Uri Massacre Avenged with Surgical Strike

Uri town in North Kashmir which is barely 6 km from the line of control, is the administrative base of the Army 10 Dogra where many of our Jawans were stationed in the tents and temporary shelters which were stormed by four heavily armed militants in the wee hours on Sunday the 18th September 2016 and 19 Jawans lost their lives and 19 other personnel were injured. Top army officials had admitted it as a serious setback, though all the four terrorists were killed and their huge ammunitions with Pakistani markings on them along with maps, radio sets, global positioning systems, two metric sheets and large quantities of food and medicine packets having markings of Pakistan were recovered. It was the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir in two decades and the militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed is suspected of being involved in the planning and execution of Uri attack.

The bulk of the deaths of our Jawans were due to fire in the tents and the temporary shelters, though this would not belittle the army’s failure to detect the intrusion well in time to avert this ghastly massacre of our jawans.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted on 18th September 2016 itself that “we strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Uri. I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished.”

On 19th September 2016 Director General of Military Operations Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh (DGMO) informed in a press conference as under: 

"In 2016, there have been 17 infiltration attempts so far and 31 terrorists have been killed, while they were trying to cross the Line of Control in India. After Poonch infiltration on September 11, Uri attack took place. Such infiltration attempts have relatively increased during this year. During this year, the Indian Army has neutralised 110 terrorists during various operations.

The Indian Army has displayed considerable restraint while handling the terrorist situations, both along the line of control and in the hinterland. But such blatant act of aggression and violence will be met in the manner as deemed appropriate by us.

We reserve the right to respond to any act of the adversary at the time and place of our choosing.”

PM, Defence Minister, External Affairs Minister, Home Minister and Army Chiefs and host of other top officials were seized of the grave situations created by sudden and massive and unprovoked Uri attack. This Uri Massacre had awakened their concerns to revenge through various fronts - diplomatic, economic, political and military - leaving no chances to Pakistan and India’s strategy is to isolate Pakistan in the world forum and to make known to one and all that ‘Pakistan is the fit case to be named as a terrorist state’. India’s policy of defence to deal with Pakistan’s terrorists infiltrations is giving way to ‘offence defence’ and the earlier fear psychosis about Pakistan’s retaliation and nuclear threat has been replaced with pragmatic and cautious approaches.

On the 24th September 2016, Modi had declared at Kozhikode in his public address as follows: “There is one nation in Asia is associated with terrorism. Terrorists that our neighbours exported killed our jawans. India will never forget and forgive this massacre. Leaders of Pakistan speak out addresses written by terrorists. Both our countries got freedom in same year but India exports software and Pakistan exports terrorists.”

Indian Political parties - particularly Indira Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party and Aam Aadmi Party - had criticised Modi by stating: “Enough of your talks - Please walk the talk”.

Pakistan’s role in providing funds, guns, launching pads, training for the terrorists to attack India with covert cover operations provided by Pakistan Army are well documented and articulated by India in the world forum on many occasions and elsewhere.

Still, Pakistan was denying the fact of its abetting and encouraging terrorists in its soil with the sole aim of cross border strikes in India. To prove its denials are quite wrong and more so to avenge Uri attack, Modi had given his green signal to the Indian army for a surgical strike on 28th - 29th September 2016 from 2 am to 8 am targeting seven launch pads - the target was terror infrastructure and not the Pakistani establishment.

Based on receiving specific and credible inputs that some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launch pads along Line of Control to carry out infiltration and conduct terrorist strikes inside Jammu and Kashmir and in various metros in other states, the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes at several of these launch pads to pre-empt infiltration by terrorists.

India had explained to Pakistan and the world that the surgical strike by Indian forces was not in Pakistan - it was in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir where Pakistan army is an occupation force and that Pakistan violated its mandate under UN resolution on Kashmir decades back to vacate Pakistan Occupied Kashmir - the 70 year old resolution is long voided/dead.

Surgical Strike was targeted on terrorists operating out of Pakistan-controlled territory, not Pakistan armed forces and India informed Pakistan about the surgical strike and confirmed that it has no plans for further continuation.

The surgical strike had caused the death of around 30-35 terrorists at those seven locations, while there were no casualties to Indian Army. One Indian soldier had inadvertently crossed over the line of control and was captured by the Pakistan army and steps are being initiated to have him released. India also briefed the envoys of 25 nations of the surgical strike with a view to make them understand first-hand the actual position.  Wise diplomatic move indeed!

India’s claims of surgical strike against Pakistani-based militants across the de facto border in Pakistan controlled Kashmir was being denied by Islamabad which accused India of firing across the border and killing two of its soldiers. This denial of Pakistan had got the attention of some political parties here in India demanding proof of the surgical strike.

These political parties were not prepared to believe the briefings by the spokesman of our armed forces - but at the same time, they were ready to believe the statement of Pakistan army version. Indian Army, in view of this political controversy, wants India to release video footage capturing the September 29 pre-dawn strikes.

The release of the strike footage will depend on the larger call on likely Pakistani response and the final decision rests with the Prime Minister. Incidentally, Rahul Gandhi’s most treacherous comment in respect of Surgical Strike - “ Modi is trading on the army” - is quite unpatriotic and bordering around ‘Hatriotism of Modi syndrome’.

Modi, as the Prime Minister of India, had ordered the surgical strike and it was a great success - while actual doers should get credit, the leader should also be given the due respect and honour. Suppose the surgical strike had not succeeded, then the entire blame would fall on the man who ordered the strike.

