shravan wrote:^^ So why didn't govt. allow LoC crossing in Kargil ?
shravan - in any country, leave alone a democracy no single or group of people can decide on behalf of other citizens that "we are prepared to lose a city". Ideally we must not lose a city. but the retaliation for even losing a few desert huts is the promise of retaliation.
The decision to "not cross the LoC" is based on history. In 1965 Pakistan sent infiltrators into Kashmir (Operation Gibraltar) and as that failed they attacked with the army (Operation Grand Slam). The attack was pretty fierce and in order to take pressure off the Indian forces in Kashmir Lal Bahadur Shastri ordered a spreading of the conflict so that India attacked across the International border in Punjab. This is why Pakistan accuses India of starting the 1965 war - denying earlier events.
In 1999 Pakistani logic was that India would be too afraid to cross the LoC because of Pakistani nukes and that Pakistan would be able to achieve local gains in Kashmir by cutting off NH 1A and forcing India to lose Siachen. What this plan did not foresee was that India would be able to mop up the trouble locally without expanding the conflict. The signal being sent to Pakistan was that with their doctrine of first use - they would have to use start a formal war or use their nukes in order to win Kargil. It turned out that Pakistan was unable/unwilling to use nukes despite readying them and had to withdraw.
There was a real challenge in Kargil. The war was an invitation for Pakistan to live up to its boast of using nukes first and Pakistan blinked - and its doctrine was explained as first use if Pakistan was threatened. In other words Pakistan's nuclear doctrine became one of "defence" in which use of nukes would be only if Pakistan was attacked. But such a doctrine obviously leaves Pakistani forces who are attacking India naked. They cannot expect nuclear help. This makes any future direct Pakistani attack on India more difficult because Pakistan will get nuked when they attack and use nukes, but India will not attack Pakistan, giving them an excuse to use their nukes.
Maybe Pakis will come up with another plan (as was predicted on BR) where they will nuke their own territory and claim that India has attacked - but that remains to be seen. However this is a trick India can play too - if Pakistan attacks. Explode a small fizzle in the desert if Pakistan attacks, blame it on Pakistan and prepare to retaliate.