NEW DELHI: Army chief Gen. Ved Prakash Malik has finally lifted the veil of secrecy on the timing of the Kargil invasion by Pakistani troops, disclosing that it all began in October last year and not in February, April or May as speculated.

"They selected certain gaps and stealthily established their posts. The execution of this aggression plan could have started some time in October 1998," Gen. Malik said in an interview published in Wednesday’s edition of Chandigarh’s The Tribune.

In the interview given to its publisher-editor Hari Jaisingh, the Army chief also disclosed that no bunkers were established by the Pakistan Army in the intruded areas.

"The Pakistan Army had just dug itself in the trenches or natural gorges and covered these with synthetic sheets which have been found in large number in the whole area," he remarked.

POSTS NOT ABANDONED: The 59-year old Malik, who was commissioned in the Sikh Light Infantry in 1959, also denied the general impression that the Indian Army had foolishly abandoned the Indian bunkers during the severe winter months and that the intruders had easily occupied these vacant bunkers as there was no vigil.

He said the "winter posts" were always manned, though comparatively by a smaller strength due to the hazardous nature of the terain.

According to the Army chief, the enemy movements could have been detected early if "we had surveillance equipment like satellites, high resolution cameras, short and medium range radars, etc." In his perspective planning, he emphasised the need for such equipment as a "minimum imperative."

JUDGED BY SALARY: He was quite candid in responding to queries on the shortage of equipment felt during the Kargil operations. He said the defence forces "only project their requirement but they are procured by those who may not be fully acquainted with the ground realities." His dig was apparently on the IAS bureaucrats who sit over the military demands in the name of scrutiny.

Gen. Malik regretted that "today the status of a defence expert like the Army chief who has spent 40 years in uniform is compared to someone drawing an equivalent salary."

"A soldier should be given due recognition as a professional, and the defence needs should be viewed as a national imperative. The soldier has to be remembered not only during the Kargils but beyond—and always as the one who meets the aspirations of the countrymen," Gen. Malik said.

NO PROBLEMS WITH GOVT: He, however, pointed out that he has absolutely no communication problems with the present government. "There are no barriers in communication with the top leadership. It is very responsive to the needs of the soldiers, and perhaps what we have achieved now in establishing a working relationship is exemplary and the success we have scored on the battlefront can largely be attributed to this synergy."

The General, however, refused to be drawn into any controversy about the Indian Forces’ hands tied by the government in their operations by strict orders not to cross Line of Control irrespective of whatsoever may be the military need. "We do our job as disciplined soldiers and strictly follow policy guidelines from the civilian authorities," he remarked in a matter-of-fact manner.

"I have my perspective as a soldie which I convey. It is my duty to honestly communicate my assessment and needs," he said while pointing out that he was satisfied at the "quick response" from the highest quarters these days.

LOOK BEYOND KARGIL: In his first Press conference in Delhi last month after about a month of the "Operation Vijay", Gen. Malik had set off speculation about the possibility of the Indian Army even getting into the Pak-occupied Kashmir by saying "we have to look beyond Kargil." He repeated these words again in the interview to Hari Jaisingh, but that gave the correct perspective.

"Of course, we have to look beyond Kagil and evolve our responses accordingly by plugging the gaps wherever these exist," Gen. Malik asserted.

He sought to emphasise that the credit for the success achieved at Kargil must go to the young officers. "Unlike the armies elsewhere, our young officers have always led the troops from the front. In tune with credo of the IMA (Indian Military Academy), the sovereignty and integrity of the country always come first in their minds. The welfare of the troops they command is their second priority. Their personal wellbeing always comes the last." END.