Chapter 79: Finalising Preparations for Kashmir

The crisp October wind sweeping down from the Ridge into New Delhi carried a distinct, cutting frost, a quiet herald that the high Himalayan passes of the North were already choking with early snow. Inside the sprawling, map-draped briefing chamber of South Block, the atmosphere was taut, devoid of political theatre, and heavy with the silent friction of impending war.

Ram Prasad Gupta stood before a massive sand-table map of Jammu and Kashmir, flanked by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Opposite them stood two men holding the military apparatus of the young Republic: General K. M. Cariappa, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee.

"The intelligence summaries leave no room for diplomatic optimism, Prime Minister," General Cariappa said, his voice clipped and precise as his wooden swagger stick tapped the jagged relief of the Pir Panjal range. "Radio intercepts and border posts along the Jhelum valley report massive movements near Muzaffarabad and Domel. These are not mere disgruntled border tribesmen staging a localised raid. We are looking at thousands of Pashtun lashkars, armed with heavy infantry weapons and led directly by regular Pakistan Army officers ostensibly on ’leave’. The invasion is not weeks away. It is imminent."

Air Marshal Mukherjee adjusted his spectacles, pointing to the airfields scattered across the western frontier. "Our Dakota transport squadrons are serviced and standing by at Willingdon Airfield, but air logistics remain our tightest bottleneck. If Kashmir is hit, we will be forced to fly an emergency airlift onto an unpaved or minimally paved strip in Srinagar under atrocious, unpredictable mountain weather."

"Which brings us to the operational readiness of the infrastructure, Air Marshal," Ram said, his eyes scanning the narrow lines drawn across the map. "The engineering works in Jammu and Kashmir that were commissioned in early September are reaching completion."

Cariappa nodded, leaning over the sand table. "Indeed, Prime Minister. When the Maharaja’s administration accepted Indian capital assistance and technical advisors last month, our Army Engineers moved in alongside local state contractors. At Srinagar airbase, the primary 6,000-foot runway has been fully metalled with crushed stone, heavy bitumen, and interlocking steel Marston matting. Two parallel dirt tracks have been levelled and compacted as emergency taxiways and landing strips for heavy transport surges."

"And the overland axis?" Patel asked, resting both hands heavily upon his curved wooden cane as his sharp, hooded eyes squinted at the Banihal Pass.

"The Banihal Pass Road has been widened to dual-vehicle capacity," Cariappa explained, indicating the mountain choke point with his stick. "Eighty per cent of the crucial incline has been metalled with aggregate stone and asphalt to survive heavy winter military trucks. Furthermore, the Maharaja’s public works department, operating on our technical surveys, has identified and cleared two secondary dirt bypass tracks along lower ridge lines. They are being maintained to ensure that even if a major landslide or ambush blocks the main pass, light military convoys can continue to move supplies into the valley."

Ram turned his dark, unblinking gaze to Cariappa. "General, operational details on the battleground belong entirely to you and your command. The Cabinet will not micromanage brigade deployments or field positions. But I must lay down a strict strategic boundary: in this initial phase, you must contain and limit the conflict strictly to the Jammu and Kashmir theatre."

Cariappa raised an eyebrow, his British-trained tactical instincts flaring slightly. "Prime Minister, standard doctrine dictates that if Pakistan launches an open military assault against our territory, we should strike across the international border in Punjab to force them to disperse their forces and bleed elsewhere."

"Not yet," Ram said, his tone flat, calm, and absolute. "Our heavy industrial base, the steel foundries, bullet-press lines, and heavy equipment manufacturing complexes we secured from the Kremlin and the White House agreements, is still being unboxed, assembled, and bolted down in Bangalore, Kanpur, and Bihar.

"We do not yet possess the deep domestic industrial reserves for an unrestricted, multi-front war of attrition. On the remainder of the western border, from Punjab down to the deserts of Rajasthan, and along the entire boundary with East Pakistan, the Indian Army will maintain an unyielding defensive posture."

