SURGICAL STRIKES

People of our country are happy for the surgical strikes. Modi detractors are asking for proof of the attack. Army has got the proof but would not like to put it in the public domain for security reasons and rightly so the proof should not be made public or if made public the video footage should be made public after editing without revealing the tactics and other sensitive issues.

The exercise was started when intelligence agencies gathered intelligence since the valley was boiling for last two months. It came to light that all the stone pelting protests after Burhan Wani’s death was stage managed by Pakistan and money was siphoned through hawala and other routes. A coordinated effort by our intel and security agencies was put in. While this exercise was underway, Uri attacks happened.   The exercise which started two months back culminated with surgical strikes. Surgical strike was not a knee jerk reaction after URI attack but a well thought coordinated plan based on months of intel gathering.

Strikes were carried out earlier also but as a national policy they were never declared as that time it was thought that declaring it would hamper the back channel talks or direct dialogue with Pakistan. The dialog and back channel talks never ever yielded any tangible results nor did it cut down terror attacks on our Nation by Pakistan. The dialog was useless but the then Government wanted to try. Even the present government did try to resolve by dialog. Prime minister himself several times took initiatives in that direction but there is a limit.

Invocation of Baluchistan issue in Prime Minister’s 15 Aug speech, consisted of few sentences and it was just a passing reference in his hour long speech but shift in policy change was a result of well thought after plan. With the Uri attacks the government concluded that although the plan was in the right direction but the pace was not. So now with accelerated pace, the plan of diplomatically isolating Pakistan, to unearth Hawala transactions from Pakistan and separatists, to downgrade MFN status of Pakistan, to give free hand to defense forces to act against the attackers, to review Indus water treaty, to neutralize the launch pads and to strike at the attackers. This to be done as the new reviewed Indian policy to defend our nation from the Pakistan’s proxy war.

As a result of this reviewed policy, surgical strikes were officially declared by the Army. The Government was successful in showing to the world and to our nation that Pakistan’s bluff of nuclear retaliation was nothing more than just chest thumping. The official declaration of surgical strikes achieved following spin offs –

-          This has resulted in massive internal crisis following major showdown between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Raheel Sharif.

-          Massive protests in Baluchistan against Pak atrocities.

-          Our citizens became aware of our capability.

-          There was immediate rise in the confidence level and countrymen experienced an air of supremacy.

-          We saw many countries openly taking sides - we came to know our friends and those who are not. More or less everybody supported the strikes and thus Pakistan got further isolated.

-          There was a unifying effect across the political parties irrespective of ideology and had a rallying effect.

-          There might be one or two fidayeen attacks as an act of desperation and frustration but that cost we as a nation should be ready to absorb.

Feeling of we are safely guarded by our soldiers is great but we should guard ourselves from opportunists, pseudo intelligentsia and selfish citizens of our country who are handful but more harmful than enemy.