‘Ladakh standoff exposes spinelessness of Indian army’

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has said that standoff in Ladakh with China not only further internationalised Kashmir issue but also exposed "spinelessness of the Indian army".

“This new development with China has exposed India’s cowardice. Even before this clash with China, their army chief had said that they do not want a two-front scenario because this would challenge their military,” the AJK president said in an interview with an English language journal.

He said that the Modi government had started appealing to diplomats on the very first day to come forward, and save India from a situation in which it may plunge into war with two hostile neighbouring countries – Pakistan and China.

When New Delhi had repelled two articles of its constitution related to Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) last year, China had not only opposed it but it had also taken the Kashmir issue to the UN Security Council.

"What is interesting is that when China opposed the revocation of Article 370 and 35A last year, it took this huge step of taking the Kashmir issue to the Security Council. So you see this diplomatic alignment between China and Pakistan. It’s very visible, and it riled India, and it surprised many of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council."

Now, President Masood said, that China had taken decisive action against the Indian troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), "you see the potential military alignment between China and Pakistan scares India".

"The Indian army whose history is full of repression against the defenceless people of Kashmir, Assam and the Indian Punjab, cannot fight on a two-front war because it has never fought a war and are not battle-hardened," he added.

When asked that China also has never fought any war in the recent past, the AJK president said that China would not fight a war with India. "Because it does not consider India to be equal, also as Sun Tzu said: 'You should win a war without fighting and this is what China is doing in Ladakh today'."

When asked to comment on the claim of prominent Indian analyst Pravin Sawhney that Pakistani and the Chinese militaries have developed inter-operability in the sense that they have a greater ability to work together, President Masood said that both armies have done joint exercises inside China and Pakistan and they know that the Indian command and control structure is weak.

“Hypothetically, if there was a war between India and Pakistan, which did not escalate to the nuclear level, we would win hands down because of the terrain, because of the morale of the people and because of the sense of outrage at Indian actions in Kashmir.”

He went on to say that India should be under no illusion that it can win a war against Pakistan. "It usually uses what I call 'a fog of lies' to malign and demonise Pakistan and it thinks that this is its strength.... When you surround yourself with lies, you get these rude surprises like the one you got at the Pangong Tso lake and Galwan Valley. They also know their weaknesses."

The AJK president also said that he is not advocating complacency but what he is saying is that "we should be prepared: armed forces should be prepared and so should be the nation because Indians can start mischief which will be costly for India, Pakistan and China".

Replying to another question, he said India would not come to the table for talks on Kashmir with Pakistan. "This is what Modi and his cohorts have said. So this is an absolute barrier."

He further said that Pakistan and people of Kashmir would also not want to indulge in talks with India because of what they have done in Kashmir – they have changed the dynamics and perimeters of the area unilaterally. So we would also not sit with them around the negotiating table.