Nirvana!

“ Freedom is not free, everyday soldiers give their lives so that we can live ours. ” 15 years ago, in the summer months of 1999, the Pakistan army with aid from terrorist groups had launched a military attack across the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and had threatened India’s territorial integrity. The Pakistani military establishment had become frustrated with India’s success in containing the militancy in J&K to within manageable limits and could not bear to see its strategy of ‘bleeding India through a thousand cuts’ evaporating into thin air. Its military aim was also to sever the Srinagar-Leh National Highway (NH) 1A and to isolate Kargil district and cut India’s lifeline to Leh and possibly occupy it. It is said that another aim was to infiltrate into the Kashmir Valley over the Amarnath Mountains and the Doda regions and physically occupy some territory on the Indian side of the LoC in Kargil district to use as a bargainin...

I had the privilege of attending the conference on ‘POK and Northern Areas’ at Indian International Centre, New Delhi on the 22nd of Feb, 2012 organized by the Centre for Security and Strategy. It was a august gathering of the best minds on POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) and Northern Areas (Gilgit & Baltistan). Hence I was witness to the most erudite deliberations on the past, present and the future of POK vis-a-vis India. A follow up session was held on the 23rd Feb at the ‘ Deenadayal Shodh Sansthan ’. It was during these two days I had the opportunity to converse with a array of dignitaries who were privy to the happenings in J&K and particularly the POK. What I present below is a excerpt of the informal conversations I had with various dignitaries, who I think represent a section of the stakeholders of the POK issue that is plaguing India. My intention in presenting this set of conversations is to convey the sentiments, importance and the way forward of the POK iss...