Parrikar rejects Congress's claim, 'no surgical strikes were held in previous years'

[Star Wars]

Now this is just cheap politics. The DM of the country should not indulge in this mud slinging competition it should be left to the lower level cadets of the party.

He is someone who likes to Rub it in to his opposition. also depends if he is speaking as a DM or as a politician...

 

[IndoCarib]

Parrikar is becoming a liability now. He needs to talk less, or else he will lose defence portfolio

 

[Star Wars]

Parrikar is becoming a liability now. He needs to talk less, or else he will lose defence portfolio

He won't be going anywhere for a long long time, don't blame Parrikar for selective posting of his entire speech. His speech itself was about giving credit to the army only and not the politicians...
How do people fall hook line and sinker into media hit jobs ?

 

[Bitter Melon]

It might be true. The ones involved in any strike crossing the border is an strike. You can call it surgical or an attack. But its immaterial whether ex-DM or ex-PM ordered it or no. The soldiers did it. Now with this statement MP has destroyed the hearts of those brave people who were involved in operations. And some op details need not be written down on paper.

For heaven sake he is in power. He must learn to ignore things. Studied silence must be maintained on matters of national security and not cheap politics.

Actually, the soldiers are happy for the first time they have a govt which has got their back. Contrary to your opinion the country did want to see some visible action against the Pakistanis. It was a long overdue catharsis.

No time before was the scale of operation this vast.

http://www.opindia.com/2016/10/surg...trategy-behind-going-public-with-information/

Any military operation has clear aims. These differ at different levels, with the aim at the lower level contributing towards (but not necessarily fulfilling) the aim at the higher level. For example, the aim for a battalion commander could be to capture Hill ABC. For his GOC who assigned him the task, the capture would be a step towards securing his own, larger, aim – say the capture of Area XYZ which includes the Hill. So the capture of Hill ABC could, for example, prevent enemy reinforcements moving into Area XYZ, thus helping the GOC’s in achieving his overall aim. This nesting of aim within aim goes all the way right up to the level at which the operation is ordered. Achievement of aim at the lower level is not and end in itself, but means of achieving the aim at the higher level.

In this context, let’s look at the recent Surgical Strikes across the LoC to try and understand what would have been the aims at different levels. At the bottom of the ladder, the commander of each strike team would have been given a specific target. His aim would have been to destroy the allotted target – cause maximum damage, kill as many terrorists as possible.

At Army Headquarters level, the aim would have been to carry out strikes at multiple locations to destroy terrorist launch-pads and kill terrorists waiting to infiltrate into India.

At the level of the government, the aim was probably to send a clear message across to Pakistan as part of its larger strategy of dealing with state sponsored terrorism. The move to isolate Pakistan diplomatically, review the Indus Water Treaty and Most Favoured Nation status would be some other components of this strategy, which seems to have come into play after the terrorist attacks on the army camp in Uri.

The call from DGMO to his Pakistani counterpart to inform him of the successful completion of the raids, and the subsequent press conference to announce the same to the world, would be an essential part of sending this message. Translated into plain speak, the message would read something like this – “Having failed to convince you through other means to desist from providing support to terrorists, we now reserve the right to take appropriate military action in retaliation to cross border terrorism. We will do so at the time and place of our choosing, and we are not intimidated by your threat of nuclear escalation.”

A simultaneous message was sent across to the people of India. That the government they elected is capable of responding to terrorist threats, responding to violence with violence, not content with lodging diplomatic protests and handing over dossiers. And to the world at large, the message was “We have given peace a reasonable chance. We reached out to Pakistan multiple time and at the highest level. We have even allowed their investigative team to visit the site of terrorist attack in Pathankot in an unprecedented move. Yet terrorist strikes backed by Pakistan are continuing in our territory. We now reserve the right to retaliate.”

Looking at the bigger picture, shorn of the messages sent across by the government publicly owning up and talking about them, what would be achieved by the Surgical Strikes for which the brave soldiers risked their lives? Elimination of scores of terrorists and destruction of their temporary structures would be cathartic for the soldiers who participated and those who were in the know that such operations took place to avenge the lives of their comrades at Uri. But beyond that, it wouldn’t make any difference at all. To Pakistan, the people of India and the world community. The jihadi factories across the LoC can replace the loss within no time at all. The world would continue to see India as a ‘soft state’, and Pakistan would continue to laugh at our faces. And the people of India would continue to live in fear.

