Operation Parakram: The War Unfinished

Close on the heels of the October 2001 terrorist strike outside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in which 29 people were killed and the attack by militants upon the Indian Parliament in December 2001, the government of India launched Operation Parakram- a general mobilization of the army to prepare for a war against Pakistan. When Parakram was called off in October 2002 without most of its professed objectives being met, it left many questions unanswered. Among these are: The reasons behind launching the Operations; Its professed military and political objectives and whether India’s political leadership was serious about going to war with Pakistan; The role played by international pressure in weakening the government’s resolve; and The army’s opinion about the Operation. These issues are crucial to understanding the significance of military mobilization and become all the more critical with both Inndia and Pakistan being nuclear weapons states. The authors conclude that Operation Parakram is not yet over and in all probability a war still has to be fought with Pakistan.