Open Letter to Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee

(Saturday 05 January 2002 Washington, DC) Following reports of mine-laying on the border with Pakistan, ICBL condemned such use and sent this open letter to Prime Minister Vajpayee urging India to refrain from laying antipersonnel landmines and to declare this publicly.

4 January 2002

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Rashtrapati Bavan
New Delhi 110004
INDIA

Dear Prime Minister Vajpayee:

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is gravely disturbed that Indian troops are laying new antipersonnel landmines along the border with Pakistan. On 4 January, the New York Times reported from Mulla Kot, India that over the past two weeks Indian soldiers have sown thousands of acres of farmland with antipersonnel and antitank mines. It stated that various accounts from border regions “indicate that India is in the process of laying mines along virtually the entire length of its 1,800-mile border with Pakistan.”

The ICBL believes that any use of antipersonnel mines is a violation of customary international humanitarian law, because antipersonnel mines are inherently indiscriminate and because their limited military utility is far outweighed by their negative humanitarian consequences. The dominant view of the international community that antipersonnel mines should be considered illegal is reflected in the fact that 122 nations have ratified, and another 20 have signed, the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty that comprehensively prohibits any use, production, trade or stockpiling of the weapon.

It is most regrettable that India is not among these nations. It is noteworthy, however, that India has since 1995 supported “the objective” of a universal ban on antipersonnel mines. In a January 2001 letter to the ICBL, your government stated, “India is fully committed to the eventual elimination of antipersonnel landmines.” Yet, the factors and reasons that justify a ban on antipersonnel mines in the future are just as valid today.

The antipersonnel mines that are being laid today by Indian troops are likely to take the lives and limbs of numerous Indian civilians in the coming years. Indeed, the media has already reported civilian casualties – a bicyclist was killed on New Year’s Day in the Bikaner district, and a child was injured in the same region last week. In addition to the casualties, large tracts of agricultural land are now being denied Indian farmers. Clearance will no doubt be a long, costly and dangerous process.

In a 1996 study carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross, military experts concluded that in the three previous India-Pakistan wars, the “contribution of these minefields to the ultimate outcome of the conflict was considered to be marginal.” Elimination of antipersonnel mines can also have diplomatic benefits, and contribute to regional security and stability. For example, in 2001,Greece and Turkey announced their plans to join the Mine Ban Treaty simultaneously as a confidence building measure.

We therefore call on India to refrain from laying new antipersonnel landmines and to declare this publicly. In taking such a bold step, you will avoid putting civilians and combatants at further risk and will help to build confidence in the region, laying the groundwork for peace. We are also calling on Pakistan to refrain from using antipersonnel mines. We are also urging States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, including Bangladesh and the Maldives from the region, to oppose any use of antipersonnel landmines by India or Pakistan.

Sincerely,

Ms. Elizabeth Bernstein
ICBL Coordinator

CC: Mr. George Fernandes, Minister of Defense
Mr. Jaswant Singh, Minister of Foreign Affairs