As mentioned earlier the Great Indian Response Trick has been played out before in time, and by our reckoning with the Mumbai events, the GIRT is now into its fourth edition.

The first edition of GIRT manifested itself in 1998 when the Pakistan Army launched the Kargil operation in response to some dramatic peace initiatives from the Indian and Pakistani 'civilian' establishments. "Papiyan jhapiyan" (kisses and cuddles) was the memorable phrase deployed by the late JN Dixit, ex-foreign secretary and NSA, to characterise the country's silly season.

It took the Indian Army all of one and a half months to launch itself into battle in that remote region. With the intruders being knocked from peak after peak, and sector after sector, pressure was applied on Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif to seek American intervention so that a line of retreat could be secured for the remnants of the Pakistani forces.

For some reason, still inexplicable, the Indian establishment allowed the intervention to take place and the battered Pakistani forces retreated from the few positions they were still holding onto.

The Indian army absorbed upwards of a thousand casualties in the conflict and ended up enhancing its natural distrust for the civilian establishment. The civil establishment, after an intense phase when it blamed the army for everything, realised the golden virtues of silence, particularly, when nasty comments began to emerge from the knowledgeable about its role and performance in the conflict.

One thing was evident - American intervention was sought, and allowed to take place, and the perpetrators got away clean.

As per the hallowed traditions of Indian bureaucracy reviews were set up. The country's wise heads intoned that the intelligence set up was indeed in a shambles and needed to be overhauled. A reformist committee then submitted its report suggesting how this should be done.

The first edition of GIRT had come to an end.

A good eight odd years later, a disgusted ex-Indian Navy chief Sushil Kumar speaking on a TV News channel pointed out that had the recommendations of the review committee been put into effect this sorry episode on 26 November 2008 in Mumbai wouldn't even have happened.

But then the admiral forgets that this is inherent in the Great Indian Response Trick and that the trick wouldn't be what it is if such things didn't happen.   

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