the Kargil operations, Singh says in a six-page piece 'Kargil Controversy'.

Apart from the fact that there was no great captain in the Indian military who could convice the political executive to let him take the opportunity to tackle Pakistan, Singh accuses poltical and military executive of wasting a weeks time to decide if the IAF"s attack helicopters should be used in the war.

"For all one knows, the Prime Minister (Vajpayee) and others may have grasped the import of such as move. This would have also sent a clear message, in unequivocal terms, to Pakistan that mischief against India will not go unpunished," he writes.

The retired Army General has recommended creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) post as a single point of advise to the government on military matters.

And even after a decade, recommendation of the Kargil Review Committee for integration of the services headquarters with the Defence Ministry and coordination among the wings of the armed forces is yet to be achieved, Singh points out.

OneIndia News