SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY
PANJIM: By hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan from Indian territory using high-precision long-range weapons, Operation Sindoor has signalled Indian military’s growing technological prowess and its ability to strike deep inside enemy territory with minimal collateral damage, said defence experts based in Goa.
After crossing the Line of Control (LoC) twice to avenge the terrorist attacks in Uri (2016) and Pulwama (2019), Pakistan was perhaps waiting for another similar action from India. But instead of crossing the LoC for the third time, India avenged the Pahalgam terror attacks using the SCALP cruise missile, the HAMMER precision-guided bomb, and loitering munitions — showing our precision-strike capabilities.
“In response to Uri and Pulwama terror attacks, although we breached the LoC, it did not establish deterrence because Pakistan has continued with cross-border terrorism. So deterrence was not established. With this operation, we have sent a message that technologically we have now reached the stage where we can engage the enemy from standoff range (designated safe distance from an explosive device or hazardous area to minimise the risk of injury to soldiers). Pakistan will be worried now,” Admiral Arun Prakash said.
He said that the ball was in the Pakistan army’s court. It could either accept that India had outsmarted them and it was time to shut the terror tap or continue to face the music for every future misadventure.
“Pakistan is in crisis. Already their economy is in a shambles, the security situation is worsening and on top of that, India has already taken punitive action before by suspending the Indus Water Treaty. The army is increasingly becoming unpopular. In this situation if it chooses to climb the escalation ladder by attacking India, then its troubles will further mount,” the former navy chief said.
Colonel (retd) Balakrishna Shirodkar, an Armoured Engineer, who fought the militants in the Northeast while serving the Assam Rifles and also fought in the Kargil conflict, said that such a strong reply was required.
“The weapons, the place and time were of our choosing. But we attacked our enemy without crossing the LoC. The attack carried out was very precise. Hence, we could maintain the element of surprise for the third time,” Colonel Shirodkar said.
He added that this was also a diplomatic victory for India as none of its allies reacted adversely to the operation. This also shows the growing isolation of Pakistan, especially after the heinous killings of innocent civilians in Pahalgam by terrorists,” he said.
1999 Kargil conflict veteran, Lt Col (retd) Austin Collaco said that by precise bombing of terror camps inside Pakistan, India’s message was very clear. It didn’t intend to escalate the volatile situation.
“Our message to Pakistan is very clear. We won’t let anyone use their soil for terrorism against India. But at the same time, by not attacking any military or civilian installation, we have strongly signalled that we don't want to escalate the situation. So, it’s for the Pakistan army to decide whether it wants to heed to our message by acting against terror groups or continue to earn our wrath by supporting the proxy war in Kashmir,” Lt Col Collaco said.
However, knowing that Pakistan is ruled by the military, which thrives on anti-India sentiments, will not sit quietly and will retaliate. So what are our options?
Lt Col (retd) Mrinal Kumar Gupta Ray, 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war veteran, said that India’s intention was to punish the perpetrators of the barbaric killings in Pahalgam. But knowing conducting such a strike once won’t be enough.
“Pakistan will retaliate and the army won’t sit quietly. Since we have demonstrated our ability to strike deep inside enemy territory with high precision and without causing collateral damage, such action should be repeated at regular intervals for eliminating the entire terror network inside Pakistan. This action could also embolden Pakistan’s nemeses like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This will further help our cause,” Lt Col Gupta Ray said.