New Delhi: There are still many things about the Kargil war that are not widely known. One is the sheer scale of artillery fire that decided the battles. Another is whether then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was even told when General Pervez Musharraf pushed troops across the Line of Control.
These and other aspects of the war — from the use of satellite phones to the media’s unprecedented role — were front and centre at a candid panel discussion during the launch of Maj General (Retd) Lakhwinder Singh’s book Artillery’s Thunder: The Untold Kargil Story. On stage with the author were ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta, India Today Executive Editor Sandeep Unnithan, and national security analyst and author Nitin Gokhale.
One of the questions that came up was the eternal debate on the beginnings of the Kargil war.
“Had Nawaz Sharif known that Musharraf was pushing troops into Kargil and Koh-e-Paima had already been launched by the Pakistan army?” asked Unnithan. While Musharraf claimed Sharif was clued in, the former Pakistan PM has always denied it.
To this, Gupta gave an informed opinion, recalling also his 2007 Walk the Talk interview with Nawaz Sharif in London’s Hyde Park.
“I’d like to believe that he did not know. If it was any other country, I would have said ‘how did the Prime Minister not know at least something?’ But in Pakistan, it’s very possible,” he said, as a low buzz went through the audience of around 150 people at the IILM Centre for Arts and Ideas.
Among those present were Supreme Court judges N Kotiswar Singh and Vijay Bishnoi, UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar, Director General of Artillery Lt Gen Adosh Kumar, retired naval officer and author Harinder Sikka, and film producer Boney Kapoor, along with several veterans and their families — all there to support Maj Gen Singh.
Nicknamed the “Enraged Bull of Dras” for his technique of applying overwhelming firepower in support of infantry manoeuvres, Singh pronounced that Kargil was above all an artillery war. He used the 155 mm Bofors guns in direct firing, and his plan of deploying 100 such guns proved to be a game changer.
“Hundred guns fired, 3,000 kg of steel, and explosives on the target at one time. In less than 30 minutes, we were able to fire 1 lakh kg of explosive and steel on the target which could annihilate the enemy,” recounted Singh, who commanded the 8 Mountain Artillery Brigade during the Kargil War and was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal for his contribution to India’s victory.
His career in the military is storied and celebrated, but when it came to the book he deflected credit.
“I was not keen to write this book. But I have a wife and children who forced me,” he admitted as the audience chuckled.
Also Read: Arthashastra to Ganita Kaumudi—rare manuscripts on display at Gyan Bharatam conference
Satellites, ‘synergy’, media sniping
What also set Kargil apart was that for the first time scenes from the frontlines reached Indian living rooms, owing to the new boom of private news channels.
“Of course, it’s called the first televised war. There were three or four television stations at that point in time. You had CNN International, you had NDTV, and you had Aaj Tak, and Doordarshan,” said Nitin Gokhale.
For viewers it all looked seamless, but it was a hard scramble for the journalists behind the scenes.
“First, satellite phones were not legal. We had to get government clearance to be able to use these phones. Second, we couldn’t afford these phones. But there is a war going on,” said Gupta.
He recalled a conversation with Subhash Chandra, chairman of Zee and the Essel Group, who asked how Gupta planned to get the phones.
“We will add at the end of every story ‘this story was filed using an Iridium satellite phone,” Gupta said he told Goenka. “Toh aapka naya product hai, wo market me introduce bhi ho jayega? Aur ye stories toh sab padhenge hi’”— That way your new product will also get introduced in the market, and of course everyone will be reading these stories.
Two journalists, Gaurav Sawant and Vikram Jit Singh, were asked to share one phone, which led to a different kind of battle.
“They had to share the same phone. And you know what happens between two reporters when they have one gun to fire from? Usually one gets the gun, he’ll fire, he’ll first shoot the other guy,” Gupta joked.
Gokhale, however, argued that stories of media-Army coordination were often overstated.
“It is cited as the best example of media-military synergy. However, I don’t think that was the case, because I personally experienced it. I kept meeting people at different places. They didn’t know who I was, where I was coming from. The media did play a role. But let’s not label it as the first instance of media-military synergy or the best example,” said Gokhale.
Also Read: OTP Please!—new book highlights stark realities of India’s gig economy
‘That hurts’
The conversation turned from battlefield memories to the war’s afterlife, with Kargil long a fixture in films, music, and books. It’s not necessarily accurate, however.
“Beyond seeing what I see on screen made by different filmmakers, I know nothing more about what goes on during wars. The insightful discussions today have given me a lot more information. I hope to come here soon with a film on war which is as authentic as possible,” said Boney Kapoor in a speech after the panel discussion.
Retired naval officer Harinder Sikka, in his address, turned the focus back to honouring national heroes, and how there are times when they are not given their due.
“What kills us inside is never the enemy outside. It is the enemy within that kills us,” he said. According to him, it is the judiciary that has stood by the Army most. “When Captain Bana Singh, the only surviving honouree of the Param Vir Chakra, went all the way to Siachen, he was promised 25 acres of land. Single-handedly he won Siachen for us. What did he get? Not even 25 inches of ground, despite all the promises. That hurts.”
Sikka also recounted a chance meeting with Pervez Musharraf during a golf game at the Emirates Club in Dubai, where he asked the general and his colleagues about the dozens of medals they wore proudly despite not having fought any wars.
“The story tells you—politicians are worth nothing and they get Bharat Ratna. And we keep quiet.” The audience roared with applause.
Priyanka Mehta is an alumna of ThePrint School of Journalism (Batch 3).
(Edited by Asavari Singh)