The Special forces of Indian Army conducted multiple surgical strikes on launchpads of terrorists across the Line of Control during the night of 28-29 September. These strikes have caused "significant casualties to terrorists and those who are trying to support them". The important fact is that there was not a single casualty on our side. Indian Army chose its time and places to strike. In my opinion, this operation is different in many ways from past operations. First, this was an overt operation. There was a press briefing by Lt. Gen. rank officer( DGMO Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh) to let the Indian people and world know that we have carried out this operation as a preemptive measure. This was just an anti -terror operation and not an operation against Pakistan Army. At the same time making it very clear that we have no intention to continue this any further. However, India Army is fully prepared to take care of consequences, if any.
Secondly, there was a complete backing by Political leadership. It has two positive impacts. First, the morale of Indian armed forces has been boasted. They are rest assured that sacrifices of their colleagues and officers have not gone in vain and will not go in future. And second, the people of India have also been assured that we as a nation will not bow down against terrorists. We have the capabilities and we also know how and when to use these capabilities.
I am coming back to initial topic of different in many ways. Thirdly, the after-fall of this operation has been handled very diligently. Like, there was a briefing to various foreign envoys by our foreign secretary, including P-5 countries, about the operation and its objective. There is a plan to brief various countries through our envoys in those countries about the operation and its necessity. The best part is that not a single country has condemned or criticized this operation till now. It shows that we are capable of garnering international supports to further our national interest and to secure our territory. Time is over for strategic restraint and indecision. There was also an all-party meeting chaired by Home Minister to brief representatives of various political parties about the operation. It strengths our belief in our democracy. It also shows that we are a functioning democracy. We may fight on ideological basis, but, when it comes to national exigencies, we stand united and support each other.
What Now?
Now, the ball is in Gen. Raheel Sharif's court(because there is a saying that in India, our army functions under the political leadership while in Pakistan, political leadership functions under the army ) whether he wants to escalate this operation or not. My thinking is that there will definitely be some retaliation. It is because that Gen. Raheel is very popular among the Pakistani masses and he is ,now, exactly in the same position as was our PM after the Uri attack. This retaliation could manifest in many forms. For instance, our foreign assets may come under terrorist attacks(our embassies in foreign countries, oil fields, etc) ,especially our Afghan embassy and Consulates are very vulnerable. It may manifest in terrorist attack on our metro cities.It could result in the increased attempts to infiltrate along the LoC and international border. It could also be an all out war.
This surgical strike is good in the sense that we are capable of doing it openly like a major nation on our terms. But, it should just be a part of our overall strategy to mount pressure on Pakistan to behave like a responsible nation. It should not become a routine exercise. Just imagine a scenario that a soldier is caught alive during this operation and paraded on a Pakistani street. This does not mean that i have no confidence on our brave soldiers. It could be a possibility, especially when surprise element reduces. Diplomacy is an art of patience and time. It takes time but, it produces desired result. There is no substitute of diplomacy and it is good in longer run. We have to use it increasingly to make Pakistan isolated on international arena and fall in line to behave.
My last take is on Indian people including me. We like to celebrate heavily and go in despair very quickly. We should feel proud of our Army and political leadership currently. But, we should not over celebrate this. This is a time to reflect on future possibilities and remain on guard. Our army and political dispensation will require our firm support,if there is any escalation.
"Hope for best and prepare for worst".