Instead, Pakistan is confused – swinging between denying any strikes took place and vowing to hit back. Director General of the infamous Pakistani intelligence agency ISI has been unceremoniously replaced. Its repeated rattling of the nuclear sabre has been exposed as false bravado. Countries across the world, with the exception of China, have supported the action taken by India to safeguard itself from terrorist attacks.

In this light, let’s take a look at the belated owning up of similar strikes in the past by the Congress and UPA. Without disputing that they did take place and without trying to compare their scale and scope with the present operations, I would like to know what prevented the government of that time to publicly acknowledge them? While the tactical aims would be similar to the latest strikes, what were their strategic aims, and what was achieved at that level? What was their impact on Pakistan, the people of India and the world?

In the absence of any clarity on this, it would appear that these were operations planned and executed at the local formation level by the army. They were aimed at avenging the lives of Indian soldiers, and restoring the morale of the local units. They may have been carried out either with prior approval of (as opposed to on the orders of) the government, or it is even possible that the government could have been informed of it post facto. Possibly the government wanted plausible deniability in case of things going wrong, and preferred a ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy.

Whatever be the case, the operation carried out on 28 Sep was certainly with a clear cut strategic aim, and public acknowledgement of the same by the government was a step towards achieving that aim. The previous strikes would therefore appear to be lost opportunities. Had there been clearer strategic thinking around them, possibly the Pathankot and Uri attacks would never have taken place, and these strikes wouldn’t have been required.

(Author is a former army man. The article first appeared on his blog)

 

[Grevion]

He is someone who likes to Rub it in to his opposition. also depends if he is speaking as a DM or as a politician...

No need to rub anything on the opposition's face, he's the DM and anything he says will be taken on the face value as long as he holds that office.

Ps- how about if someone post that article of The Hindu on the Surgical Strikes in 2011 and then see many of our Pakistani friends going bonkers over it.

 

[IndoCarib]

He won't be going anywhere for a long long time, don't blame Parrikar for selective posting of his entire speech. His speech itself was about giving credit to the army only and not the politicians...
How do people fall hook line and sinker into media hit jobs ?

Agreed. But he needs to stop his glib talk. By talking thoughtless he is giving leeway to Congress to counter attack. He needs to take lessons from Modi on how to be media savy. Modi has already warned BJP cadre not to use surgical attack for scoring browny points.

 

[YeBeWarned]

I feel Pity for Indians ..

 

[Mrc]

This fakery will continue well into next century now

 

[Hellfire]

This fakery will continue well into next century now

There is nothing "fakery". The specific operation was mentioned by me about a year back. With dates, in this very forum, look for it, you will find it.

@Star Wars it is a shame what present RM has done, a bigger shame on opposition. Stupid people and more stupid indians on TV. Such things should have not been commented upon after DGMO's statement.

GoP is doing what the strike was meant to convey. Only idiotic Indians will screw that up. Delinquents on either side of border will speak more and spoil the process of peace.

Shame

 

[coffee_cup]

Cross border operations were done several times, not only in 2011.

By BOTH countries.

Shouting with top of your voice does not give such operations a new name i.e. "surgical" strikes.

How many times has Pakistan 'taken ownership' of such cross-border attacks "to reply and repell enemy"? Any idea?

So no matter how often you will repeat a lie, it will remain a lie. Modi, Manohar, Devil, along with your media are patehtic LIARS.

Indians.....a billion of them running around like headless chickens claiming this and that and then burying their head where sun don't shine. 15 days have indeed passed but not a thread of evidence to show for the tall claims.
If you want to behave like morons, we will treat you as such.

Why are you asking for evidence?

This is not fair. If India says so, you just have to accept it.

Just like you have to accept "the fact" that Modi has 56 inches chest.

 

[Star Wars]

@Star Wars it is a shame what present RM has done, a bigger shame on opposition. Stupid people and more stupid indians on TV. Such things should have not been commented upon after DGMO's statement.

This is normal when it comes to everything in India, one should not be surprised. When such action is taken after decades of being on the receiving end, there is bound to be some over reaction. Keep note that majority of the public does not know of the local cross border raids...

I remember speaking to former retired IB few years back, when i asked him about Kashmir he told me during the late 90s, Pak had training camps somewhat close to the LoC and we would often hit it multiple times, forcing them to relocate it much deeper.

Agreed. But he needs to stop his glib talk. By talking thoughtless he is giving leeway to Congress to counter attack. He needs to take lessons from Modi on how to be media savy. Modi has already warned BJP cadre not to use surgical attack for scoring browny points.

Am i the only person who heard Parrkar talk about "Dalali" in scorpene submarine deal ?