What needs to be done is a full and open Public inquiry consisting of respectable, reputable, retired senior officers from the armed forces, and civilian 'experts' to look into:- Which officers initiated the Kargil war in 1999, and what was Musharaf's true role?
- Which foreign elements had a key role in encouraging him to attack India, just when PM Atal Behari Bajpaiyee was coming to Pakistan to institute significant peace talks. Which foreign gora elements gave Musharaf the 'Dutch courage' to do such a stupid act, just after the events of 1998?
- Once the operations started, which officers in the army were in charge?
- Why did the Pakistan army do so poorly? For such an important operation, cum likely war which could have easily widened, but for the superior restraint shown by the Indians yet again (BJP government) why didn't the the Pakistani high command make greater preparations? Is military action taken that lightly in the high command of Pakistan?
- What was the true military objective of the operation? Was it a precursor to the military coup in October 1999, to destabilize the Sharif government? Was Musharaf really playing golf whilst the Kargil operation was being lost, thus: (i) He really was not interested in winning the Kargil operation. (ii) He wanted to scupper the peace process with India, which would give credit to the Sharif government if it had succeeded. (iii) He wanted to destabilize the Sharif government. (iv) Was he really happy playing golf and thus sacrifice in the process, the lives of thousands of servicemen to achieve his personal political objectives, and the image with propaganda of being a tough national savior/commando is totally bogus and belies the reality of a little man with narrow political ambitions, operating way beyond his means, and ability, given the situation in Pakistan now. (v) Is Musharaf a foreign agent, who has had high powered meetings with Israelis in New York and in Paris.
- Why were the Northern Light Infantry used, which was a defacto paramilitary organization, along with lightly armed poorly trained irregulars? For a operation of this magnitude and seriousness why weren't more professional heavily armed units used......SSG, and other units?
- What was the true magnitude of Pakistani losses, and why didn't the army at first claim these people initially? It has been suggested that 4,000 soldiers were killed by some; Pakistan's worst military performance.
- What role did foreign elements continue to play in determining Pakistani military action in Kargil? What recommendations would the Public inquiry make for breaking such influence for ever?
- How can the command and oversight of the military be improved so that such disasters which seem to be repeated don't happen again, AND make the Pak military more professional so that they truly serve Pakistan's national interests, rather than be the 'acha bacha' of gora geo-politics in the region.
The findings of the Public inquiry needs to be comprehensive, and the results made public as a paperback report; 40 rupees. Its purpose should not be to serve as a political vendetta between two or more individuals, but its scope should be much wider so that its comprehensive results are an analysis of system failure, and how future scenario's such as these can be avoided, with more responsible administration.
