India may have won a decisive military victory over Pakistan-backed intruders in northern Kashmir but it has lost the battle as it frantically prepares for the formidable and hugely expensive task of permanently manning the Line of Control (LoC) over the next two months to prevent further intrusions.
Official sources estimate it will cost about 120 million rupees ($2.8 million) a day to maintain about 8,000 to 10,000 soldiers along the 140 km Line of Control in the Batalik, Drass, Kaksar and Mushkoh valley area. It is the world's second coldest region after Siberia, where temperatures average 20 Celsius. In winter, temperatures drop to 60 C. Additional costs for India, running into billions, will include the import of expensive unattended ground sensors, surveillance radar, secure communication and signal systems. Expensive winter clothing, boots and gloves must also be bought.
"The perennial troop deployment in the region will bleed India financially besides tying down a large number of its soldiers in inhospitable conditions," said a senior military officer.
Several units of the 8th Mountain Division which fought the intruders in several key areas have been asked to remain behind, moving to positions along the LoC. They are expected to be stationed there through the winter.
In 55 days of fighting, Indian losses included 410 soldiers dead, including 25 officers, and 593 injured. Army officials claimed 698 Pakistani soldiers had died alongside 135 Islamic mercenaries.
Pakistan earlier denied its soldiers were involved in Kashmir but its army chief, Gen Parvez Musharraf, admitted to the BBC last week that they were.
Intelligence officials, meanwhile, said the cost of Pakistani deployment along the LoC is expected to be a fraction of India's. Pakistan has the advantage of a landing strip for small aircraft at Gultari, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The Pakistani army also has roads running from Gultari, nearby Skardu and Olithingthang towards Drass and Kargil.
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since independence 52 years ago. Indian accuses Pakistan, which occupies a third of Kashmir and lays claim to the rest, of "sponsoring" the decade-long civil war in which over 20,000 people have died. This is denied by Pakistan.
Preferring the troop-intensive option - instead of the more sensible mix of partial deployment aided by surveillance aids - sees the army battling with the logistics of building posts for soldiers every two to three kilometres along the icy stretch by September.
Engineers are carving out dirt tracks along sheer, rocky mountain faces for porters and mules to ferry material to build insulated shacks before bringing up supplies, especially fuel, for eight months when the area is cut off and buried under snow.
"The task is formidable and the costs astronomical," said an officer in Drass who supervises the frontier. It will stretch the organisational skills of the army to the maximum.
Once winter sets in, helicopters of the Army Aviation Corps will be the only lifeline for the soldiers along the LoC, flying in essential supplies and evacuating casualties, mostly from the weather. Landing pads for the helicopters will also have to be built over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the army's mule train, which was to be disbanded to cut costs, has got a new lease of life. The hardy mountain mules are capable of walking about 25 km daily.
Special mule contingents were also used to carry artillery pieces in the mountains during the two months of fighting.
