India has stockpiled 4 million landmines : Shame on India
Everything is fair in love and war, they say. India, since her independence in 1947 has seen her share of wars — with Pakistan and China. Though it has been decades since a major war, posturing and megaphone wars between India and Pakistan are aplenty. Kargil dispute and nuclear capability show offs are some of the recent posturings.
Cradled in the lap of majestic snow-capped Himalayas, Kashmir is a very beautiful place. Or rather, used to be. Kashmir is the gateway to Asia, Indo-China, and Indo-Russia. Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan right from the inception of the two countries in 1947. Pakistani claims of the Muslim majority preferring it to India, and India’s counter claim that if Muslim majority is the basis, there are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan, just scratches the surface of this dispute. There is a border issue with China as well; roughly 60% of Kashmir is in Indian control, about 30% is Pakistan occupied and 10% occupied by the Chinese.
India and Pakistan have waged four wars in the last five decades. Pakistan has lost all. The third war in 1971 ended with Pakistan losing control of East Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh. Given the history and the palpable tensions, it is understandable that India needs to have an arrow or two in it’s quiver. Many of India’s indigenous ballistic missiles and nuclear capability, which are touted as deterrents, should suffice. But landmines ? How can something so neanderthal and inhuman, with little use be a major element of your military policy ?
Gone are the days when land invasions were the backbone of any military operation. Assuming the possibility of a war and hence weaponry, in the current times when weapons are being calibrated to be micro accurate, these landmines, stand out like a sore thumb. We have seen these crude excuse for a weapon wreak havoc on innocent people in Africa and Cambodia. The minefields of Angola were the focus of worldwide attention when Princess Diana visited it beginning her work or the cause of banning land mines.
International Campaign to Ban Landmines(ICBL) is a coalition of more than 1,000 organizations in more than 60 countries, and argues that with more than 100 million buried mines around the world taking such a high human toll, they must be banned. Not much to argue there.
India touts itself as a champion of disarmament. UN marked Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday this year as the first International Day of Non-violence. India’s envoy, Sonia Gandhi, addressed the UN and spoke of the international community’s collective failure to move towards a comprehensive universal disarmament. Agreed, non-violence with warring neighbors is not a viable option and, deterrents to keep Pakistan & China at bay are needed ; but landmines ? Ms Gandhi, how about you doing something within India, you control the government ! Do you need anything more inhuman ? These continue to kill long after the conflicts have ceased — and kill innocent civilians, who just happened to be at the wrong place. It is enough to just toot the Gandhian past and parrot talk what your speech writer wrote ? Ms Gandhi, if you were honored to represent India and the Mahatma, irrespective of the fracas about how you were not the person who should have been at the UN, do something about it, you and your government cannot continue this.
If you do – shame on you.
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