NEW DELHI: General V P Malik, who led the Army during the Kargil war, has written a detailed version of the 1999 conflict.
The observations he has made in his book, Kargil: From Surprise to Victory are bound to kick off fresh debates. Harper Collins debuted Malik’s book on Thursday.
The former army chief has raised serious questions regarding India’s intelligence agencies, especially the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). “There is a strong tendency to hoard information so as to gain the upper hand in the turf competition.
Rather than have the message expeditiously transmitted to the agencies that need to prepare their future plans, presenting it to higher-ups becomes more important,” says Malik.
Narrating an incident from Kargil period, Malik says one day during the war the then head of India’s foreign intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, P K Dave, informed him of a telephone call they had intercepted between Pakistan army chief general Pervez Musharraf who was then in China and Pakistan’s Chief of General Staff.
The intercept was immediately sent to him. “The RAW intercepted another conversation two or three days later. By now the vital importance of such an intercept was well known. Instead of sharing it with the director general of military intelligence (DGMI) or me at the first instance, RAW sent it to the national security advisor, Brajesh Mishra, and the Prime Minister,” says Malik.
General Malik has also raised fingers at the then Defence minister George Fernandes and ruling National Democratic Alliance pertaining to the military briefing of the ruling front MPs. Malik claims China had stepped up military activities along the border with India during the Kargil war. “At the political level, China…did maintain a neutral posture.
However, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had enhanced its level of activity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh and opposite Arunachal Pradesh,” he wrote.
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