Islamabad: Contrary to the perception of its planners that Kargil would force India to accept a changed line of control (LoC) advantageous to Pakistan, the conflict "deepened the already brewing distrust" between Pakistan's political and military establishment, an American study said in Islamabad on January 27.

The conflict also "brought to the surface the absence of consensus among the highest echelons of Pakistan's political and strategic decision-making and affected Pakistan's politics and society in many ways," observed the study titled, "The Cause and Consequences of the 1999 limited war in Kargil".

Conducted by the US government backed Centre for Contemporary Conflict, the study said, "Kargil was an attempt on the part of Pakistan Army for regime sustenance by creating a war-like situation with India.

"The political impact of the Kargil was a deepening of mistrust between the Army and the political establishment, which ultimately led to the ouster of the elected government," excerpts of the study published by Pakistan's weekly said.

Director of the Centre Dr Peter R Lavoy said Pakistan's strategy was based on the premise that due to the new nuclear factor, international pressure would force the cessation of hostilities, leaving Pakistan in an advantageous position.

However, when Pakistan approached China and then the US for support after the fighting started, "China adopted a neutral posture, whereas the US government gave a conditional commitment for mediation after Islamabad withdrew to its side of the line of control."

Moreover, Pakistan military's behaviour and Islamabad's diplomatic efforts were "contradictory and inconsistent, and ineffective." India, on the other hand, managed to combine effective military measures involving all three armed services, with consistent and coherent diplomacy, said the study, sponsored by the US Secretary of Defence.

Kargil, it noted, also produced tensions between the military and religious groups, raised questions about the responsibility and reliability of the Pakistani state among the comity of nations and damaged the professional reputation of Pakistan Army which was later portrayed as a "rogue Army".

Lastly, it said by deliberately keeping the public in the dark about the government's involvement in the Kargil conflict, Pakistan government's political strategy had an adverse societal impact - It was exacerbated by the government disowning the remains of dead Northern Light Infantry (NLI) soldiers which caused resentment among their families.

Participants who took part in the study have agreed that the coup led by President Pervez Musharraf was in a large degree the result of the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's handling of the Kargil conflict and that the Prime Minister was aware of the Kargil operation.

However, Sharif has repeatedly claimed that the military high command had kept him in the dark while advancing towards the line of control.

The study also quoted Pakistani analyst, Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi, as saying "there is sharp divergence of viewpoints on Kargil conflict within Pakistan's official and non-official circles. Officials still view Kargil as a diplomatic success for Pakistan, which, they claimed, resulted in the internationalisation of Kashmir.

PTI