On 18th September 2016, India witnessed the deadliest attack in two decades on its army troops in Kashmir. The Uri attack caught the army unaware, shook the nation and jolted the government out of its peace and talks phantom. 19 soldiers were killed in the attack, many more were injured. With this, Pakistan had waged a proxy war against India.
Quite naturally, there were voices for retaliation. Pakistan had to be taught a lesson for crossing the line and India should not let it go seemed like a common sentiment across the spectrum. The response was given when on 28th September the nation woke up to the news of the surgical strike that had been conducted on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). This was New Delhi’s response to Islamabad which was succeeded by the India led boycott of the SAARC summit that was to be held in Pakistan.
Unfortunately, the surgical strike, an incident which should have united the nation divided it across faulty party lines when Arvind Kejriwal and a few others from the Left asked for video proofs of the surgical strike. Let alone applauding the army for its valour, these were people who doubted the integrity of the Prime Minister and the army alike. It was obvious that we did not need a Maleeha Lodhi (Pakistan Ambassador to UN) to question the veracity of strikes; as unfortunate as it is, we had our own people questioning it.
Almost a year and a half later, History TV18 has come out with a documentary which recreates the dramatic events of the wee hours of 28th September 2016 for the believers and the non-believers.
Watch the Trailer of History TV18’s Documentary on Surgical Strike here:
History TV18 spoke to the people behind the planning and execution of the surgical strike. The message to be conveyed to Pakistan was that if they can land on our side and hit us, we can do it too. The History TV18 documentary gives a detailed view of the planning and preparations that went into executing the surgical strike.
According to the History TV18 Documentary – Two strike teams were created and given two different targets in North Kashmir. The movement of the troops towards the target area began in the afternoon of 27th. By 0200 hours on 28th both the strike teams had taken their positions and were ordered to strike at the first light. At 0600 hours as the sun rose, both the teams had launched India’s historic surgical strike.
They had to take the enemy by surprise and that created some difficulties. They were in areas were even their own patrol party could not see them.
All said and done, we congratulate the army on its success and for making us proud. More than that, we thank them for reminding us once again that with them guarding the borders, we are safe and protected. It is important to remember that every time we question the integrity of the army or we side with the people who they fight, we let our protectors down, a little bit, every time. Also thanks to History TV18 for providing Kejriwal with all the proof he needed, hope the fellow finds peace!
