2001-2002 India-Pakistan standoff
Encyclopedia
The 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff was a military standoff
between India and Pakistan
that resulted in the massing of troops on either side of the International Border
(IB) and along the Line of Control
(LoC) in the region of Kashmir
. This was the second major military standoff between India and Pakistan following the successful detonation of nuclear devices
by both countries in 1998 and the most recent standoff between the nuclear rivals. The other had been the Kargil War
.
Offensive military build up was initiated by India in response to a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament
on December 13, 2001 during which twelve people, including the five men who attacked the building, were killed. India claimed that the attacks were carried out by two Pakistan based militant groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), both of whom, were backed by Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, a charge Pakistan denied. In the Western media, coverage of the standoff focused on the possibility of a nuclear war
between the two countries and the implications of the potential conflict on the United States-led War on Terrorism
. Tensions de-escalated following international diplomatic mediation which resulted in the October 2002 withdrawal of Indian and Pakistani troops from the International Border.
World leaders and leaders in India's immediate neighbourhood
condemned the attack on the Parliament, including Pakistan. On December 14, the ruling National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed for the attack. Home Minister LK Advani claimed, "we have received some clues about yesterday's incident, which shows that a neighbouring country, and some terrorist organisations active there behind it," in an indirect reference to Pakistan and Pakistan-based militant groups. The same day, in a demarche
to Pakistani High Commissioner
to India Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, India demanded that Pakistan stop the activities of LeT and JeM, that Pakistan apprehend the organisation's leaders and that Pakistan curb the financial assets and the group's access to these assets. In response to the Indian government's statements, Pakistani forces were put on high alert the same day. Pakistan military spokesman
Major-General Rashid Qureshi claimed that the Parliament attack was a "drama staged by Indian intelligence agencies to defame the freedom struggle in 'occupied Kashmir
'" and further warned that India would pay "heavily if they engage in any misadventure". On December 20, amid calls from the United States and the United Nations
(UN) to exercise restraint, India mobilised and deployed its troops to Kashmir and the Indian part of the Punjab
in what was India's largest military mobilization since the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. The mobilization was known as Operation Parakram (Sanskrit
: Valor).
, where they had been trying to contain Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters, to the Indian border. In late December, both countries moved ballistic missile
s closer to each other's border, and mortar and artillery fire was reported in Kashmir. By January 2002, India had mobilized around 500,000 troops and three armored divisions on the Pakistani border concentrated along the Line of Control in Kashmir. Pakistan responded similarly, deploying around 300,000 troops to that region. This was the largest buildup on the subcontinent since the 1971 war.
On January 12, 2002, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf
gave a speech intended to reduce tensions with India. He declared the Pakistan would combat extremism on its own soil, but said that Pakistan had a right to Kashmir.
Indian leaders reacted with skepticism. Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah, a Kashmiri himself said that the speech was nothing new, and others said that it would 'not make any change in the Indian stand'. Still, tensions eased somewhat. The Indian President told his generals that there would be no attack "for now."
in an army camp near Jammu
, most of them the wives and children of Hindu and Sikh soldiers serving in Kashmir. The Army was angered by the attack and pressed Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee and his cabinet for permission to attack Pakistani military targets. On May 18, India expelled Pakistan’s ambassador. That same day, thousands of villagers fled Pakistani artillery fire in Jammu. On May 2, clashes killed 6 Pakistani soldiers and 1 Indian soldier, as well as civilians from both sides. On May 22, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee warned his troops to prepare for a "decisive battle." Beginning on May 24 and lasting for several days, Pakistan carried out a series of missile tests. On June 7, an Indian UAV
was shot down inside Pakistan near the city of Lahore.
At the same time, attempts to defuse the situation continued. Alarmed at the possibility of nuclear war, the US ordered all non-essential citizens to leave India on May 31. Both Vajpayee and Musharraf blamed each other for the standoff, and a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin
could not mediate a solution. But by mid-June, the Indian government accepted Musharraf’s pledge to end militant infiltration into India, and on June 10, air restrictions over India were ended and Indian warships removed from Pakistan’s coast.
While tensions remained high throughout the next few months, both governments began easing the situation in Kashmir. By October 2002, India and Pakistan had begun to demobilize their troops along their border, and in 2003 a cease-fire between the two nations was signed. No threat of conflict on such a grand scale has occurred again since 2002.
