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Army commander warns
against ISI designs

Lt Gen Surjit Singh, the general officer commanding-in-chief of the central command Wednesday cautioned against the designs of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, which "had major plans of expanding its clandestine network in India's hinterland."

He told mediapersons at the command headquarters, "After creating trouble in border states, the ISI is trying to extend its tentacles to other states."

He felt that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were the most vulnerable because of the vast porous border with Nepal, through which ISI infiltration was easy for various reasons.

He said , "While Kargil was a one-time war, the hidden war unleashed by Pakistan against India will continue until a political solution to the Kashmir issue is forthcoming."

Singh added, "We are all aware that Pakistan's ultimate design is to annex Kashmir, so we have to always be ready to fight them back."

On the extent of ISI infiltration, the army commander said, "There is no doubt about the ISI's high skills in espionage; and in any case, far from underestimating the enemy, we should always appreciate their capabilities so that we can equip ourselves to meet any challenge."

He further warned, "We need to be awakened to growing ISI activities to find out why people are falling prey to their allurements or motivations."

Singh admitted that there had been cases where army personnel had come forward to disclose how they had spurned lucrative offers to them by enemy agents.

The general also expressed concern over the recent expose of a gang of ISI agents, serving or retired army personnel, particularly from the central command. Declining to divulge whether he suspected the existence of more such moles in the army, he remarked, "Since investigations are underway, it will not be proper for me to say anything further about them, except that the guilty will be punished."

He hastened to add, "But you cannot ignore the fact that military personnel are human beings and hail from the same society as anybody else; while the army really takes care to keep feelings of nationalism and patriotism alive in them, they become susceptible to influences of environment when they go on leave or are superannuated."

Yet, he felt the need for a thorough study into factors that played behind this tendency as also to find corrective measures.

The army commander, who will take over as GOC-in-C of the Indian Army's Western Command, felt the welfare of war widows must be taken up on top priority. "Since 38 per cent Kargil widows hailed from Uttar Pradesh, we took up the issue of their rehabilitation, jointly with the UP government and we are hoping to work out a meaningful package for them soon," he added.

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