Author: V K Sood
Pravin Sawhney/
Publisher: Sage Publications
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 205
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0761997938
Description
The Government of India launched Operation Parakram-a general mobilisation of the army to prepare for a war against Pakistan. This concise and insightful book addresses the many questions raised first by the launching and then the calling off of Operation Parakram.
Close on the heels of the October 2001 terrorist strike outside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in which 29 people were killed and the attack by militants upon the Indian Parliament in December 2001, the Government of India launched Operation Parakram-a general mobilisation of the army to prepare for a war against Pakistan.
When Parakram was called off in October 2002 without most of its professed objectives being met, it left many questions unanswered. However, even as the government called off Parakram it was already considering its revival. The term used to describe the end of the mobilization-strategic relocation-was indicative of the fact that the government believed a war was yet to be fought, thought not immediately.
This concise and insightful book addresses the many questions raised first by the launching and then the calling off of Operation Parakram. Among these are:
The reasons behind launching the Operation.
Its professed military and political objectives and whether India’s political leadership was serious about going to war with Pakistan.
The role played by international pressure in weakening the government’s resolve.
The army’s opinion about the Operation.
These issues are crucial to understanding the significance of military mobilization and become all the more critical with both India and Pakistan being nuclear weapons states. The authors conclude that Operation Parakram is not yet over and in all probability a war still has to be fought with Pakistan.
Written by an ideal combination of a senior army officer and a journalist specializing in defence strategy, this absorbing and timely book will attract a wide readership among specialists and the general public alike. In particular, it will be of immense interest to all those involved with military and strategic studies, Indo-Pak relations, and South Asian studies.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgement
After 9/11
Militancy in J &K: Moves and Counter-moves
Operation Parakram: The War Half-Started
Operation Parakram: Coercive Diplomacy
Nuclear Threat: Perceptions and Realities
Conventional Prowess: Truths and Untruths
After Operation Parakram
Index
About the Authors