India’s surgical strikes on PoK expose Pakistan yet again

Border villagers migrating after the government asked people to vacate their villages falling in 10 km range of international border with Pakistan as a precautionary measure following India’s surgical strikes in PoK, near Attari. (Photo: PTI)

After the dastardly attack by Pakistani terrorists on the Army at Uri, Jammu and Kashmir on September 18, killing 18 Indian soldiers, while an unprecedented groundswell of public opinion for a prompt punitive response on ground emerged, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was already on a diplomatic offensive, launched a psychological warfare campaign too. Reaching out to the Pakistani public by differentiating between them and their government, Mr Modi said the “anger” in India over the Uri attack “symbolises our national consciousness” and “I will just reiterate that the guilty will certainly be punished”. On his Mann Ki Baat, he said: “The country is proud of its Army. Citizens and politicians get many opportunities to speak, and do speak. The Army does not speak, the Army takes action, shows its prowess.”

Indian Army’s director-general, military operations (DGMO), Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh in his first briefing to the media, simply stated: “we will strike at a time and place of our choosing” . After a few days of planning a meticulously coordinated attack across the Line of Control (LoC), on eight targeted locations over a very wide frontage inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was launched at 0030 hours on September 29. With total surprise, 150 or so special forces troops, struck at these locations, seven of them being “launching pads” for Pakistan Army supported Pakistani terrorists, killing at least 38 terrorists and two Pakistan Army personnel as well as injuring 40 terrorists and nine Pakistan Army soldiers.

PM Modi had walked the talk. This writer, as a defence analyst, maintained for decades that the Indian Army has the capability and all that was required was political will, which except for PM Lal Bahadur Shastri (1965 India-Pak war) and PM Indira Gandhi in 1967 (retaliation against the Chinese at Nathu La, Sikkim) and in 1971 India-Pak war, was lacking — often alarmingly — for 67 years since Independence. Political will was finally exercised by PM Modi after the Uri attack — for the second time since last year in Manipur.

Such an operation can only succeed like it did, with painstaking preparation involving hard and continuous real-time intelligence, meticulous coordination throughout and well-armed troops with guts , guile and calmness.

Following the operation, Lt. Gen. Singh briefly elaborated, “the motive of this operation was to hit out at the terrorists who were planning to infiltrate into our territory Indian armed forces are ready for any contingency. As of now we have no plans of further operations I spoke to the Pakistan DGMO, shared our concerns and told him that we conducted surgical strikes last night.”

The modus of the attack was a combination of a preponderance of accurate fire-power with boots on the ground and the fact that all this was achieved with no own casualties is indeed another combination of professionalism and good luck.

Although Chandu Babulal Chavan of 37 Rashtriya Rifles, who inadvertently crossed over to PoK, was not connected to and well away from the area of Indian Army’s surgical strike, Pakistan is reportedly treating, or mistreating him, as a prisoner of war. Efforts are on to have him released.

Reactions from Pakistan are confusing to say the least. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemning “unprovoked and naked aggression” by India along the LoC, said Pakistan’s armed forces are fully capable of defending the territorial integrity of the country.

Mr Sharif also “warned” that Pakistan’s intent for a peaceful neighbourhood should not be mistaken as its weakness and that it can thwart any “evil design” to undermine its sovereignty. While initially Pakistan Army denied the Indian Army operation altogether, ISPR is reported to have said that Indian Army troops entered three km and an exchange of fire which began at 2.30 am, continued till 8.00 am, in which “Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing on the LoC in Bhimber, Hotspring, Kel and Lipa sectors”.

Pakistan is seething. The Indian Army’s raid has again exposed the Pakistan Army’s incompetence and duplicity of supporting terrorists, much akin to what happened after American special forces killed Osama bin Laden at Abbottabad. The Pakistan Army may well be desperately trying to muster more terrorists to strike in J&K and/or other soft targets in India. There are reports of the Pakistan Army relocating at least 17 terrorist camps in PoK, even as at least 300 terrorists have run away after the September 29 strike. If the Pakisatn Army decides to retaliate on the ground from PoK, or from Pakistan, it remains to be seen how widely it will be able to do so. Considering what the Indian Army has brilliantly done, it is well prepared for a riposte by the Pakistan Army and if that riposte comes, the Pakistan Army will get it back in ample measure, to say the least. India has taken precautions of vacating villages in close vicinity of the LoC and the International Boundary even before Pakistan rangers began violating the ceasefire near Akhnoor.

As to the Pakistan Army responding with nuclear weapons, even if it has “tactical nukes”, will it be stupid enough to do so Very often in the past many of us veterans watching closely and writing/commenting frequently, have said that we must call Pakistan’s oft repeated nuclear bluff. Will the Pakistan Army opt for full-fledged war While it has immediately stopped its personnel’s leave, it does not seem to have that capability for full-fledged conventional war, which is why after 1971, it switched to export of terror. If it resorts to limited war like Kargil in 1999, it will again get an appropriate response.

The New York Times citing a 50-minute audio hacked from the Democratic Party’s computers when Hillary Clinton spoke in a close door fundraiser in Virginia in February, quoted her: “Pakistan is running full speed to develop tactical nukes in their continuing hostility with India But we live in fear that they’re going to have a coup, that jihadists are going to take over the government, they’re going to get access to nuclear weapons, and you’ll have suicide nuclear bombers. So, this could not be a more threatening scenario.” Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who does not know a platoon from a pontoon, threatened to nuke India if New Delhi retaliated to the Uri terrorist attacks. He is not the first of Pakistan leaders to sound stupid and irresponsible. But with few days left for the Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif to retire and the way things are in Pakistan after India’s surgical strike, the US and other countries must seriously note the risk of Pakistan’s nukes falling into horrendous hands.

While defence minister Manohar Parrikar quipped that Pakistan is still in post-surgery anesthesia, India is visibly in a high alert mode.