As Pakistan, India face off, thousands of Indians enlist

JULLUNDUR, India -- Thousands of men from Punjab villages near the tense border with Pakistan streamed into an army recruitment center Tuesday to volunteer for the Indian army.

The seven-day recruitment drive is aimed at Sikhs, who are famous for their bravery in wartime and have historically made up a large proportion of the 1.2 million force. Sikhs typically wear turbans over their uncut hair and beards as part of their religion.

"I want to join the army, get quick training and defend my motherland in case of a war," said Gurman Singh, a farmer's son, one of 20,000 men who responded to the army's call.

The drive wasn't in response to the latest war fears between India and Pakistan triggered by the Dec. 13 attack on the Indian Parliament by Pakistani-based militants.

Instead, the army said it needs recruits to replace soldiers lost in battles against Islamic guerrillas who cross the Punjab border from Pakistan to fight in Kashmir, a disputed region since independence in 1947.

The officer in charge of the recruitment center said he was struck by the spirit of the volunteers, who lined up at the center at dawn in the cold.

"This is great, something very impressive," said Brig. Arvind Treohan of the big response. "Normally I don't see such enthusiasm."

After initial screening for height, weight and eyesight, 13,000 men were chosen for possible enlistment, Treohan said.

One, Sukhjinder Singh, said his brother, Gurdayal, died when India and Pakistan fought for 11 weeks in 1999.

"My elder brother was killed in Kargil, but my father said that he would be too happy to see me in military uniform," Singh said.

High unemployment among young men in Punjab encourages military service. In the farming state with a Sikh majority, small family plots are passed from fathers to their eldest sons, leaving younger men little work.