Mirpur SP confirms India's surgical strikes, says Pak army protects jihadis

On 29 September, the Indian Army carried out “surgical strikes” along the de facto border with Pakistan in Kashmir to thwart a series of attacks being planned against major cities, the Army said. Pakistan’s military, however, accused India of killing two of its soldiers in “unprovoked firing” along the Line of Control that divides the disputed territory and said its troops had responded while maintaining that no such strike was carried out by India across the Line of Control (LoC). [caption id=“attachment_3033344” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, the director-general of military operations, said the decision to launch the strikes had been taken after the military determined the launchpads had been set up with “an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes in Jammu and Kashmir and various other metros in our country.” The strikes came after the government accused Pakistan-based militants of launching a deadly assault on an army base in Uri, Kashmir earlier this month that killed 19 soldiers. India has also been on a diplomatic drive to isolate its arch rival and fellow nuclear power since the attack on the base on 18 September. But soon a debate raged over whether the government should release evidence of the army’s strikes with BJP leader Subramanian Swamy favouring putting out an edited version of the video on the action while most experts spoke against it. Rejecting the demand, the ruling BJP attacked some Congress leaders and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal for raising questions over the strikes and accused them of giving a handle to Pakistan to advance its false propaganda. The Congress, on its part, insisted that it never questioned the authenticity of the strikes but steered clear of the demand, including from within its own ranks, for the release of evidence, saying it would give appropriate advice in the best interest of national security if consulted by the government. A large number of countries, including Russia, have congratulated India on these strikes, he said. Former army chief Gen VP Malik slammed those questioning the credibility of the strikes saying, “The video should not be released just because some stupid people have sought so.” BJP Spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said, “At a time when the whole world has stopped believing Pakistan we have the spectacle of Congress, Kejriwal and other parties questioning strike carried out by our armed forces and giving a handle to Pakistan to advance its false propaganda.” Reacting to the newspaper report, he said the credibility of Indian armed forces is so high that the whole world has rallied behind India and supported surgical strikes. “We do not need to rely on any media report to justify the statement of the armed forces.” Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir on Wednesday said footage of the strike has been submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office by the Army. Asked if the government planned to share the video, he said: “No such decision has been taken yet, a call can only be taken by the Prime Minister.” “A nation has its own policies and one needs to practise restraint. People like Sanjay Nirupam and Arvind Kejriwal listen to Pakistan. The DGMO did the briefing and everyone in India believes it,” the minister said. With inputs from agencies