Defence expert slams oppn for questioning armed forces integrity

Defence expert Major General (Retd.) S.R. Sinho on Wednesday said the political parties demanding proof of the surgical strikes are questioning the integrity of the Indian armed forces, adding they are in a state of panic as they are extremely aware of the fact that there is a strong leadership in the country.

Major General (Retd.) Sinho said he is ashamed of the fact that some of the leaders and some of the parties have fallen victim to such malicious propaganda of Pakistan in India.

"They are doing it because they want to gain popularity, they want to establish their party that they know also there is a strong leadership in the country and there is a strong party with a thumping majority and they cannot replace it. So, this is one way of doing things to demoralise and establish themselves and also win a positive stroke in the eyes of the Pakistan Army," Major General (Retd.) Sinho told ANI.

"Yesterday I saw that some of our leaders are being given undue importance for their suggestions that no such surgical operation was carried out. I am surprised that we have such kind of people. We had such kind of people in the past also who had tried to betray the country and their armed forces and even now they are existing," he added.

Major General (Retd.) Sinho further said it is high time the security agencies and the intelligence agencies go deep into this malice.

"This kind of publicity that these leaders have mounted in the country to investigate, why they are doing," he added.

Major General (Retd.) Sinho's response comes in wake of the government and the opposition parties locking horns over the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army with the latter demanding proof of the same from the ruling dispensation at the Centre.

The opposition has demanded that the government "call Pakistan's bluff" and give evidence of the September 29 predawn strikes after several news reports in the international media cast doubt on the same.

The government has accused the opposition of lowering the morale of the armed forces.