From mortars to drones & missiles

NEWS of our airstrikes deep inside Pakistan trickled in early in the morning on May 7. TV channels repeatedly flashed the little they knew. The red tracers on the screen, racing to ‘neutralise’ enemy drones, reminded me of an incident from the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Our attack had taken enemy troops by surprise at a Pakistani post, but then a .30-calibre Browning machine gun opened intense fire. The red tracers leapt out of a well-camouflaged bunker. The machine gun had to be silenced, in an act of outstanding daredevilry, after lobbing a grenade right through the loophole. The red-hot barrel was literally pulled out and hung lifeless. For me, with just six months’ service, this act of gallantry and the camaraderie under fire was a superb lesson. My initial apprehension vanished and I was fully confident about earning my soldiering spurs.

The enemy’s US-supplied gun had a distinct double sound — it was like ‘tak dhum’. The sound taught us to assess the rough distance of the enemy’s position; the distant thuds indicated the opening up of artillery guns/mortars. We took cover, the shells came down with a blast, dust flew all over. But if one heard a whistling noise overhead, we were safe, the target was somewhere deeper. Our weapons were not modern, some even from the pre-World War II era, like the 4.2-inch mortar that was our unreliable supporting artillery. On occasions, the firing had to be stopped to keep our own troops safe!

Communications, too, were poor, but our war lay right in front of us. We cheered our many victories and mourned the loss of close comrades. Our valour had the foe repeatedly on the run.

Fast-forward to the present, I observed the spectrum from the other side. Warfare had changed and the technological advances were mind-boggling. Missiles, drones and other weapons homed in on their targets with precision — only kinetic energy flowed across the Rubicon. Everyone’s confidence in the armed forces was absolute. I needed no convincing that the best led the forces at all levels.

War is still personal; the adrenaline of soldiers never dries up. The special flavour of the olive green, whites and sky blue will remain in us till our last day. Civil society by and large rose to the occasion, though there were a few black sheep who refused to observe the blackout! Social media was abuzz with half-baked opinions and falsehoods, while there were shouting matches on TV channels. Together they misled and confused the public.

Looking forward, the challenges are manifold; a million enemy eyes are watching us. To safeguard the economy and ensure peace, the government cannot but enhance the defence budget. And finally, after all the salutes to the armed forces, I just hope that no widow or wounded has to run around courts to get their due. I end with a prayer to those who have fallen in the defence of their homeland — Jai Hind!

Musings