60,000 Pak troops moving close to Indian border

Yahoo News ^ | Nov 5th,2001 | http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=142828100

[pumacan]

Pakistan has moved about 60,000 troops 'very close' to the Line of Control (LoC) and international border near the Akhnoor, Samba and Pathankot areas in the Kashmir state of India, defence sources said Monday.

"Nearly 50,000 to 60,000 troops of Pakistan's Strike First corps and other formations have moved closer from their base at Kharian and are just 20 km away from LoC-international border opposite to axis of Akhnoor-Samba-Pathankot", the sources said here.

"We perceive their movement as a threat. Any troop build-up in Jhelum-Chenab and Chenab-Ravi corridors is always a threat to us as sensitive areas from Akhnoor to Samba and Pathankot fall opposite to them", they added.

Most of Pakistani army's buildup is in the Gujarat-Lachar forward area, just 10-15 km away from Indo-Pak border, the sources said adding that they have moved heavy weaponry, including tanks and guns on that side.

Besides, the activities of Pakistan Air Force also reached an alarming level as Pakistan Air Force stations in Mangla, Mirpur, Kharian, Sialkot and Gujranwala have engaged in extra air exercises near the LoC and international border, the sources said.

Troops have been put on high alert all along the border in view of any exigency, they said adding the situation along the border was kept under control.

Voicing concern over Pakistan's army buildup near the Indo-Pak border, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Monday said it was "a serious matter and wondered whether Islamabad was preparing for another Kargil incursion.

"Pakistan has moved army and tanks towards our border opposite Jammu and this is causing concern. This move is serious", he told reporters soon after shifting state administration here from Srinagar.

He said Pakistan army has been continously shelling our villages and killing innocent civilians living along Indo-Pak border for a long time.

"How long we are going to tolerate this. Don't we need to defend ourselves", he said in reply to a question whether targetting training camps inside Pakistan will lead to a war between the two countries. Earlier, Farooq had asked for targetting of training camps inside Pakistan.

[muleboy]

I have often wondered if the forces working to establish the NWO would one day become impatient and make a huge grab for power.

Your scenario is the best I have read to date if such impatience has been reached.

[ImpBill]

"How about if Someone ask us (America) to forget about California?"

I don't have a problem with that. I don't think I would miss it/them at all. In fact my energy costs might decrease a bit as we could then sell them power at any price we like until they finally get responsible and start producing their fair share.

Aside from that ... I still don't have a problem forgetting Kalifornia.

[billbears]

And I knew the answer. I understand the importance not only to India, but Pakistan as well, of Kashmir. I understand this war has been going on in one form or another for awhile. It just seems so under reported about what is right next to Afghanistan and IMHO is a lot more explosive than what Bin Laden is doing running around in caves

[Loopy]

FYI. Keep surfin those foreign sources. Thanks to you and your surfin, FR was on top of this story last week.

[lds23]

I wonder if the Tamil Tigers will also become opportunists, and India will have an escalation on two fronts. I say, let's support India, screw Pakistan.

[USMMA_83]

India was split into two countries to accomodate two religious groups. The Hindu's stayed in in India, and Pakistan was create to let the Muslims have their own country.

Not completely true. Here's the story.

By 1929 it was evident that India would gain independence from Britain. One of the Gandhian proclamations was that the feudal landlords could not keep their property that they had acquired by cozying up to the Brits. Well, this really pissed off a lot of Muslims because they controlled the north of India by doing just that. Next think you know, Jinnah is on the scene. He was in England studding to be a lawyer. He was recruited by wealthy Muslim landlords to create a Muslim party to counter Gandhi's Congress party.

And so it started...at the end Jinnah informed Gandhi that since there are so many more Hindus in India, it would be impossible for a Muslim to be Prime Minister. He said that he would call off the creation of a Muslim state if Gandhi appointed Jinnah as India's first PM (he could then make sure that the land distribution did not happen). Gandhi said that only the voters can decide that.

Do the Hindu's distrust Muslims and vise versa, no doubt about it...but that's not why Pakistan was created per say. If that was the case, there would be no Muslims in India. As it stands, there are more Muslims in India than Pakistan.

Even today, about 150-180 feudal families control Pakistan and it's military establishments.

[MaxwellWolf]

Maximum support for Indians. These pakis forced us to slow down the attack on Afghanistan because they didn't like the composition of the new govt. Since when did a fourth-world country start getting imperial dreams of a satellite state? Indians like us fight muslims out of necessity.

[Go Gordon]

The last thing I typed in post #5 was "(/sarcasm)". I know, as outrageous as what I was saying, you probably didn't finish reading my post. Sorry to get your dander up. It was all said to make the point that you are making....

[Go Gordon]

Thanks for the info. I hated history when I was in school. Now I find it fascinating. The more the merrier. What I didn't quite get from your info was: what really caused the physical splitting of the land, and why were Hindu's predominently left in India, while predominently muslims were left in Pakistan. Was it original geographics? Or was it more like birds of a feather?

[Don Myers]

"This way we would make sure that other muslims nation doesn't unite themselves against us. By the time they will realize what's happening it would be too late for them. "

I don't know why the terrorist states have not already done that. We have told them what we intend to do. And somehow, we expect them to just stand still waiting like little dominoes for the push that topples them over. The terrorist states can't be that stupid.

[USMMA_83]

The cause for the split was that the Muslim landowners did not want to give up the land they acquired by collaborating with the Brits. Another being that Muslims find it insulting to be "ruled" by infidels. This was known as the two nation theory. Basically implying the Muslims could not cohabitant with the Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians.

The reason Pakistan is where it is because the Brits decided that Pakistan would exist wherever there were a majority of Muslims.

So, there you have it...there was a east and west Pakistan. In 1970 (or thereabouts), East Pakistan became Bangladesh. India invaded to help the opposition to West Pakistan rule - this pissed off the Pakistanis very much because they thought that Nixon would send in the 6th fleet to defend Pakistan. Nixon did send in the 6th fleet...but only to make sure that West Pakistan remained intact.

I know I'm going on but hold on...

It was at this time (late 70's) that Pakistan started realizing that militarily it could not compete with the Indians. So they started training Islamic militants. Luckily (for them), the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. The US needed local intelligence and warriors...guess who stepped in to help (no points here). Guess who took the US dollars and started a parallel army, independent of any oversight. The Taliban were created by this money, as well as the Kashmiri Mujahadeen.

And, here we are....52 years later (after Pakistan's creation by the Brits.). The lessons are numerous for all nations. I believe that land for peace is not at all possible (Gandhi went for land for peace because Jinnah informed him that there would be civil war where millions upon million would die). Because once you go for that, there will always be one sub-faction that believes they were short changed. It is then a never ending conflict.