Nationalism which should be the main fulcrum of the grand old party viz. Congress has been given up for petty politics and power and Rahul will definitely bring the downfall of Congress sooner. Anyhow Rahul’s uncharitable and unpatriotic comment which brings discredit to the army rather than Modi were condemned by many including some of his own party men, as Modi has not yet said anything about Surgical Strike.

While chairing the review meeting for Indus Water Treaty Modi said: Blood and water cannot flow simultaneously” and hence it was decided at that meeting to suspend meeting of “Permanent Indus Commission”.  Modi’s announcement that he will not attend SAARC summit in Islamabad scheduled for next month due to Uri Attack, had prompted Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives also to pull out thereby increasingly isolating Pakistan in South Asia. While Russia cancelled joint military exercise with Pakistan in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir after Uri attack, UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon refrained from mentioning Kashmir issue in his speech in UNGA despite repeated requests by Pakistan. Further two US law maker introduced a bill in US House of Congress to declare Pakistan a terrorist state. India is all set to review Most Favoured Nation state given to Pakistan. US aid to Pakistan had suffered tremendously and pressures are mounting on US for imposing sanctions on Pakistan. These are all due to Modi’s effects.

To cap it all, Sushma Swaraj’s recent speech refuting the allegations of PM of Pakistan about India’s stand on Kashmir is one of the best one in presenting India’s case in UN convincingly.

To Quote:

We must acknowledge that terrorism is undoubtedly the biggest violation of human rights. It targets the innocent and kills indiscriminately. Terrorism has gone way beyond affecting individuals or nations - it is a crime against humanity itself. But it is important to ask - who is behind this and who benefits from it? Terrorists do not own banks or weapons factories, so let us ask the real question: who finances these terrorists, who arms them and provides sanctuaries?

We will not be able to win against terrorism by making specious distinctions between your problems and mine, between terrorists who attack you and those who attack me. For we do not know who this Frankenstein's monster will devour next. Therefore if we want to defeat terrorism, there is only one way - that we unite across our differences, add steel to our resolve and inject urgency in our response. We need to forget our prejudices and join hands together to script an effective strategy against terror.

This is not an impossible task provided we have the will. We can do it, we must do it. Otherwise our future generations will forever hold us to account. And if any nation refuses to join this global strategy, then we must isolate it.

In our midst, there are nations that still speak the language of terrorism, that nurture it, peddle it, and export it. To shelter terrorists has become their calling card. We must identify these nations and hold them to account. These nations, in which UN declared terrorists roam freely, lead processions and deliver their poisonous sermons of hate with impunity, are as culpable as the very terrorists they harbour. Such countries should have no place in the comity of nations.

On 21st September, the Prime Minister of Pakistan used this podium to make baseless allegations about human rights violations in my country. I can only say that those accusing others of human rights violations would do well to introspect and see what egregious abuses they are perpetrating in their own country, including in Balochistan. The brutality against the Baloch people represents the worst form of State oppression. The Prime Minister of Pakistan also said that India has placed pre-conditions for talks which are not acceptable to him. What pre-conditions? We took the initiative to resolve issues not on the basis of conditions, but on the basis of friendship! We have in fact attempted a paradigm of friendship in the last two years which is without precedent. We conveyed Eid greetings to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, wished success to his cricket team, extended good wishes for his health and well being. Did all this come with pre-conditions attached? And what did we get in return? Pathankot, Bahadur Ali, and Uri. Bahadur Ali is a terrorist in our custody, whose confession is a living proof of Pakistan's complicity in cross-border terror. But when confronted with such evidence, Pakistan remains in denial. It persists in the belief that such attacks will enable it to obtain the territory it covets. My firm advice to Pakistan is: abandon this dream. Let me state unequivocally that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and will always remain so. 

Unquote.

Awakened India is not for any conflict with its neighbours and is for a peaceful co-existence. Trading on Terrorism by any country will be counterproductive and it will destroy the same country which nurtures and allows and spreads its wings of destructions across the borders.

The Hindu Newspaper is of the opinion that ‘sound bites on the ‘surgical strikes’ by the Indian Army without proof are not good for democracy’. The Hindu questioned the using of terms ‘surgical strike’ and ‘pre-emptive strike’ within quotation marks rather than as a statement of fact and opined that there were no clarity in New Delhi’s new norm of abandoning the self-proclaimed policy of ‘strategic restraint’ adopted in the face of provocations by Pakistan engineered terrorisms across the border.

One will like to pose this question to the Hindu: Can the spoken words of Army Spokesperson be equated as within quotation marks and not as a statement of fact? Is it militarily advisable to brief with complete details of military actions to satisfy the ever hungry media and journalists? Is not incumbent on the military to maintain secrecy?

The Hindu perhaps fail to understand that Indian Army is facing a military regime in Pakistan with no restraint or accountability being thrust on them and that to expect unhindered and uncensored details from our side will only expose our country and Jawans defending to grave risks. 

You need not Trust Modi - BJP - Briefs by Party Spokespersons, but, Journalists should listen and believe our Army Briefings till the contrary is proved.

India had suffered a lot from alien forces destroying our ethos and ethics for long due to lack of Patriotism and Traitors inside our country. Let Hatriotism and Traitorism be buried fathom deep with flag of Patriotism flying sky high for which we owe a lot for our Army.

Jai Jawan