Surgical strikes: Desired result obtained, intended message conveyed, says India

The government on Thursday said that the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir last month obtained the desired results and that the intended message has been conveyed to Pakistan and the terrorists on its soil.

"Our counter-terrorism operation on September 29 was to neutralise an imminent threat of terrorists ready to be launched from across the LoC," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in his weekly media briefing here.

"The Indian Army was given a task which it carried out with surgical precision," he said.

"The desired result has been obtained. The intended message has been conveyed."

Based on credible information, the Indian Army early on the intervening night of September 28/29 carried out the surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC in which "significant casualties have been caused to the terrorists and those who are trying to support them".

This came after the September 18 cross-border terror attack on an army unit at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir in which 19 Indian soldiers lost their lives and an attack on an army camp at Baramulla on September 25 that killed a BSF trooper.

These attacks happened amid large-scale violence in Jammu and Kashmir in which around 90 lives have been lost following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8

Pakistan has denied that the surgical strikes by the Indian Army took place and demanded proof from India.

"What the government puts out or not is determined solely by national security and will continue to be so," Swarup said in his briefing.

"As we all know, it is usual to see Pakistan's reaction of denial of terrorism sponsored from its soil against its neighbours. Elimination of Osama bin Laden and Mullah Mansoor was met with similar denials. But we all know the truth," he added.

The spokesman said that 20 successful interdictions have been carried out by Indian security forces on or along LoC this year stopping infiltration attacks by dozens of terrorists and neutralising them.

"Since July 8 only, close to a dozen major terrorist attacks have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir, supported and launched from across LoC or border, including today (Thursday) in Handwara," he stated.

"Captured terrorists have told us of large number of terrorists trained and ready to be launched in terrorists camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir."

Swarup recalled the media briefing held by Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh on September 29 during which the latter said that India's intention was to maintain peace and tranquility in the region, "but we can certainly not allow the terrorists to operate across the Line of Control with impunity and attack the citizens of our country".

"On the diplomatic side, when the Pakistan High Commissioner (Abdul Basit) was called in on August 9 and later on September 21 and 27, he was clearly conveyed that we expect Pakistan to fulfill its assurances of 2004, reiterated at highest levels, not to allow territory under its control for terrorism against any country," he stated.

"You have already seen the pressure that we have brought to bear internationally on Pakistan to cease support to cross border terrorism."

In this connection, the spokesperson mentioned External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's address at the UN General Assembly session last month in which she called for Pakistan putting a stop to sponsoring terrorism.

India also pulled out of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Sumit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan's sponsoring of terrorism as the reason.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan too followed citing the same reason.

"You have all seen the statements by major countries like the US and Russia," Swarup said.

"I do not think I need to say any more."

--IANS

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