The Great Afghan Game for India

Areas under Taliban control as on May 25, 2020
(Image source :RFE/RL)

The US Taliban  peace deal seems to be heading in a direction where Taliban seems like the winner. A ceasefire is being put in place, which the Taliban is yet to observe in spirit because the Afghan National Security  Forces are being killed on a daily basis. The afghan national intelligence agency NDS personnel have been targeted deliberately while Taliban have also managed to get many of their prisoners released under this peace deal which is a boost to their fighting ranks. The American hurry to pull out of Afghanistan before the US presidential elections has been efficiently exploited by the Taliban leadership and the Pakistani deep state. The Taliban is gaining more ground each day which gives them a higher leverage in a power sharing set up with the recognized Afghan government. It is an implausible possibility that, a democratic government can share power with an Islamic terror group propagating the law of Sharia but the Americans are trying desperately to make this work. The American objective is plain and simple, they want to get their troops back home and Donald Trump wants to win the next election by fulfilling his poll promise of a complete Afghan exit.  The United States exit from Afghanistan seems to work well for the US policy makers because they have understood that its a war they cannot win, their people don't support it and they are draining their resources on a lost cause. The Unites States of America is leaving the Afghan people to fend for themselves after a 20 year war against terrorism and Al-Qaeda, neither of which have been completely eliminated. The American forces want to leave because they know, they will not be able to eliminate terrorism completely or establish a functional democracy in Afghanistan but they have somewhat achieved their objective. The American national security experts are certain that Afghanistan is not a major threat to their nation anymore and another 9/11 attack will not be executed from Afghanistan because they have enough intelligence assets and preventive measures embedded in Afghanistan now. 

A low threat analysis from Afghanistan for the Americans, has a very different perception for countries like India. A strong Taliban in Afghanistan which is essentially supported by Pakistan military establishment and has close ties to the notorious Pakistani Intelligence agency namely the ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) can be a grave danger to the security and peace of India. The Kashmir insurgency which began in the late 1980s was a consequence of Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and diversion of surplus religious terrorists called the Mujahideen to the Kashmir Valley. The militants of Afghan Jihad brought along with them the brutality and religious sycophancy they had used so effectively in Afghanistan. They began their butchery by targeted killings of non Muslim Kashmiris which led to the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits in the early part of 1990. This kind of religious discrimination and lunacy were unheard of in India and a weak coalition government of the time could not counter it effectively. The Kashmiri populace which lived in peace and religious harmony for centuries was now religiously divided by the Afghan Mujahideen influx into the valley. History is a testament that religious extremism and terrorism cannot be limited to geographical boundaries and will affect the whole region. The Islamic radicalism from Afghanistan has had a long term effect on the economy, society, politics and culture of Pakistan which supported the Afghan terror groups all throughout the Afghan war with the Soviets. Pakistan has seen significantly increased violence, terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism after the Soviet Afghan the war than before it and a further rise is guaranteed if the Taliban is back at the helm of affairs in Afghanistan. 

The Challenge for India will be to deal with the after effects of the Taliban coming to power in Afghanistan. India will be more prone to terrorism, bombings, hijacks and Islamic fundamentalism than ever before because Pakistani establishment will exploit this opportunity to drive the insurgency in Kashmir as well as carry out vicious terror attacks on mainland Indian cities using Afghan terror groups like ISIS-K (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province ). The ISIS-K is fringe terror group based in Afghanistan created by Pakistani intelligence agency ISI which recently carried out attacks on the Sikh Gurudwara in Kabul killing many unarmed innocents. The ISIS-K was quick to claim responsibility for the attack and justified the killings of innocents by identifying them as non believers or Kafirs. A terror group like ISIS-K helps Pakistani deep state to carry out heinous terror attacks on India while protecting the Pakistani state from any blame or risk of retaliatory actions like a Balakot airstrike conducted in 2019. It is a convenient arrangement for the Pakistani establishment to carry out more and more terror attacks on Indians while condemning their own proxy terror groups on international platforms.

