India Strikes Back At Terror Camps In Pakistan – OpEd
By C. Uday Bhaskar
The surgical strike against the terrorist camps announced by the Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO), Lt. Gen Ranbir Singh, has confirmed what had been anticipated over the last few days – namely that the Modi team would ‘respond’ in an appropriate manner to the enormity of the Uri terror attack.
Two aspects merit notice. India has confirmed that the attack was against terror infrastructure along the Line of Control (LoC) – and that the objective had been realized. It was further added by the Indian DGMO that he had informed his Pakistani counterpart.
With this two messages have been conveyed. One, India does not wish to escalate the military operation & the target was terror – and not the territorial integrity or sovereignty of Pakistan. Two, the onus for restraint or escalation is now on Rawalpindi – the GHQ of the Pak military.
And the domestic political message is clear. PM Modi is indeed committed to defend India’s security interests – and will take firm action when required – as promised during his election campaign. However, what needs to be tracked now is the response from Pakistan and the sub-continental trajectory that the post surgical strike days will follow.
