AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 4 – War Diary CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 32 of 167 I was thrilled as I would be able to see the Pakistan Border Piquet at a very close range within a month of my Service. I was advised to reach the Piquet BHIM, establish a base and remain doggo during daylight and carry out reconnaissance during the moonlit nights to avoid detection. My weapon instructor Naik Kaka Ram was detailed to be my assistant in my reconnaissance and also act as the protection section commander since he was in the piquet earlier and knew the ground well and had established a good rapport with the PAK post commander who spoke the same Dogri lingo. I had also picked up the lingo to understand routine conversations and instructions. I left for BHIM piquet after having early dinner on 1 Feb 1959. It was a clear moonlit night and the white snow further reflected the light. The Met report predicted clear nights for the next three days. The Patrol party reached BHIM piquet around 3 AM and it was a tiring trek. We were welcomed by the post commander Subedar Baldev Singh. I enjoyed the hot mug of tea which was most welcome. Our post at the piquet was so constructed in the reverse slopes of the feature that the PAK post had no direct observation of our rest area bunkers, our cookhouse and ablution areas. The approach route to the post was however visible to the PAK post in certain portions. During our onward move, Naik Kaka Ram halted in the three locations where our movements were visible to the Pak Post and he pointed out the Pak Post DRUMAT that was opposite our piquet BHIM. This enabled me to get an idea of the extent and duration for which the patrol party would be exposed to Pak observation. I marked the three areas as A, B and C in the route chart and this was very useful for selecting an alternate route. On 2 Feb, around 3 PM I accompanied the Post commander Sub. Balwant Singh to visit the forward defended locality of the piquet to understand the lay out and approaches to the piquet and how they were covered by our weapon siting and the obstacles. Around 3.30 PM we observed a black dog moving from the PAK post towards our post very nonchalantly with a white cloth wrapped around its body through the low wire obstacles that were laid many years ago and both sides had not paid attention to it suspecting it to be a mine field! Naik Kaka Ram told me that there was nothing to worry as the dog was very friendly and sometimes carried a message to the post commander from its side. It wagged its tail and went to Kaka Ram who found a note in URDU language asking “Kaun Saab Aya Hai (who is the senior person?)?”. Apparently the presence of the patrol party in the post was in their knowledge. Kaka Ram picked the dog up went on top of our bunker and waved it right and left three times facing the Pak Observation post. The Pak post commander reacted and he too similarly waved a white sheet. I asked Subedar Balwant, what it was all about. He said it is a normal procedure followed for a flag meeting of the post commanders to iron out any local issues. I learnt that for the Flag meeting, the post commanders with an escort would proceed to a predetermined