While the rest of the nation slumbered on sluggish Sunday, a gruesome battle manifested for the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri sector. Already reeling under twenty-six years incessant cross-border terrorism and insurgency, originating from the sinister complots of our western neighbour, the Army brigade’s Artillery Headquarters at Baramulla became the latest target of yet another fedayeen terror attack, in which eighteen gallant soldiers attained martyrdom.
Fifteen of these martyrs belonged to the revered Bihar regiment.
Even though this is the first major strike on an Army installation in Baramulla in two years, the Uri sector remains notorious for being categorised as a hotbed of militancy in Kashmir. The modus operandi followed is reminiscent of the Pathankot Airbase attack earlier in the year. In a similar pattern and methodology, taking cover under the thick foliage, Mujahideen fighters armed to the teeth, heaved over the 10-feet perimeter wall in the wee hours, to trespass inside the premises.
Then, in an archetypal display, the barbarians hurled 17 grenades before opening indiscriminate firing on unarmed sleeping Army men. Apparently, during the 48-hours prior to the monstrosity, the fact that 12 infiltration bids into the Indian side were foiled, ought to have served as an ominous harbinger for initiating necessary preparedness to preclude the catastrophe. Eventually, paramilitary commandos called in to regain control and thereby salvage the situation effectuated their task to the tee.
But by then, the damage had been inflicted.
Hence, the urgency of fixing accountability and responsibility is paramount for averting any recurrence of such lapses. A good place to begin the investigations could be focusing on the abject lack of intelligence inputs or the stark delay in deciphering them, which has erroneously left us in the lurch, again.
As Pakistan tactically realigns its strategy to suit contemporary times, the last few years have witnessed repeated assaults on Army installations. Sadly, despite this awareness, our security establishments are caught off-guard and unwary.
Meanwhile, the vexation brewing within billion Indians is gradually mutating into an outrage. Public outcry is spewing onto the streets demanding vengeance.
In order, to comprehend the predicament of the Modi government and perceive the gravity of the conundrum faced by it, we need to juxtaposition the current situation along with a backdrop of events that happened 27-months back in time.
Hitherto, every time such a heinous attack took place under the UPA regime, opposition parties headed by the BJP usurped the issue and hopped onto the Manmohan Singh bashing bandwagon. Innumerable aspersions were cast on his abilities and probably, deservedly so.
Soon, insinuations got extended to name-calling (Maun-Mohan Singh!), and then graduating to a strategized denunciation campaign against the mild-mannered but muted economist. Later, the Congress top brass reciprocated in more than equal measure, by unfurling a vilification crusade, which often transgressed into character assassination of the now incumbent Prime Minister.
Then, in an archetypal display, the barbarians hurled 17 grenades before opening indiscriminate firing on unarmed sleeping Army men. Apparently, during the 48-hours prior to the monstrosity, the fact that 12 infiltration bids into the Indian side were foiled, ought to have served as an ominous harbinger for initiating necessary preparedness to preclude the catastrophe. Eventually, paramilitary commandos called in to regain control and thereby salvage the situation effectuated their task to the tee.
But by then, the damage had been inflicted.
Hence, the urgency of fixing accountability and responsibility is paramount for averting any recurrence of such lapses. A good place to begin the investigations could be focusing on the abject lack of intelligence inputs or the stark delay in deciphering them, which has erroneously left us in the lurch, again.
As Pakistan tactically realigns its strategy to suit contemporary times, the last few years have witnessed repeated assaults on Army installations. Sadly, despite this awareness, our security establishments are caught off-guard and unwary.
Meanwhile, the vexation brewing within billion Indians is gradually mutating into an outrage. Public outcry is spewing onto the streets demanding vengeance.
Hitherto, every time such a heinous attack took place under the UPA regime, opposition parties headed by the BJP usurped the issue and hopped onto the Manmohan Singh bashing bandwagon. Innumerable aspersions were cast on his abilities and probably, deservedly so.
Soon, insinuations got extended to name-calling (Maun-Mohan Singh!), and then graduating to a strategized denunciation campaign against the mild-mannered but muted economist. Later, the Congress top brass reciprocated in more than equal measure, by unfurling a vilification crusade, which often transgressed into character assassination of the now incumbent Prime Minister.
So, as an alternative, a bold hypothesis in terms of a proposition was propagandised, suggesting an eye-for-an-eye indoctrination to teach Pakistan a lesson in its own medicine, once Bhartiya Janta Party attained to the echelons of power. Renowned advertising Guru's and marketing honchos brainstormed to formulate an unprecedented crusade, making proclamations about the visionary plans. Innovative manoeuvres were used to circulate the vision, through mediums of mass communication, hoping to permeate impressionable Indian minds yearning for a change.
And they sure did.
