Surgical Strike 2016: The rise of assertive India

On 29 September 2016, India  announced  it had carried out surgical strikes deep inside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to destroy the “launch pads” of the Pakistani terrorist groups used for infiltrations into Jammu and Kashmir. This strike had followed a terrorist attack carried out by Pakistan-based and Pakistani Army-sponsored Jaish-e-Mohammad on 16 September 2016, which killed 19 Indian soldiers in the border town of Uri in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. The surgical military operation with zero collateral loss marked a significant first for the Indian Army as it crossed the Line of Control (LoC), an event that buried the image of India’s docility for once and all. This operation marked a fundamental shift in India’s long-held policy of avoiding military escalation and reliance on diplomatic responses. In the past New Delhi had given a very restrained response in terms of using the military options and refrained from crossing a line that was perhaps seen as a ‘soft’ response.  The local level actions undertaken against the threats along the LoC were also kept under the wraps and weren’t spoken of publicly. India preferred employing the diplomatic options only and spent decades in using the diplomatic tool of “naming and shaming” Pakistan on the international forums for the recurring terrorist acts perpetuated by the groups nurtured by the Pakistani Army. However, with Pakistan unabashedly using terrorism as a tool that became an inherent part of its state policy against India, Uri marked a fundamental shift in this policy of military restraint. To the multiple provocations earlier, including the gruesome Mumbai attacks of 2008, India had tried to utilise diplomatic means to rally the international community to take some tangible actions against Islamabad. This had perhaps cultivated a belief in the Pakistani Army and their terror masters that India would not take the lead to respond militarily to their terror provocations to avoid military escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Even during the Kargil War of 1999, Indian forces did not cross the LoC, even as it evicted the infiltrators by crushing and humiliating them; had it crossed the LoC, it could have easily cut Pakistan’s military supply lines but it gave a calibrated and restrained response. But 2016 was not 1999, and India had come a long way. The determined political leadership of the country finally resolved to shun this policy of restrained and soft response. This was a change that was an outcome  from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s  assurance  to the nation, wherein he had emphasised that the perpetrators of “this despicable attack” in Uri “will not go unpunished.” India did not only take ownership of conducting the military operation inside PoK, which Pakistan denied, but it demonstrated to the world that the “New” India would not stay quiet when attacked and instead defend its interests, come what may, even if that meant military action. India has suffered more than three decades of terrorism but this was the first time that She made the Pakistani Army pay the price for unabashedly pushing terrorists inside Jammu and Kashmir to unleash violence. These surgical strikes also punctured Pakistan’s false claims of having no terror sanctuaries on its soil and exposed its double-speak before the world. These surgical strikes marked a shift in how India conducted its international affairs. It demonstrated to the world that it would take any and every measure to safeguard its interests and defend its sovereignty. In 2017, during his US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised how the world community finally came to terms with the rising India. Prime Minister Modi  stated , “When India conducted surgical strikes the world experienced our power and realised that India practices restraint but can show power when needed.” The surgical strike was not a standalone change in India’s refurbished policy outlook, as it demonstrated more assertiveness in its international relations. It has shown adeptness in aligning and realigning globally while also maintaining its position as an important international player. It has expanded its alliance base, including the Muslim world, especially the resource-rich Gulf countries, where it has effectively neutralised Pakistan’s impact on its engagements. The significant level of strategic cooperation with countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates demonstrates India’s robust geopolitical strategy. It is because of this assertiveness, India could ensure that Pakistan’s propaganda about Kashmir gets no audience at the international level, given India has effectively exposed its duplicitousness. This is demonstrated by the indifference shown by the international community when India undertook constitutional measures in 2019 vis-à-vis Jammu and K, something that Pakistan tried to portray negatively. One can safely argue that the surgical strike became a profound marker of an assertive New India, one that no longer hesitated to demonstrate its strength when its interests were threatened. It can be concluded that the 2016 surgical strike demonstrated a significant movement and probably a paradigm shift in India’s approach to its national security and international role, given its departure from the long-held doctrine of strategic restraint to an assertive role. It boosted the nation’s morale, and with a broader transformation in its international engagements, India manifested greater adeptness in building and maintaining global alliances as its global role increased. It announced that India had moved past the era of strategic restraint and was willing to take necessary actions to protect its security and interests on the global stage. The writer, an author and columnist has written several books. He tweets @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. 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