1.4 billion. Also it took India months to mobilize and lost 789 men in the process... around 200 in the initial phase of laying mines.
policy. Indian Foreign Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh
said on June 5 that India would not use nuclear weapons first, while Musharraf said on June 5 he would not renounce Pakistan's right to use nuclear weapons first. The possession of nuclear weapons by both parties proved a decisive factor in preventing all out war.
A Defense Intelligence Agency
report in May 2002 estimated that a nuclear war between India and Pakistan could, in a worst-case scenario, lead to 8–12 million deaths initially and millions more later from radiation poisoning
.
There was also concern that a June 6, 2002 asteroid
explosion over Earth, known as the Eastern Mediterranean Event
, could have caused a nuclear conflict had it exploded over India or Pakistan.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-07-31/india/27204243_1_op-parakram-indian-soldiers-operation-parakram
Standoff
A standoff is used in mechanics and electronics to separate two parts from one another. Standoffs can be many shapes and sizes and made of many different materials. Insulating standoffs may keep two parts from touching each other, thereby preventing an electronic short...
between India and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
that resulted in the massing of troops on either side of the International Border
International Border
The India–Pakistan Border , known locally as the International Border , is the international boundary between India and Pakistan that demarcates the Indian states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat from the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh. Pakistan borders India in the east. The border...
(IB) and along the Line of Control
Line of Control
The term Line of Control refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto border...
(LoC) in the region of Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. This was the second major military standoff between India and Pakistan following the successful detonation of nuclear devices
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
by both countries in 1998 and the most recent standoff between the nuclear rivals. The other had been the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
.
Offensive military build up was initiated by India in response to a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
on December 13, 2001 during which twelve people, including the five men who attacked the building, were killed. India claimed that the attacks were carried out by two Pakistan based militant groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
(LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), both of whom, were backed by Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, a charge Pakistan denied. In the Western media, coverage of the standoff focused on the possibility of a nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
between the two countries and the implications of the potential conflict on the United States-led War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. Tensions de-escalated following international diplomatic mediation which resulted in the October 2002 withdrawal of Indian and Pakistani troops from the International Border.
Parliament attack
On the morning of December 13, 2001, a group of five armed men attacked the Indian Parliament by breaching the security cordon at Gate 12. The five men killed seven people before being shot dead by the Parliament security.World leaders and leaders in India's immediate neighbourhood
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
condemned the attack on the Parliament, including Pakistan. On December 14, the ruling National Democratic Alliance
National Democratic Alliance (India)
The National Democratic Alliance is a centre-right coalition of political parties in India. At the time of its formation in 1998, it was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and had thirteen constituent parties. Its convenor is Sharad Yadav, and its honorary chairman is former prime minister Atal...
(NDA) blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed for the attack. Home Minister LK Advani claimed, "we have received some clues about yesterday's incident, which shows that a neighbouring country, and some terrorist organisations active there behind it," in an indirect reference to Pakistan and Pakistan-based militant groups. The same day, in a demarche
Demarche
A démarche has come to refer either to# a line of action; move; countermove; maneuver, esp. in diplomatic relations, or# formal diplomatic representation of the official position, views, or wishes on a given subject from one government to another government or intergovernmental...
to Pakistani High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to India Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, India demanded that Pakistan stop the activities of LeT and JeM, that Pakistan apprehend the organisation's leaders and that Pakistan curb the financial assets and the group's access to these assets. In response to the Indian government's statements, Pakistani forces were put on high alert the same day. Pakistan military spokesman
Spokesman
A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
Major-General Rashid Qureshi claimed that the Parliament attack was a "drama staged by Indian intelligence agencies to defame the freedom struggle in 'occupied Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
'" and further warned that India would pay "heavily if they engage in any misadventure". On December 20, amid calls from the United States and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(UN) to exercise restraint, India mobilised and deployed its troops to Kashmir and the Indian part of the Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
in what was India's largest military mobilization since the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. The mobilization was known as Operation Parakram (Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
: Valor).
December–January
Following India's move, Pakistan responded by moving large numbers of its troops from the border with AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, where they had been trying to contain Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters, to the Indian border. In late December, both countries moved ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
s closer to each other's border, and mortar and artillery fire was reported in Kashmir. By January 2002, India had mobilized around 500,000 troops and three armored divisions on the Pakistani border concentrated along the Line of Control in Kashmir. Pakistan responded similarly, deploying around 300,000 troops to that region. This was the largest buildup on the subcontinent since the 1971 war.