A personality cult got successfully carved out of by eulogising individuals and projecting a larger than life image, to create a persona of flawless invincibility. Amidst the dwindling hope of despondency and haplessness of despair, culminated together to herald in a new era, in which Narender Modi got anointed as the 14th Prime Minister of the Republic surging over an unforeseen wave of transitional change.
And they sure did.
A personality cult got successfully carved out of by eulogising individuals and projecting a larger than life image, to create a persona of flawless invincibility. Amidst the dwindling hope of despondency and haplessness of despair, culminated together to herald in a new era, in which Narender Modi got anointed as the 14th Prime Minister of the Republic surging over an unforeseen wave of transitional change.
Remember the rancorous speeches, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, wherein Narender Modi unleashed a blitzkrieg of close to 430 election rallies (an accomplishment in itself!)? Infused with criticisms for the decadal misrule of their predecessor, some stern warnings, some oblique innuendoes, and some eyeballing forewarning to the nefariousness of Pakistan, they managed to galvanise the fervent patriotism in all.
However, statistics with him at the helm of affairs, narrate an altogether different saga, which is a sharp contrast to the boastful bragging and hyped claims. On July 16, 2016, the Defence Minister made a statement in Rajya Sabha, mentioning that the period between March and mid-July, saw Pakistan audaciously violate the ceasefire 16 times. We won't dare to compile and tabulate the entire data for the ongoing Lok Sabha term.
In the period between January 2015 and June 2016, over 200 people have been killed in the valley, including 60 security personnel and 108 terrorists. Rest assured, this figure will perpetually keep swelling by the day. Even going by a conservative State Government estimate, each year, anywhere between 40-100 Army jawans sacrifice their lives in the line of duty, metamorphosing the pristine valley into a hell hole of infernal fires for our valiant soldiers.
However, statistics with him at the helm of affairs, narrate an altogether different saga, which is a sharp contrast to the boastful bragging and hyped claims. On July 16, 2016, the Defence Minister made a statement in Rajya Sabha, mentioning that the period between March and mid-July, saw Pakistan audaciously violate the ceasefire 16 times. We won't dare to compile and tabulate the entire data for the ongoing Lok Sabha term.
In the period between January 2015 and June 2016, over 200 people have been killed in the valley, including 60 security personnel and 108 terrorists. Rest assured, this figure will perpetually keep swelling by the day. Even going by a conservative State Government estimate, each year, anywhere between 40-100 Army jawans sacrifice their lives in the line of duty, metamorphosing the pristine valley into a hell hole of infernal fires for our valiant soldiers.
Soldiers continue to perish, and families, are losing out on their reason to live. Apparently, the argument of giving a ‘freehand’ to the Indian Army, no longer holds water.
Truly, all existence is far from perfection.
It is a timeless journey of acquired learning, continual improvisation, and timely adaptation for relevance that keeps any Government synchronised with the prevailing circumstances and ground realities.
And truth has a penchant for singing tunes, which are often anonymous to the blissfully ignorant. Undeniably, the battleground of combat transpiring on our motherland is the bitter truth.
It is a timeless journey of acquired learning, continual improvisation, and timely adaptation for relevance that keeps any Government synchronised with the prevailing circumstances and ground realities.
And truth has a penchant for singing tunes, which are often anonymous to the blissfully ignorant. Undeniably, the battleground of combat transpiring on our motherland is the bitter truth.
Resultantly, countless men sacrificed themselves on our own soil, rather than confronting the aggressor on its territory. Sadly, the military tactics and strategic posturing, in their entirety suggest that our approach, essentially, is one of defensive retaliation. Without a doubt, it defeats the very purpose of ushering in a transition at the saddle of authority.
And surely, it doesn’t take an Einstein to arrive at such a conclusion. Post Independence, most successive Governments at the centre have imbibed of what is referred to as ‘the Nehruvian ideology’, in all spheres of executive governance, including diplomacy. Evidently, the present dispensation under the aegis of a strong-minded Prime Minister has aimlessly meandered, and in due course, reverted to the continuance of that policy, much to the bewilderment of BJP’s staunch loyalists.
Detailed evaluation and factual analysis of the Modi government's Pakistan policy reveals a story of utter confusion and the glaring paucity of coherence, leading to numerous volte-faces in perspectives, backtracking of standpoints, and somersaults in outlooks. Relations between with Pakistan in recent times have endured dizzying fickleness, where sometimes talks get cancelled, and on other instances, sudden thawing occurs to unravel a short period of cordiality.
On 25th of December 2015, risking censure, the Prime Minister of India in a phenomenal departure from protocol, gave bureaucracy the spooks by making an unplanned stopover at his counterpart's Lahore residence, hoping for a Christmas of harmony for the two nations, perennially at loggerheads.
