New Horizons

These months have seen the country scale new technological heights. The successful launch of the indigenously designed Meteorological Satellite (METSAT) using the PSLV-C4 platform on Thursday September 12, 2002 is obviously the crowning achievement of this period. The insertion of the 1060 kilogram METSAT into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) testifies to the maturity of the PSLV program. This wonderful development has been complemented by the a series of successful tests of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) TD-2 prototype and the induction of new test pilots into the LCA program. This period has seen the arrival of Su-30MKI variants and the auspicious start of the indigenous Mig-27 upgrade at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) using spin-offs from the technology developed for the Su-30 and the LCA program. An equally exciting development has been the debut of the long awaited  Denel-BEML T5 155mm Howitzer. All this speaks well for Indian scientists and engineers who have worked hard on indigenous development projects. On a related note is interesting to see that the US Government also appears to be slowly shifting its position on technology-sanctions related issues. 

The challenge of conducting the Jammu and Kashmir state elections has been effectively met. Despite the determined attempt by Pakistan backed terrorists to intimidate the people, voter turnout has been high. Not even the heinous murder of J&K Law Minister Mushtaq Lone could deter the people of Jammu and Kashmir from exercising their right to vote. Bharat-Rakshak takes this moment to salute all those who have laid down their lives to ensure the success of the electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The elections in the state are bound to throw up new political challenges, handling these will require sensitivity and care. The gradual marginalization of the All Party Hurriyat Conference and Pakistan backed terror syndicates is bound to bring new security challenges also. From the perspective of the Pakistani Army, destabilizing the newly enhanced political order in J&K will take a high priority. 

A clearer way to see the inevitability of violence in this context is to look at the issue of Pakistani elections. Pressure from the US Government and Musharraf's own desire to select the next premier in Pakistan through some kind of electoral fraud will create great anxiety among the Islamist political formations in Pakistan. As in the past, General Musharraf's preferred style of dealing with pressure on this front is to encourage the associated Islamist terror syndicates to commit acts of mass murder in India. The attempted LOC violations at Loonda post in Keran sector, at 5353 in Dras sector and more recently in Bhavani sector are indicative of the fact that despite any pretense to the contrary, the Pakistan Army is spoiling for a fight.  

The US Government for its part seems content to accept Musharraf's inability to stop all infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir. In the event of a US invasion of Iraq, the quality of US oversight on Pakistani activity is only likely to diminish. Such a failure will encourage the Pakistani Army to increase infiltration to rapidly destabilize the post election environment in Jammu and Kashmir. 

With present successes have come new horizons, each presenting an alluring vision of the future. A future with many challenges hidden just below the seemingly calm surface.