On January 12, 2002, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
gave a speech intended to reduce tensions with India. He declared the Pakistan would combat extremism on its own soil, but said that Pakistan had a right to Kashmir.
Indian leaders reacted with skepticism. Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah, a Kashmiri himself said that the speech was nothing new, and others said that it would 'not make any change in the Indian stand'. Still, tensions eased somewhat. The Indian President told his generals that there would be no attack "for now."
May–June
However, tensions escalated dramatically in May. On May 14, three gunmen killed 34 peopleKaluchak massacre
2002 Kaluchak Massacre refers to an incident on 14 May 2002 near the town of Kaluchak in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir when three terrorists attacked a tourist bus from the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and killed 31 people.-The Massacre:...
in an army camp near Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
, most of them the wives and children of Hindu and Sikh soldiers serving in Kashmir. The Army was angered by the attack and pressed Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee and his cabinet for permission to attack Pakistani military targets. On May 18, India expelled Pakistan’s ambassador. That same day, thousands of villagers fled Pakistani artillery fire in Jammu. On May 2, clashes killed 6 Pakistani soldiers and 1 Indian soldier, as well as civilians from both sides. On May 22, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee warned his troops to prepare for a "decisive battle." Beginning on May 24 and lasting for several days, Pakistan carried out a series of missile tests. On June 7, an Indian UAV
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
was shot down inside Pakistan near the city of Lahore.
At the same time, attempts to defuse the situation continued. Alarmed at the possibility of nuclear war, the US ordered all non-essential citizens to leave India on May 31. Both Vajpayee and Musharraf blamed each other for the standoff, and a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
could not mediate a solution. But by mid-June, the Indian government accepted Musharraf’s pledge to end militant infiltration into India, and on June 10, air restrictions over India were ended and Indian warships removed from Pakistan’s coast.
While tensions remained high throughout the next few months, both governments began easing the situation in Kashmir. By October 2002, India and Pakistan had begun to demobilize their troops along their border, and in 2003 a cease-fire between the two nations was signed. No threat of conflict on such a grand scale has occurred again since 2002.
Cost of standoff
The Indian cost for the buildup was , while the Pakistani cost was $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.4 billion. Also it took India months to mobilize and lost 789 men in the process... around 200 in the initial phase of laying mines.
Threat of nuclear war
As both India and Pakistan are armed with nuclear weapons, the possibility a conventional war could escalate into a nuclear one were raised several times during the standoff. Various statements on this subject were made by Indian and Pakistani officials during the conflict, mainly concerning a no first useNo first use
No first use refers to a pledge or a policy by a nuclear power not to use nuclear weapons as a means of warfare unless first attacked by an adversary using nuclear weapons...
policy. Indian Foreign Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh
Jaswant Singh
- Career :He is one of the few Indian politicians to have been the Minister for Defence, Finance and External Affairs.He started the new government of Vajpayee, which lasted its full term, as the External Affairs Minister and later on switched his ministry to Finance with Yashwant Sinha...
said on June 5 that India would not use nuclear weapons first, while Musharraf said on June 5 he would not renounce Pakistan's right to use nuclear weapons first. The possession of nuclear weapons by both parties proved a decisive factor in preventing all out war.
A Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
report in May 2002 estimated that a nuclear war between India and Pakistan could, in a worst-case scenario, lead to 8–12 million deaths initially and millions more later from radiation poisoning
Radiation poisoning
Acute radiation syndrome also known as radiation poisoning, radiation sickness or radiation toxicity, is a constellation of health effects which occur within several months of exposure to high amounts of ionizing radiation...
.
There was also concern that a June 6, 2002 asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
explosion over Earth, known as the Eastern Mediterranean Event
Eastern Mediterranean Event
The Eastern Mediterranean Event was a high-energy aerial explosion over the Mediterranean Sea, around 34°N 21°E on June 6, 2002. This explosion, similar in power to a small atomic bomb, has been related to an asteroid undetected while approaching the Earth. The object disintegrated and no part was...
, could have caused a nuclear conflict had it exploded over India or Pakistan.
External links
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-07-31/india/27204243_1_op-parakram-indian-soldiers-operation-parakram