The adage - old habits die hard, can be readily ascribed to the nefariousness of Pakistan for bringing everything back to square one, in a state of delirium.
Detailed evaluation and factual analysis of the Modi government's Pakistan policy reveals a story of utter confusion and the glaring paucity of coherence, leading to numerous volte-faces in perspectives, backtracking of standpoints, and somersaults in outlooks. Relations between with Pakistan in recent times have endured dizzying fickleness, where sometimes talks get cancelled, and on other instances, sudden thawing occurs to unravel a short period of cordiality.
On 25th of December 2015, risking censure, the Prime Minister of India in a phenomenal departure from protocol, gave bureaucracy the spooks by making an unplanned stopover at his counterpart's Lahore residence, hoping for a Christmas of harmony for the two nations, perennially at loggerheads.
The adage - old habits die hard, can be readily ascribed to the nefariousness of Pakistan for bringing everything back to square one, in a state of delirium.
By evading the ever-present, and yet, the endmost option for the art of statecraft in India, in crossing over the Line-of-Control in the quest to obliterate the terror infrastructure functioning inside Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (POK), entailing the 50-odd terror camps and modules operating from its land, which not merely act as training facilities, but launch-pads for insurgents in their proxy war game plan, the Modi Government, perhaps, missed a trick.
Maybe, the recent invasions orchestrated by the Mujahideen terror groups with roots in Pakistan could have been utilised as a justification to undertake a military hot-pursuit within areas of POK, namely Muzaffarabad, Mansehra, Pir Chinasi, and Manchmal to cite a few, whereby reinforcing India’s dominion in the South Asia.
Consequently, it would achieve a two-fold objective - Firstly, conveying a message of uncompromising severity to those harbouring sinister designs towards India. Secondly, safeguard national security and fortify our ascendancy in the region, for generations to come.
In the aftermath, of the horrendous massacre in November 2015 killing 130 people, owing to a simultaneous gunman-suicide bombings at public places in Paris, a day later, France targeted the ISIS bastion in Raqqa province of Syria as payback.
Certainly, the time for offering an olive branch has become increasingly irrelevant. Giving leeway to Pakistan and aspiring to negotiate the non-negotiable, is a redundant concept. Back channel talks or track-2 diplomacy will no longer suffice.
Palpable action has to replace empty rhetorical words. With overwhelming predominance in conventional warfare being an acknowledged certitude, its advantage India from the beginning.
The political heavy-weights - Rajnath Singh and Manohar Parrikar, heading the pivotal
Whatever awaits India in the future, it appears that the grave concerns of terrorism, extremism, fanaticism, and the Wahabism of rationality shall impede it’s accession to the pinnacle of greatness. In that endeavour, emancipating from the established notions, beliefs, reasoning, logic, and fixated responses conditioned by the burdens of the past becomes exigent.
In a rapidly evolving scenario, caused by far-reaching events that concern matters of national security and interest, acting on time is of the paramount essence. Ideally, smaller the gap between assurances and claims verbalised in speeches promising the Moon, better the actual well-being of citizens subsisting in that country.
In a rapidly evolving scenario, caused by far-reaching events that concern matters of national security and interest, acting on time is of the paramount essence. Ideally, smaller the gap between assurances and claims verbalised in speeches promising the Moon, better the actual well-being of citizens subsisting in that country.
After all, countries can't be governed through Twitter handles or by Facebook posts.
And for Narender Damodar Das Modi, the upcoming fortnight will define the dynamics of his political career. Depending on the extent of his ability to exhibit nerve and pave the way for a paradigm shift, in the manner, India copes with its geopolitical foe or continues to ignore enraged passions by resigning to fate in docility, shall determine if at all, he returns for a second term in 2019.
Know that this Land of piety is a birthplace of Saints that are forged with the same resolve as selfless warriors. The moment of reckoning has dawned upon us an opportunity to stand up and be counted. By grasping it, we could engrave an unwritten history on the sands of time. Or, watch it slide by, due to the passivity of our indecisiveness, and whereby, letting our motherland weep tears of blood.
And for Narender Damodar Das Modi, the upcoming fortnight will define the dynamics of his political career. Depending on the extent of his ability to exhibit nerve and pave the way for a paradigm shift, in the manner, India copes with its geopolitical foe or continues to ignore enraged passions by resigning to fate in docility, shall determine if at all, he returns for a second term in 2019.
Know that this Land of piety is a birthplace of Saints that are forged with the same resolve as selfless warriors. The moment of reckoning has dawned upon us an opportunity to stand up and be counted. By grasping it, we could engrave an unwritten history on the sands of time. Or, watch it slide by, due to the passivity of our indecisiveness, and whereby, letting our motherland weep tears of blood.
