In what is being called the deadliest attack on the Indian Army in the last 26 years, infiltrators this time hit a tad too close to home prompting India to take up a more severe stand against neighbouring Pakistan. At a time when the war against terror has become a unified international outcry, India finds itself being tested time and again.
The National Investigation Agency is all set to take over the investigation into the Uri attack, where 18 Army personnel were killed on an Army camp by four Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists. The Pathankot-style strike on the Indian Army camp along the Line of Control took place at the crack of dawn when four attackers burst in spraying bullets and hurling hand grenades.
Director general of military operations, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, later called a briefing in New Delhi, saying all four attackers were foreign terrorists and owned items with Pakistani markings on them.
“Initial reports indicate that the slain terrorists belong to Jaish-e-Mohammed. Four AK 47 rifles and four under-barrel grenade launchers were recovered,” he said. A serious security breach, the attack happened during the usual change of guard.
The incident provoked an aggressive response from India as this is the second time a military establishment was attacked this year alone. Several security establishment officials said a political decision needs to be taken quickly, to send a clear message to the neighbour saying “enough is enough”.
“How long will we keep on absorbing terror strikes, from 26/11 to Pathankot, without effectively retaliating? Our defensive approach only serves to embolden the Pakistan Army-ISI combine further,” said a senior official.
While the Indian Army was able to effectively take down the militants, the attack kicked off a series of events; evidence of India’s waning tolerance towards Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack, while Home Minister Rajnath Singh held an emergency meeting to discuss further steps. Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar visited Kashmir soon after, to assess the military operations and review the security situation in the area. Parrikar gave strict instructions to the Army to take firm action against those responsible for the attack.
Sources said options hammered out during the two rounds of deliberations Home Minister Rajnath Singh held with Army officers, intelligence chiefs and senior bureaucrats included surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on camps where terrorists are trained by the Pakistan Army and jihadi outfits, and also artillery attacks on such camps. The PM, Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Manohar Parrikar and others felt the response should be effective enough to reassure people at home as well as to make it clear to Pakistan that it cannot get away with murder any more, said an official source, indicating that the “effective response won’t be long in coming”.
A group of officers are likely to examine the pros and cons of each possible course of action before the PM and members of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) decide on how exactly to hit back at Pakistan.
The PM has also authorised the Army to deliver an effective response to the terror attack. Sources from the top-level meeting held by Modi with members of the Cabinet Committee on Security, military and intelligence brass and senior bureaucrats, said the PM asked for all options to be put on the table for the government to take the final call. Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, director general of military operations, said, “We have the desired capacity to respond to such blatant acts of aggression. We reserve the right to respond to any act of the adversary at a time and place of our choosing.” Modi later met President Pranab Mukherjee to apprise him of the Uri attack and the situation unfolding in its aftermath.
Minister of State for External Affairs Vijay Kumar Singh said India would give a “befitting reply” to the attack, and called upon the armed forces to scale up their security. The general tone of India calls to remain unyielding. “Our relationship with Pakistan will not be the same again. Our patience is running out. There is a limit to patience. The government will consider strategic and diplomatic options and take a decision,” said Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Modi Sarkar has made it clear that it may not be deterred by considerations such as the impact of any action across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said, “Of the total 110 terrorists eliminated in J&K, 31 were killed attempting to cross the LoC. It actually indicates a desperate attempt from across the LoC to infiltrate more terrorists into Kashmir with a view to create disturbance and foment unrest.”
The Centre has also decided to diplomatically isolate Pakistan at every international forum or group. Sources said, if required, India will also be ready to present all actionable evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the attack to any international body. While Pakistan continues to deny its involvement in the attack, India found support from the international community. France’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said, “We call on States to fight against terror groups operating on their territory or from their territory against others. France remains at India’s side in the combat against terrorism.”
