EDITORS'
NOTE
Welcome
We wish our readers a warm
welcome. The publication of this issue marks the re-launch of the Monitor. And we are
grateful to Lancer Publications for helping us get it off the ground. The discussion of
strategic and military affairs in India has hitherto been the preserve of a small group.
As Indians, the security of the country concerns us all. This journal has therefore been
conceived with two objectives in mind. First, the Monitor aims to provide a non-specialist
audience with a centrist perspective on issues of importance to India’s security. To
this end, the Monitor aims to complement the efforts of numerous think-tanks on the net.
Second, the Monitor aims to educate its readers about the history and technical abilities
of India's military.
We aim to publish the
Monitor six times a year. In addition to the discussion of current affairs, the Monitor
will also offer regular columns dealing with weapons systems in Indian service and Indian
military history. The timing of the issue made it inevitable that the war in Kargil would
be its focus. In this issue we bring you five feature articles which analyze the conflict
from a number of perspectives. Three of these articles – by Capt. Bharat Verma, Maj.
Gen. Afsir Karim and Mr.B.Raman - have been reproduced from the Indian Defence Review. And
we offer Capt. Bharat Verma of Lancer Publications our gratitude for allowing us to carry
these articles. The original articles have been contributed by two respected members of
the Bharat Rakshak collective - Shivshankar Sastry and D.Ramana. As part of our
"Tech Focus" we offer a special feature on the INSAS rifle, which received its
baptism of fire in Kargil. Last, but not the least, this issue carries two articles on the
Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-49, which recount battles from the first Pakistani invasion of
Kashmir. Given the circumstances of its launch, this issue will be updated with batch of
additional articles at the end of July.
We look forward to the continued support of
our readers who have made Bharat Rakshak the success that it is.
15 July 1999 |
