For quite some time now, I have refrained from writing about Pakistan, terror etc as a deliberate policy following some requests from readers to be less serious in my writing. This however is too important a matter not to be written about and I seek the indulgence of my readers. On the one hand, I am very proud of a significant development and on the other, apprehensive about the very probable fallout of a perhaps unrelated terrorist activity.
On Friday the 11th inst. the Indian Border Security Force posted women troopers on the border with Pakistan. Their primary role was to frisk women in the border areas when suspected of being infiltrators and/or to help them with border crossing formalities. Details can be had from this post.
One more male bastion broken by India’s women. Indian women now play increasingly important roles in politics, business, government, local self government, medicine and para medicine, the legal profession, science, technology, education and in all the three armed forces besides the police forces of the various states as well as now, our para military forces. They are increasingly becoming significant players in India’s march towards development.
Close on the heels of this development, the Lashkar e Toiba, a militant outfit based in Pakistan, fired rockets into into Indian territory and caused retaliatory fire from the Indian side. A major confrontation was avoided thanks to a flag meeting at the border post between the two commanders of the Indian and Pakistani forces. Some details can be read here.
Many Indians and I believe that this is Lashkar’s way of provoking border incidents to divert the Pakistani focus on their war with the Taliban and other terrorist groups from within Pakistan. There is also the possibility, however remote, that the Pakistanis want a border incident to divert their attention to their border with India as a deliberate policy to cry wolf to the USA about Indian intentions. Every war with India has been provoked by the Pakistanis and they still believe that India is their problem and not their own internal problems created and nurtured by them. The Lashkar may well be acting on behalf of the notorious ISI!
There is another school of thought that is gaining ground fast that this is the LeT’s response to the posting of women BSF personnel on the border, which is perceived by them as an insult, or an instigation to Pakistani women! The usual Fundamentalist Muslim mentality regarding women. If this is the case, we can expect different types of provocation from these elements soon enough. One however hopes that this reading is wrong and the idea that it is the LeT wants to divert Pakistani attention to the border with India is right.
There is also food for thought about the kind of weapons that these people have access to and can impudently use from within Pakistan. I am not a soldier but I find it difficult to understand how rockets that can travel 8 kms can be fired by operatives without launch vehicles of some sort, without anyone in authority knowing about it.