Army Chief General Bipin Rawat spoke to the media on 24th September regarding the situation across and inside the Line of Control in the Kashmir valley. According to the Army Chief General Bipin Rawat there is way to fix Pakistan’s wrongdoings and that is conducting one more surgical strike on the launch pads of terrorists situated across the border on the Pakistani side. The Army Chief General had earlier welcomed the Indian government’s decision to call off bilateral dialogues with Pakistan, citing the reason that talks and terror cannot be allowed to exist side by side. The Indian government had on Friday called off the meeting to be held between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan scheduled to be held in New York. The Indian government had cited the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan capital Islamabad releasing postage stamps which glorified Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani as the reasons for calling off the meeting. A soldier of the Border Security Force too was shot dead and his body was disgracefully mutilated allegedly by the Pakistani armed forces.
The statements issued by Army Chief General Bipin Rawat are important considering they have come at a time when a newly appointed government is in power in Pakistan. The Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government which is in power in Pakistan had promised to take steps in improving the relations between the two nations. The promises however turned out to be hollow as the Pakistani regime did not follow up their words with actions. Insurgents and terrorists have continued to get help from across the border and Indian security agencies working in the valley have been actively working against the militants.
According to the recently released data, as many as 50 terrorists have been killed in the past two months in Jammu and Kashmir alone by Indian security agencies. 25 of these were killed in August while 28 terrorists have been gunned down till September 24th. While terrorists getting killed are a good sign, however it means that the problem of terrorism is still on the rise in the valley and the problem is unlikely to get solved soon. The Pakistan government has failed to begin a crackdown on the terrorist camps operating in the country; it is unlikely to do so in the future as well considering the Imran Khan government is actively supported by the Pakistani Army which is known to help militants and terrorists. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat is absolutely right in believing that the Indian security forces need to carry out another surgical strike across the border, the fast approaching civic and Panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir can be conducted smoothly only when there is peace in the Kashmir valley.
The second anniversary of the surgical strikes is fast approaching; the first one conducted on 29th September 2016 by personnel of the Indian security agencies was a fitting reply to the Pakistan based militant groups which had carried out the cowardly attacks on Indian camps in Uri. India was reeling under intense shock and rage after the horrendous massacre of 19 Indian soldiers in the Uri terror attacks near the LOC, Jammu & Kashmir. Pressure was intensifying on the incumbent government under PM Modi and Defense Minister, Shri Manohar Parrikar, to act quickly and act hard. The reply was fitting and had succeeded in shocking Pakistan. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat is right when he says that there is a need for another surgical strike as it seems the Pakistan government needs a reminder to bring it out of its stupor.