As facts stand, and as experts of military history would unhesitatingly corroborate, each time India has gained an upper edge in war (I deliberately refrain from saying "win"), as that was never the stated objective of any of the wars that we waged, Indian army has done it despite the political dispensation, despite the elephantine bureaucracy, despite being poorly equipped, despite not having any back up support and despite the red tape.
And our politicians and bureaucrats, with support of media have always succeeded in appealing to our misplaced sense of nationalism, the recrudescence of which is seen both in times of a cricket match and war and in that order. The truth is, we sacrifice our soldiers for our lack to integrity, inactivity, inaction and red tape. In 1965, after having walked into Pakistan, Indian Army did not know what it was supposed to do. The objectives of war, which have to be stated before going to war, were not stated till what you can call the end of the war.
We have won wars only because of the personal valour of our soldiers. Sit with an old fauji, and he will fill you up with countless hair-raising tales of personal valour of our soldiers. In 1965, emboldened by the American magnanimity of donating Pakistan the M 47 and M48 Pattons, they misadventured to attack an unprepared India under surrogate leadership of a noble yet tentative politician called Shastri.
We won, not because we had an equally powerful armoured division that could brave the Pattons. But we won, because our soldiers feeling so helpless against the Pattons and bereft of air support, lay with mines under tanks and blew themselves up. The Pattons - the first generation smart tanks made with light metals for smarter reaction and swifter shoot and scoot capability, while completely outsmarted the Indian Centurion Tank of British Vintage, but could not take the heat of a mine burst below it. We lost soldiers but captured tanks. The battle of Asal Uttar is testimony to this. Pakistan lost 200 tanks to the brave Indian soldier and India commemorated the feat by calling the place Patton Nagar.
I hope, this time was a paradigm shift. I hope this time a departure from the past. A win not due to personal valour, but due to military tactics, warcraft, political expediency, planning, well rigged fighting machine and clearly stated objectives of the strike.
In our zeal for war jingoism, we must not be unmindful of the lives of our soldiers, and the plight of their families after they martyr themselves for those who create the situation for which they are martyred.
I also feel, in fact I am convinced, perhaps, the only positive aspect of our almost derelict caste system is valour. I feel, the Rajputs primed for valour from childhood, have a point to prove, and the brave Sikhs and hardy Jats will up the Rajputs, and each regiment, so loyal to its caste and so loyal to its tradition of valour, so loyal to its highly embellished regimental pedigree and its icons, misses no opportunity of leaving a legendary legacy.
