Has Uri been Finally Avenged?

As tactical military operations, these raids were an outstanding success. But a larger question remains.

India’s forces carried out a se­ries of successful pre-emptive surgical strikes 3-5 km across the Line of Control (LC) on ter­rorist launch pads in the wee hours of the morning of 29th September 2016. The terrorists were planning to infiltrate and conduct Uri like operations in J&K and other metros. The In­dian forces eliminated 38 ter­rorists and two Pakistani soldiers, injured nine, and ex­tricated themselves without suffering any casualties. With­out going into details, it is clear that the paratroopers were in­ducted by aircraft along the LoC, and mounted a surprise raid on the unsuspecting ter­rorists, As tactical military operations these raids were an outstanding success.

It is a sign of bold decision making at the highest political and military level, excellent ac­tionable intelligence, meticu­lous planning, inter-service coordination of the highest or­der and finally raw guts and courage of the Indian soldier.

However the larger question is: has Uri been avenged? What about the many incidents be­fore Uri? Are those all buried unsung and forgotten and Pa­kistan forgiven?

This operation was a success because the government had the leadership and political will to face the consequences. The military trains to be ready to execute any task against an enemy provided the govern­ment wants it to do so. Unfor­tunately the earlier dispensa­tions at the Centre were not bold and decisive enough to take the harder option.

Each time India allowed an incident to be analysed for too long there was paralysis in the action. The lesson that Paki­stan drew was that India will make a lot of noise, but there will be no concrete action tak­en. They also concluded that India would seek international help at the UN. So to hedge against that, Pakistan made it­self indispensible to the US in its long drawn war in Afghani­stan and endear itself to Chi­na, a wily practitioner of so­phisticated statecraft. These measures adopted by Pakistan ensured it got away every time and the international commu­nity asked India to exercise re­straint. India thus acquired the stigma of being a soft state.

Pakistan had also concluded that having crafted low yield nuclear weapons with the help of China it had blackmailed India into restraining it for re­acting to terrorist actions in­side India. Of late Pakistani military veterans had been brandishing most glibly and in a cavalier fashion the use of nuclear weapons against India.

These statements were al­ways accompanied with a glint in the eye and a devious smirk. Is Pakistan prepared to use a nuclear weapon when a terror­ist training camp or a launch pad or even a terrorist safe ha­ven is targeted in a surgical strike? Why is the internation­al community not able to re­strain Pakistan? Why is the onus on India?

The reaction to the early morning raids has drawn the expected response from the political setup and Army of Paki­stan. It threatens of suitable retaliation. India is prepared for that. Since India has tar­geted terrorist launch pads and not any military base or even a military post what In­dian objective would Pakistan Army target under the criteria of ‘jus ad bellum’ a ‘just war’? Is it contemplating in despatch­ing armed irregulars to target the Army? Or is it going to un­leash its home grown terror­ists on to the hapless public in a metro to take revenge? Or is it going to mobilise its mili­tary? In undertaking either of the first or second option it will be proved beyond any doubt that Pakistan employs irregulars and terrorists as a subset of its state policy. If Pa­kistan escalates with its mili­tary to another level Indian military would be prepared for it. India will have to be wary of China too as it now has its mili­tary involvement in POK and may not hesitate in intervening.

Here is a situation where the government is activating all the elements of national power. The military is prepared for any misadventure by Pakistani military or terrorist terrorists across the International Bor­der and the LC. The govern­ment has activated the Minis­try of External Affairs to present proof of Pakistan in­volvement in the terrorist ac­tions including the terrorists captured in the hinterland in J&K who have laid bare Paki­stani machinations.

Internally the Home Minis­try is active in strengthening its border management and in­telligence setup. India can also leverage its economic growth to convince nations that India would deal with only those who are sensitive to its con­cerns. The government has reached out to all parties to seek a national consensus. The synergy is palpable.

This incident has brought to fore two important issues gov­ernments at the Centre are wary of talking of – first, break­ing up the state of J&K into three distinct entities of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh; sec­ond, abrogating Article 370.

The situation in the Kashmir Valley has held the Jammu and Ladakh regions hostage for too long and the last three months with no state government func­tional their plight is pathetic. Article 370 is a protective divi­sive legislation which should have no relevance in a free country. It is high time that the country takes a firm decision to stop treating J&K as a dis­puted territory. POK is the dis­puted part, and India should emphatically state so.