Uri Attack and Surgical Strikes
Uri is a small town located near
the Jhelum river in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir.On the tragic
day of 18th Semptember at around 5:30 am 4 militants attacked an Indian Army brigade headquarters in Uri.The
crossfire continued for 6 hours wherein
all the four terrorists were
decimated but which resulted in heavy
casualties for the Indian Army as well. 17 army personnel of ours were martyred
and around 19-30 soldiers have been
reported to be injured.This attack came at a time when Jammu and Kashmir is
already reeling under social unrest and there are daily clashes between the
police and the people.These protests too, have been spurred on by the
radicalization of the people,primarily the youth,by the militant groups active
in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Uri attack was widely condemned all over the globe,with
the Ministry of External Affairs boycotting the SAARC summit that was to be
held in Islamabad,Pakistan.Showing solidarity,Afghanistan,Bhutan and Bangladesh
withdrew from the summit as well. Pakistan predictably denied any involvement
despite the various proofs that corroborated the fact that the militants had been of Pakistani
origin.From the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to the recent Pathankot attack Pakistan
continues to turn a blind eye towards the rising terrorist activities perpetrated towards India ,by the militant
outfits growing on its soil.The Peshawar school attack appears to have done
nothing to change our neighbours attitude,either.Merely stating that they are
against war, everytime such incidents occur, is not the solution.Such a
lackadaisical approach indicates that in all probability the Pakistani
government itself is hands in glove with
the terrorist groups and thus cannot be relied upon.Despite receiving flak from
all parts of the world it continues to hold fort and has counter accused India
of financing terrorism in Pakistan.Perhaps Indias continuous efforts to resolve
all issues peacefully have convinced the country’s government that we cannot take matters into
our own hands.
This misconception must have been
cleared when the Indian government organized a covert operation against the
militants in Pakistan.A surgical strike,the first of its kind,was carried out
in the wee hours of 29th September on terror launch pads along the
LOC . Intelligence Bureau records, one
released on September 30 for a scheduled inter-agency meeting in New Delhi,
spoke of a major build-up, saying up to 40 jihadists had
massed in Kél, facing India’s Machil sector. This unusual number was
interpreted to be a preparation for a last-ditch infiltration push before the
passes closed in early winter. This
operation was in response to the terrorist strikes on Indian soil.The number of
casualties on either side is still unclear due to the secrecy shrouding the
operation .Initially, Pakistan persistently claimed that the predawn strikes
never happened but after eye witness accounts and the surfacing of the video footage of the strike they reluctantly
admitted to the occurrence. The Indian Army was lauded for its bravery and
dedication throughout the country. This manoueuvre has the benefit of
indicating to the terrorist groups that they are not impregnable by the Indian
Army, just because they are on another soil.
The
news of the surgical strikes led to some quibbling between the incumbent government and the opposition,which was to be
expected ,given our country’s usual political scenario. Shri Narendra Modi,our Prime Minister,declared
that India will now start working towards globally isolating Pakistan and would
continue to push to make it a pariah state.This
seems to have rattled the Nawaz Sharif government and information resources state that a top
secret meeting was held wherein the Pak army was ordered to take visible action
against the terrorist groups.Terrorists have no nationality and no
religion,they are a threat to humanity and must be eliminated and this can only
happen when all countries work together and strive for the same.
-Ritika Agarwal(IPG-2016085)
good article
ReplyDelete