"A defensive posture?" Patel grunted softly, his face an unreadable mask. "You want our garrisons in Punjab to sit behind their earthworks while Kashmir is torn apart?"

"I want our garrisons in Punjab to hold an iron line, preserve their strength, and survive," Ram corrected, looking at Patel and then back to the military chiefs. "Focus on troop survival, holding fortified strongpoints, and defending critical railway choke points. We buy time with tactical discipline in the north while our industrial foundries forge the armour and artillery that will render us unassailable. Do not allow Pakistani generals to drag us into a general war before our industrial muscles are fully flexed."

Cariappa studied Ram’s unyielding face for a long moment, then bowed his head in disciplined concurrence. "Understood, Prime Minister. Jammu and Kashmir will be an isolated operational theatre. We will hold the remainder of the frontier behind fixed fortifications."

"Good luck, General," Ram said, offering a curt nod. "The northern crown rests on your regiments."

As Air Marshal Mukherjee and the senior staff officers departed to send their operational directives, Ram gestured for General Cariappa to remain. He motioned toward the small, quiet private office adjoining the briefing room. Cariappa followed, shutting the heavy teak door.

"General," Ram began, walking over to his desk and leaning against its polished edge. "What we discuss now pertains to the long-term internal stability of the Republic as this war unfolds."

"I am listening, Prime Minister," Cariappa said, standing at rigid attention.

"In the coming months, as fighting in the mountains drags on, your frontline infantry divisions will be fully committed to the border," Ram said calmly. "To ensure that internal security, vital industrial enclaves, and specialised counter-insurgency tasks do not drain your frontline strength, the Cabinet is formally establishing two specialised force structures: the Central Industrial Security Force and the National Security Guard."

Cariappa frowned slightly. "New force structures take months, if not years, to recruit, vet, and organise, Prime Minister. We do not have that luxury."

"The manpower is already identified and prepared," Ram replied smoothly. "Through veteran welfare associations and civil defence networks established during World War, we have an available pool of approximately sixty thousand battle-hardened veterans. These are men who fought in North Africa, Italy, and Burma, seasoned soldiers skilled in weapons handling, field logistics, and tactical discipline."

Cariappa’s eyes sharpened. "Sixty thousand? Prime Minister, how is such a vast body of military personnel being integrated into the state apparatus without disrupting standard military recruitment channels?"

"They will not operate as an independent or parallel body, General," Ram clarified immediately, his voice cold, steady, and precise. "Let me make this unequivocally clear: there will be no shadow hierarchies in this Republic. Every man inducted will be fully integrated into the established state structures and will answer entirely to the formal chain of command."

Cariappa’s posture relaxed slightly, though his military scrutiny remained active. "How will they be distributed?"

"The CISF and the NSG will each draw approximately five thousand of these veterans into their founding cadres," Ram explained. "The NSG will also absorb selected personnel from the Indian National Army who have passed security clearances, along with tactical specialists from the Intelligence Bureau. Furthermore, the CISF will draw at least ten thousand reserve military troops. The training programs for these units will be handled directly by the Indian Army."

Cariappa adjusted his belt, considering the proposition. "The influx of tens of thousands of personnel from non-traditional recruitment streams, especially former INA cadres, into formal security roles is a massive administrative burden, Prime Minister. The Army command is uneasy about absorbing such vast numbers of men into our institutional training pipelines while preparing for an active war."

"The Army’s task is to provide the training cadres and enforce standard military discipline," Ram said, his tone leaving no room for further debate. "You will find these veterans disciplined, highly capable, and fully obedient to the chain of command. Once trained, they will guard our industrial centres and handle special operations, freeing your regular divisions to crush any enemy across the border. Coordinate with Director Mullick for the training grounds in Central India. That is all, General."

Cariappa snapped a razor-sharp salute. "Understood, Prime Minister. The Army will enforce the standard chain of command and oversee their training."

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