India is at a great risk from the combined collusion of Taliban and Pakistan Military operating out of Afghanistan and bleeding India through thousand cuts. This is the so called strategic depth the Pakistani Military is seeking to achieve in Afghanistan through the establishment of a Taliban regime. The options India has to avoid such a dreadful scenario is to either depend on the United States and hope they do not let this happen. It is the easier option and will only work if it also satisfies US interests as Americans are not known for selfless charity. The more difficult but robust option for India is to put its troops on the ground to support the Afghan National Army's fight against the Taliban. Indian Troops in Afghanistan will ensure a longer life span for a friendly Afghan democracy, deeper strategic Indo-US ties, better security for India and less terrorism in Kashmir. Indian troop deployment in Afghanistan serves American interests by helping them make a quick exit, without handing over the country back to the dreaded Taliban, who are a greater threat to India than the United States in the near term. Indian troops in Afghanistan comes with many tangible benefits but it has its cons too. The Political cost for such a move can be huge and  the resultant repercussions can have long term effects on domestic Indian politics as well as future election results. The battle hardened Indian Soldiers will definitely turn the tide of war against the enemies of India but will the Indian Politician for once show the same selflessness and courage that the Indian solider has depicted over the years for safety and security of the nation. 

Taliban Controlled Areas as of June 2019
 (Image source : Al Jazeera) 

The Emergency Purchase Syndrome of Indian Military

The emergency purchase drive of the Indian Army is in full swing due to the escalated tensions with China on the eastern Ladakh front. The emergency purchase measures have brought in more Spike ATGM ( Anti Tank Guided Missile ) which were coincidentally purchased previously under the emergency purchase drive during the Balakot Strike. Special forces have also been equipped with SCAR 17 Assault rifles under these emergency purchase measures. These powers have been granted directly to military chiefs for an order value of up to 300 crore rupees. These special powers granted to Army Chief, help finalize equipment and place order quickly with deliveries commencing within one year. The whole process takes place at a rapid pace and no bureaucratic hurdles are allowed to hamper it, hence it has become an outlet for Army Top Brass to purchase the equipment that has been planned for years but never purchased for one reason or another. The third generation Spike ATGM purchase proposal was drafted few years ago but eventually got shelved in favor of indigenous missile development of NAG ATGM which is yet to be received by the army and our soldiers are still relying on second generation ATGM missiles like the French Milan and Russian Konkurs. The army purchased 250 Spike missiles and 12 launchers last year as a fast track emergency purchase to add capability to its outdated arsenal of Anti Tank Guided Missiles. 

Ministry of Defence and armed forces have been subject to harsh criticism for these emergency purchases as they reflect unpreparedness of the armed forces to deal with the present contingency. The most common questions being posed in social media circles is, why these purchases are being made now ? Why can't the ministry timely purchase these items ? Why everything has to be done last moment ? Why do we always end up making such purchases whenever there is a crises ?

These pertinent questions are disturbing but we need to reflect why these emergency purchase measures exist ? These measures completely cut the bureaucratic red tape and everything is done on a war footing. There are no doubts raised, no questions asked, no fingers pointed, no arms lobbying done and most importantly no scam stories raised. The Finance Ministry seizes to be apathetic to the defence forces and allots the funds seamlessly. The emergency purchase route is being used by the forces to get equipment which has been bogged down into files by endless procedures and cost over runs. The amount of time it takes just to negotiate the prices in a standard defence contract is probably more than it takes for a fast track procurement to materialize from an order to final delivery. The reason for the speedy deliveries is the small order size and equipment manufacturer's ability to deliver from their excess stock or a short production run. Its unfair to compare a large scale defence deal to a fast track emergency procurement but the important thing to note is that this process gets the work done.

The larger question is can we shorten the defence procurement procedure (DPP) as its commonly known by giving more power to the experienced Generals and less to the bureaucrats who know less about weapon systems than children know about their action figures. A 'Sarkari Babu' who has not fired a single rifle shot in his life but is part of rifle procurement for infantry can only contribute objections and hurdles to the process. The soldiers know their profession and equipment better than anyone else but giving them more powers will undermine the power of Babus and they will unleash their dirty tricks warfare. The most common objection to a shortened procurement procedure is the possibility of corruption in a deal, though its a valid concern but cost benefit analysis is needed to study the same. The cost over runs of a lengthy procurement procedure should be weighed against the loss suffered due to corruption. We are losing a hefty sum of money as cost over runs when a procurement runs into a procedure of a few years and the risk of an under equipped enemy that only strengthens the enemies resolve to play mischief at our borders. The Ministry of Defence needs dramatic reforms and vesting more powers to the armed forces ensures the politics around the defence deals does not play out to the extent it did in the Rafael deal. The soldiers who risk their lives for the nation will not mind putting their jobs at risk to get things done faster for the welfare of the defence forces and security of the nation. 

