Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said that PoK (Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir) would have been ours if India had opted for a military solution then rather than taking a “moral high ground” and rushing to the UN for a peaceful solution.
He also describing PoK as a “thorn in our flesh,” saying India did not follow a “pragmatic approach” to its security needs.
He went on to say that when hordes of raiders attacked Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 (the tribal militia issue), it was IAF’s transport planes which helped Indian soldiers and equipment to reach the battleground.
These comments are in sync with the view that India did not use its superiority in conventional arms in settling the Kashmir dispute at a time when Pakistan had not acquired nuclear weapons.
Raha said that in the past, India has been reluctant in using military power, especially air power, and did not apply its full force in achieving the end of conflicts.
According to him, the only time when air power was fully utilised was in the 1971 war and the outcome was creation of Bangladesh after just 15 days of conflict.
The IAF chief’s remarks come as India has conveyed to Pakistan that it will discuss the issue of “earliest possible vacation” of Pakistani Administered Kashmir during the upcoming Foreign Secretary level talks in Islamabad.
India has also raised the issue of Balochistan, in Pakistan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself commenting on the issue during his Independence Day speech and speaking about the alleged rights violations there during an all-party meeting earlier.
Well said Chief! At least someone has the courage to speak the truth. We have been let down by our political diplomacy time and again and now, you give us some hope of a better Kashmir.
