Previous cross-LoC strikes ‘not’ on scale of Sept 29

KV Prasad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 8

Political slugfest over surgical strikes notwithstanding, the government is clear there is no room for sharing any evidence while asserting that the September 29-like surgical strikes never occurred in the past.

Emphasising that earlier counter-terror operations were limited in nature, sources privy to the security management here said these were unlike the coordinated exercise across several spots at one go that occurred across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

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Over the past few days, the Opposition Congress sought to convey that during its tenure between 2011 and 2014, three surgical strikes were undertaken. With Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar already ruling out providing evidence about the surgical strikes, thinking in the higher echelons of security management here is that admission by India having carried these out is enough.

The assessment is that such declaration can have a cascading effect towards escalating tension and that it should be avoided while drawing parallel with judicial interpretation that upheld the state’s decision not to share sensitive evidence during Ajmal Kasab’s trial in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case.

The calibrated approach in dealing with attacks is to ensure that Pakistan realises there is a cost to pay for patronising terror and, if required, counter-terror action could be exercised again.

By choosing to carry out the strikes, the message is New Delhi has raised the stakes and will not allow low-risk, low-cost terror as a weapon to be deployed. The go-ahead also demonstrated the political will based on the judgement of those tasked with operations and assessment of their ability to carry it out.

Sources privy to the thinking in top echelons of security management in the country say despite trying its best, Pakistan neither found traction to its attempt to bring the Kashmir issue on the international agenda nor did it get any strong voice speaking against the surgical strikes.