The Mirage Solution possibility for Indian Air Force

The dwindling squadron strength of the Indian Air Force has been an ongoing discussion for decades. The IAF has not been able to finalize a procurement plan for over two decades now and is reeling under pressure of losing its combat edge over its adversaries, China and Pakistan. The PAF and PLAAF are similar in equipment and armament as Pakistan depends on China for military hardware after the US arms embargo. Pakistan also has some F-16 Block 52 and some really old Mirage III and Mirage 5 in its arsenal but in terms of technological superiority IAF is better than its competitors. Technological superiority in terms of combat does not necessarily guarantee a victory because the number of aircrafts are equally important along with the tactics and weaponry. 

China is much superior to India in terms of sheer numbers and Pakistan has chosen the same path by procuring a large number of cheap JF-17 aircrafts. It is a good strategy against a technologically superior enemy as they can throw a large number of aircraft to counter fewer high tech aircraft of the adversary. This strategy was adopted by the Pakistan Air Force on 27th February 2019, when they threw a package of 24 aircraft to counter Indian Air Force combat patrols of 2 Mirage 2000 and 2 Sukhoi 30 MKI. The Pakistani Air force is particularly scared of the Mirage 2000, therefore they avoided engaging the aircraft that day and took long range potshots at Sukhoi 30 MKI, which they missed like all other targets they planned to attack. The reason for fear of Mirage 2000 is that the aircraft has repeatedly turned out victorious in engagements with F-16. The most famous engagements being between Greek Mirage 2000 and Turkish F-16 which resulted in the Greeks bullying the F-16 repeatedly. Mirage 2000 is superior to anything that Pakistan can throw, therefore was the first choice aircraft to bomb Jabba Top terrorist camp in Balakot. 

Mirage 2000 Vajra 

Mirage 2000 is a single engine Delta wing fighter with combat proven abilities and Indian Air force have expertise in maintenance as well as tinkering with the aircraft. The Indian Air Force jugaad approach combined with Israeli ingenuity resulted in integration of Russian R-73 missile with the French Mirage 2000. The Kargil war was another case, when Israelis helped integrate their Litening laser designator pods on the Mirage 2000 to drop IAF's first Laser guided bombs in actual combat. 

The aircraft is highly regarded for performance, range and combat load, Mirage 2000 also shoulders the responsibility of  nuclear weapons delivery. It has so many merits but we have only about 50 of these aircraft, adding more of these aircraft to the inventory adds to both the strength and capability of IAF but unfortunately they are no longer manufactured.  A deal for a squadron of second hand Mirage 2000 purchase from Qatar was discussed in 2000s but fell apart due to pricing differences. Brazil has already retired and sold its aircraft. Taiwan, Greece and Qatar fly the Mirage 2000-5 variant besides the French Air Force. Egypt and UAE also operate the aircraft but their inventory has not been fully upgraded to latest standards and upgradation of the Mirage 2000 is a huge hurdle owing to the costs involved. 

The Possible Solution 

The solution to the falling squadron strength can be solved by additional purchases of used Mirage 2000 aircraft but this solution has its own challenges of execution. The current Indian Air Force Mirage fleet is being upgraded at a huge cost of $2.1 billion dollars and purchasing any old aircraft will add to this bill. The current fleet of operating Mirage 2000 aircrafts around the world are near the end of their airframe life but still are sturdy enough to be used after an overhaul and life extension. Pakistan Air Force has done something similar under its ROSE project where they have put to use vintage Mirage III and Mirage 5 airframes and upgraded the aircraft for limited combat role. The upgradation cost for the existing Mirage fleet is so high that IAF would not want to take that route especially when the aircraft are touted to be retired in the next decade. The upgraded standard aircraft are only available with the Greece, Taiwan or Qatar. The Qatar deal has not worked out in the past and is unlikely to be rekindled. The Greeks have the latest upgraded of the Mirage 2000-5 MkII but their willingness to sell them is not certain. Taiwan operates the Mirage 2000-5 EI standard which has no mid air refueling or ground attack ability, also buying aircraft from Taiwan will have geopolitical repercussions from China. The Egyptian Mirages are the oldest of the lot and are not viable due to their age and upgradation requirements. The UAE is currently in process of upgrading its Mirage 2000 fleet to 2000-9 standards and is likely keep the aircraft in service. The last remaining contender are the French who are in possession of more than 300 Mirage 2000 airframes, out of which 100 are in active service. The French can sell, upgrade and overhaul the aircraft but would extract a hefty price for doing so, as they are competing for the MMRCA contract and purchase of old Mirages also affects the additional deliveries of already ordered Rafael jets by IAF. The French are expected to extract very high profits from any such deal because it hampers their future business prospects for sale of their current fighter platform Rafael.

