TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024
Recently, a UK-based daily newspaper, The Guardian, claimed that the Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil, quoting Indian and Pakistani intelligence operatives.
The claims relate to almost 20 killings since 2020, carried out by unknown gunmen in Pakistan. The allegations also suggested that Sikh separatists in the Khalistan movement were targeted as part of these Indian foreign operations, both in Pakistan and the West.
However, the Ministry of External Affairs has vehemently rejected the claims made by The Guardian in its report. Denying the allegations, the Ministry of External Affairs called it a “false and malicious anti-India propaganda”.
At the same time, The Guardian also refers to PM Modi’s 2019 Lok Sabha Election speech doing rounds on social media, in which PM Modi had slammed Pakistan for its continuous cross-border terrorism and said, “Hum Ghar me Gush ke Marenge” (We will enter Pakistan to eliminate terrorists). This statement is being now seen as corroborative evidence to the claims made by The Guardian. If this was not enough, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated the same statement in an interview with a private television news outlet, where he said that India will enter Pakistan to kill anyone who escapes over the border after trying to carry out terrorist activities in the country. He went on to say that India always wants to maintain good relations with its neighbouring countries, but if anyone comes to India and tries to promote terrorist activities, they will not be spared.
Relations between India and Pakistan have worsened since a 2019 suicide bombing of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama which was traced to Pakistan-based terrorists, leading India to carry out an airstrike on a terrorist base in Pakistan.
Pakistan said earlier this year it had credible evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of two of its citizens on its soil. India said it was “false and malicious” propaganda. Canada and the US too have accused India of killing or attempting to kill Khalistani terrorists in those countries. Canada said in September that it was pursuing “credible allegations” linking India to the death of a Sikh separatist leader shot dead in June, claims that India said were “absurd and motivated”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India will investigate any information it receives on the matter. But who will believe us that we are not involved in these covert operations, when our top leaders make such divergent remarks on public platforms?
Also, these types of comments are detrimental to national security. In military tactics, it is popularly believed that element of surprise has a key role to play in attaining victory during a conflict situation. Surprise is the consequence of shock and confusion induced by taking an action that would be least expected by the enemy. This surprise element is also combined with speed, by being present at a targeted location before the enemy and thus seizing the initiative. But such public announcements of intended military action will nullify this advantage.
On the theory of war, there are some basic ingredients, which if followed, increases the chances of success. One of the most important of all these is maintenance of surprise.
Surprise is mainly of two types: strategic and tactical. While strategic surprise dwells upon national level, the tactical surprise is restricted to heater or region level where the battle is being fought. While tactical surprise has a limited value in terms of applicability, span of time, dissemination and effect on enemy preparedness, the strategic surprise effects on enemy’s overall preparedness and counter application. Tactical surprise is generated from the ground ‘zero’ level, whereas strategic surprise is generated at national level. Utterances of Prime Minister, Defence Minister, other cabinet ministers, Chief of Defense staff etc.
While with present all-round technological, artificial Intelligence (AI) and surveillance, troop movement, developments of various arms and equipment may not be possible to be kept secret any longer, surprise elements of their applications specially at strategic level can be and should be kept secret as long as possible to keep enemy guessing. It lies more or less at the foundation level of all undertakings for without it, the preponderance at the decisive level is not properly conceivable. The surprise is, therefore, not only the means to the attainment of numerical superiority; but it is also to be regarded as a substantive principle in itself, on account of more effect.
Keeping one's own intention regarding matters of national security or future plan within the house will do immense good. We keep on openly discussing or announcing many futuristic doctrinal or strategic issues, which should be best kept within ourselves and applied whenever needed.
It is well understood that in democratic countries certain information is to be shared with the public for political mileage but, as far as it is possible, it may be properly veiled so as not to make it very obvious.
