Letters:Expect no let-up

The “surgical strikes” carried out by the Indian Army on Pakistani terror camps along the Line of Control (LoC) seem to have had no sobering effect on the Pakistan Army’s sinister designs. If anything, incidents of ceasefire violations across the LoC have only increased, with casualties not only in the security forces but also among civilians. Children, too, are not spared by Pakistan’s intermittent shelling.

The latest instance of the use of artillery guns by the Pakistan Army makes that country’s intention clear about escalating tension with India. A befitting military response by Indian security forces is hardly any consolation, particularly for people in border areas whose daily lives take a hit.

With a number of schools being gutted in Jammu and Kashmir, the future of the children in the state should be a cause for concern for the state government as well as the Centre.

As Assembly elections are approaching in some states, the Narendra Modi government, which has assiduously built an image of being “tough and decisive”. seems loath to consider a non-military option with Pakistan for restoring peace in the region. The government does not want to be seen as being soft on Pakistan, a perception, it believes, will likely jeopardise the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s electoral prospects. 

The country should be prepared to witness more cross-border firing and even “surgical strikes” in the future.

S K Choudhury, Bengaluru
 

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