Back to the Problem 

The only viable option that can deliver good value for money are the Greek Mirage 2000-5 MkII, as they are already upgraded to latest standards and may be available at a good price owing to the current economic crisis being faced around the world. Hypothetically even if this deal materializes somehow it still doesn't solve the problem as the number of upgraded aircraft available with the Greeks are a meagre 25. It does add one and a half squadron strength to the IAF but the problem of raking up the numbers still exists as Mig-21s are to retire soon and no future procurements are finalized yet which can add up the necessary numbers. This solution does not also eliminate the MMRCA 2.0 tender which the IAF is about to float for a purchase of 114 aircraft. The IAF has looming problems and stop gap purchases of 21 Mig-29 and 12 Sukhoi 30 or even some used Mirage 2000 fighters are not going to solve them completely. The only fast and feasible solution in my opinion is to get rid of the tendering process to culminate a Rafael style government to government deal as a fast track procurement measure. The aircraft can be chosen by the IAF based on their budgetary constraints and operational requirements, as they have tested all the available aircraft in the MMRCA tender previously. The only hindrance to such a deal is the political ramifications it may cause for the ruling party but the Modi led BJP government has pulled off many stunts in its tenure and this could be another feather in their tough and bold decisions crown. 

Why more Sig Sauer rifles for the Indian Army ?

The Indian army has placed an additional order for Sig Sauer 716 G2 Patrol rifles for the frontline troops in the Northern Command which looks after the newly created union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, surprisingly this comes just a few days after Prime minister Modi's call for an Atma Nirbhar Bharat. As soon as this news was announced there has been a hue and cry on social media about import of these rifles and why we cannot induct indigenous rifles. The question is obvious and valid but no obvious answers seem to exist for such an obvious question. The obvious answer is missing from the discourse because no one wants to bell the cat, everyone is avoiding to point out why we still lack an indigenous rifle. We will address the issue but lets first understand why the Sig Sauer 716 rifle is such a good choice for the army on the LoC. 

Sig Sauer 716 G2 Patrol Rifle 

The Sig Sauer 716 G2 

The Sig 716 G2 fires the 7.62x51mm NATO round, weighs 4.3 kg, features ambidextrous controls, a free floating barrel, aluminium frontend, adjustable gas regulator, adjustable butt stock and range of 500 meters with high accuracy. The rifle has all features of a modern battle rifle and a very low recoil. This rifle outclasses the HK G3 battle rifle used by the Pakistan army which the INSAS rifle currently cannot match. The rifle uses advanced materials, state of the art manufacturing techniques and comes with Sig Sauer quality guarantee. The product is no doubt world class and when used with the right optics is almost as good as a designated marksman rifle (DMR) owing to its high accuracy. The rifle has been tested by the Indian Army on the LoC frontline and the results seem to be positive enough that a second batch has been ordered by the Army.

The Current Scenario

The current scenario for the Indian army looks grim as the AK-203 7.62x39mm caliber rifle, which was touted as the replacement for the INSAS rifle, has not yet materialized into production. The INSAS has outlived its life and utility and no other indigenous rifle program has come to fruition. The indigenous Excalibur rifle did not make the cut and nor did the MCIWS ( Multi Calibre Individual Weapon System). The OFB also manufactures two indigenous AK 47 clones called the the 'Ghatak' made by the Ishapore rifle factory and the TAR ( Trichy Assault Rifle ) made by Ordnance Factory Tiruchirapalli. These two rifles have been adopted by the Central Armed Police Forces like BSF, CRPF and some state police forces. These two rifles are in the same class as the AK-203, both the rifles are operational without much complaint. There is loud buzz in indigenization enthusiasts questioning, why these indigenized AK style rifles can not be adopted by the army instead of the AK 203. The answer is pretty simple, although these rifles are decent and do the job but they are not the best available in the world. When you send a soldier into a firefight you ought to give him the best gear so that he comes out victorious. You can't ask him to promote indigenization at the risk of his life and therefore, he deserves the best gear available. The rifles used by terrorists are as good and capable as the ones used by the security forces currently so we need to arm our soldiers with better ones and AK 203 is the answer to that as and when it materializes. 

