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PDF THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
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Kargil was a fatal mistake at the decision making level. As the PAF officer who wrote about it pointed out - too many yes-men, no one to question fantastic and unrealistic plans.
So the plot goes "we will send in the military pretending to be militants and take a giant and strategic portion of Kashmir, cutting of Siachin supply lines. Then India will come to the negotiating table".
That's literally how childish and stupid the plan was.
It was obvious India would come at you with everything. In this case with 40,000 soldiers. And what did the PA do? Back out, run away, abandon its soldiers in the front lines.
If it was up to me - I'd say Pakistan should have planned for a full scale conventional war, as you plan for the worst case scenario not rosy pictures painted by your yes-men.
This means the following steps should have been taken:
1. Get everyone on board from the PAF to the politicians, to the foreign office to media.
2. Spend serious money upgrading and improving the armed services particularly PAF, leading up to the war.
3. After the initial infiltration success, push in regular PA units in large numbers to hold the ground.
4. Prepare for an all out war across all sectors and along the full length of the country.
Once Kargil was fully secure and Siachin was starved to death, and 2 weeks of kicking and punching on a full scale war was done with, both sides would be exhausted. After that, sue for peace based on the new realities on the ground.
Never take half measures and fight like a coward. Either don't fight or go all guns blazing. There is no passive-aggressive form of warfare that is successful outside the bedroom.
By step 3, a full fledged war would have escalated along the whole border before Pakistan Army starts its offensive, the infiltration of such a magnitude will make the world point fingers towards Pakistan. Lets not go there. For a decade the irregulars in J&K kept the IA and BSF busy without involving PA.
It would have been meaningful to Continue the war from inside J&K, through the civil unrest which had started in 1990's, but this time give it direction. Instead of engaging BSF personnel in the streets and on the roads, shift the irregulars towards the LOC from inside India. Put pressure on LOC from both sides.
When the Indian Army starts chasing the irregulars along LOC, then is the time to make the move at places
where the Pakistan Army wants to hold ground otherwise let the irregulars ambush NH-1 on every opportunity.