Indian Army waves the white flag as media invades Kashmir
KARGIL, India, July 12: The Indian army has waved the white flag on media intrusion in its war against mujahideen in Kashmir. The
"official" defeat came on July 5 when reporters, photographers and television crews recorded live a large-scale artillery and rocket attack on mujahideen holding the strategic Tiger Hills area in Drass sector. "This is too much," artillery officer Nitin said as he left his post, desperately shooing journalists swarming his booming Bofors guns and Russian rocket launchers.
A month before the main assault on Tiger Hills, the Indian Defence Ministry ordered a clampdown on journalists travelling to the
main battlezone sector of Kargil. They also threatened commanders here with "strict disciplinary action" if they unveiled battle-plans to the media. Pressures on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to lift the ban finally forced the military to allow conducted trips by June-end from the Kashmiri summer capital, Srinagar. But the 24-hour visits were discarded by most as a waste of time.
A medical corps. major last week even left a standing invitation at a hotel here where journalists were staying, to be interviewed in his field hospital.
"We may be winning this battle but we have surrendered to the media because it is impossible to play hide-and-seek with you
people," another commander said.
dil..dilseee
KARGIL, India, July 12: The Indian army has waved the white flag on media intrusion in its war against mujahideen in Kashmir. The
"official" defeat came on July 5 when reporters, photographers and television crews recorded live a large-scale artillery and rocket attack on mujahideen holding the strategic Tiger Hills area in Drass sector. "This is too much," artillery officer Nitin said as he left his post, desperately shooing journalists swarming his booming Bofors guns and Russian rocket launchers.
A month before the main assault on Tiger Hills, the Indian Defence Ministry ordered a clampdown on journalists travelling to the
main battlezone sector of Kargil. They also threatened commanders here with "strict disciplinary action" if they unveiled battle-plans to the media. Pressures on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to lift the ban finally forced the military to allow conducted trips by June-end from the Kashmiri summer capital, Srinagar. But the 24-hour visits were discarded by most as a waste of time.
A medical corps. major last week even left a standing invitation at a hotel here where journalists were staying, to be interviewed in his field hospital.
"We may be winning this battle but we have surrendered to the media because it is impossible to play hide-and-seek with you
people," another commander said.
dil..dilseee
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