The Conclusion 

The additional rifle procurement from Sig Sauer is a smart and timely move by the army, as no indigenous options are available in the 7.62 x 51 mm class of firearms. This category fires a much bigger and heavier round and provides the necessary range and punch that the soldiers will need at the LoC. The Indian soldiers have lost their lives due to malfunctioning of INSAS rifles and these replacements are a boon and necessity. The indigenous arms need to be promoted but its not the job of the frontline troops to promote them. They face firefights and cease fire violations (CFV) almost on a daily basis at the Line of Control and they need a firearm that is better than the enemy to give a befitting reply.The soldier and the gun both win the war collectively, we have the soldiers to win any battle but the battle winning rifle has been missing till now. 

 

Captain Vikram Batra (PVC) - The Immortal

Capt. Vikram Batra (PVC)

In this world of over seven billion people, men come and go but some leave an impact for generations and Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain Vikram Batra is one such man. He made the supreme sacrifice for the motherland 21 years ago on 7th July 1999 and he did it with a smile. The man is a legend like no other, his bytes of interview captured during the Kargil and his infectious smile live on, in the minds of one billion Indians who will always be indebted and grateful to him. The stories of his valour travelled far and wide and have lived on in the hearts of people and will continue to do so for many many years. The real life hero has been immortalized on the silver screen by reel life hero Abhishek Bachchan in J.P Dutta's war epic LOC Kargil. The portrayal of his character on screen gives the common man a glimpse of his bravery but for the people who saw him in flesh and blood in the battlefield still find it difficult to find words to talk about the man. The smiling warrior known by his codename "Sher Shah" and his unit 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles ( JAK Rif ), known as the "bravest of the brave" is a golden letters entry in the glorious history of Indian Army. Everything about this brave soldier is a tale that has left deep impressions on generations, like his victory signal "Yeh Dil Maange More" is still recalled with fondness by his then Commanding Officer now Lt Gen YK Joshi, who has often stated that the victory of Kargil war must be credited to the young officers like Captain Batra, brave jawans and JCOs who fought against all odds.The last mission he undertook and successfully completed was the capture of Point 4875, that mountain today is known as Batra Top in honor of this mountain of a man. 

The charisma of the man was not only limited to the battlefield, his personal life is fit for another magnum opus bollywood film. Dimple Cheema was the love of his life and they were to get married post the Kargil war but he never returned so she never married. She knew maybe there could be no other man like him and she continues to live with his memories and family. Vikram Batra has an identical twin brother Vishal Batra who would tell you a story or two about the brother that he was but while listening to the story you would for a moment feel that may be Vikram Batra never left us. In reality he has not left us and he never will, he will continue to inspire the youth of the nation and young officers of the Indian Army. The stories, the bravery and the charisma of the man will outlast many generation to come. The bravest of the brave soldier is an Immortal in the truest sense of the word.   

India-China Galwan Face Off - The Confusion and Answers

A lot of questions about the latest India China face off in Galwan have been raised by many analysts and veterans as well as some politicians but all these questions have been countered with very few answers. I have been digging information for more than a month from various quarters and listening to the views of multiple journalists and analysts from both sides of the spectrum. 

Question 1

To begin with lets lay some factual perspectives to the situation and try to answer some questions. The most basic, repeated and most obvious question is WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN GALWAN ? The Prime Minister is the only official source to have addressed that question vaguely, but that was given a political turn and raised more questions than it answered. So the facts about Galwan as are that it's an unprecedented situation and this has not happened before nor has this area been part of contested claims nor have patrols clashed here before. So what has happened in Galwan is something new, something significant and it will redefine the geo politics of the region as well the future of Indo-China relations.

Question 2

The second most important question is HAS ANY TERRITORY BEEN CAPTURED BY CHINA ?

The answer to this question lies in multiple satellite images, govt claims and comments of many neutral and pro government analysts comprehensively proves the fact that no territory has been lost in Galwan. Some anti government forces have been desperately trying to suggest that some territory has been lost and the quantification is vague and varied from 100 meters to 5 kilometers, no consensus on any exact number despite satellite imagery being available suggests that factually they have little standing and the intention is to make sensational claims to malign the government, but can not really blame them for that it's their job after all. My personal opinion is that China is right at the LAC, that means that neither in their territory nor in ours but at the exact location of the LAC. The situation can not be termed acceptable nor is it serious enough that it raises questions on the territorial integrity of India. Though the problem has been compounded by many and in various proportions not many have been able to suggest a solution, once in a while some one will talk about military action but these people should be very seriously ignored because they are saying thing without measuring the quantum of their words and the consequences of their expert advice. The Indian establishment has chosen to solve this through military diplomacy channel as Generals of both sides have had multiple meetings and have supposedly decided to disengage from the forward positions in a systematic way. This to me seems like the most plausible and positive approach to solve the present face off situation as war has hardly benefitted any one, we can corroborate that through centuries of history. Another often overlooked or not discussed often fact is that, a possible war will involve two nuclear armed nations having the two largest standing armies in the world in the harshest terrain of the world having an impact on 2.5 billion lives directly, that's one third of the world's population. Political point scoring deliberately ignores these basic facts that make the political arguments silly and short sighted hence the space for an unbiased civil perspective exists and is important. 

Question 3

The third and the most troubling question is WHY DID OUR 20 SOLDIERS LOSE THEIR LIVES ? This is the most sought answer that has troubled every Indian over the past few days and has aroused a strong emotion in the nation resulting in the ban of 59 Chinese apps as well as the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Ladakh. The answers to this question have been many and diverse, it ranges from treachery of the Chinese army to the terrain, the weather, the darkness of the night. Some unsavory comments have been also made on the competence of the soldiers  the officers leading them, its unfortunate that such comments have been made but their pretext has been more sensationalism and attacking the government rather than addressing the question of their death or professionalism. I attempt to answer this question from multiple perspectives and cover all facets of it but I will not elaborate on the competence of the Indian Army or comment on their professionalism because the history of this glorious institution answers it to the hilt. 

The answer to this question has been provided by the 20 soldiers who laid down their lives and many more who suffered injuries, its as simple as its truthful and can be answered in one word - BRAVERY. Yes, we lost we lost our soldiers because of bravery, the answer is as unexpected as it is obvious. The Chinese while acting aggressive and deviating from mutually agreed disengagement procedures encountered Col Santosh Babu, himself leading a dusk patrol to the area of Patrol Point 14 (PP-14) to confront the Chinese and resolve the matter. The Chinese expected this confrontation and had pre planned their response of barbaric violence with nail studded bats and steel rods but what they did not expect was the Indian response and what they did not plan for was the Indian bravery. The men of 16 Bihar , 3 Punjab , 3 Medium Regiment and 81 Field Regiment came together to give an overwhelming number of Chinese troops a fight they will remember for a long time . The Chinese were more than 5 times in number but the Indian troops fought with their heart and soul. They didn't bother about the odds and that was their bravery, they created their own odds by killing more than twice the number of Chinese living up to the gallantry standards of the Indian soldier. They didn't fire weapons not just to upkeep a treaty and prevent the risk of shooting their fellow soldiers in a pitch dark close quarter night skirmish, but they didn't need to fire weapons as they had the raw courage to kill the Chinese with their bare hands. Sepoy Gurtej Singh from 3 Punjab, Ghatak Platoon is a name they will always remember as a fine example of Indian soldiering. The brave sons of the soil fought the Chinese, the arduous mountain terrain and extreme cold weather at night to come out victorious and 20 of them paid the price of victory with their lives. Its too high a price for the victory, should not have happened but they have already paid this price and it is up to us to uphold it with respect and honor. They didn't fight for a particular government they fought for the nation and each and every one needs to respect that sacrifice above all party lines and ideologies. The Indian Army is an apolitical army and it should be treated and respected apolitically .

This is the 3D view of PP-14 clash point at Galwan 

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