Worried by Myanmar’s objections to the public accounts of the anti-terror operations against Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) militants, the Union government backtracked on assertions that the Army went on a “hot pursuit” in the territory of the neighbouring country.
The Centre made this clear even as the news agency PTI reported that a security alert had been sounded across the northeast after reports that militants had entered India for revenge attacks.
Sources told The Hindu that the Myanmar government had conveyed its displeasure over statements from New Delhi about crossing into the neighbour’s territory to carry out an early-morning raid on terror camps, and Indian Ambassador to Yangon Gautam Mukhopadhyaya was given a tough message during meetings with the authorities on Wednesday.
At a seminar in Delhi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar refused to answer questions, saying only that the operations had been carried out “along the India-Myanmar border”.
The claims have sparked strong reactions from Pakistan, whose Army chief warned India against “all forms of aggression”, which Mr. Parrikar dismissed as reactions of those who “fear India’s new posture”.
While the counter-terror operations were negotiated carefully by diplomats over the past few days, following the killing of 18 Army personnel in an ambush in Manipur, any indication that the Myanmar government allowed Indian soldiers into its territory would contravene its Constitution.
A Facebook update by Myanmar President Thein Sein’s office denied that any Indian soldiers had crossed into Myanmar, while on its main website, the Foreign Ministry carried an excerpt from its Constitution (Chapter 1, Article 41&42) saying, “No foreign troops shall be permitted to be deployed in the territory of the Union”.
Asking not to be identified, a journalist based in Yangon said the junta was worried about criticism in the wake of statements from India giving details of the operations, carried out by a 70-member commando team.
Govt. tones down rhetoric
Two Union Ministers, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Prakash Javadekar, on Tuesday had given statements on the message sent by the “hot pursuit” of militants into Myanmar.
“This is a lesson and a message to all the terror groups that India will not hesitate in going beyond its geographical borders to eliminate terrorists,” Mr. Javadekar said, while Mr. Rathore said the “message” was for other countries too. “Pakistan is not Myanmar,” had retorted Pakistani Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan.
On Thursday, however the government took a more muted position. Both Mr. Rathore and Mr. Javadekar were not available for comment on the issue, but Lieutenant General Subrata Saha, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Army's 15 Corps was quoted by NDTV as saying that the Myanmar operations could not be replicated on the border with Pakistan.
The government also came in for some criticism from former officers for divulging details of the operations, even as they claimed to be planning future operations in the border region, and NSA Ajit Doval is expected to lead negotiations on them in Yangon shortly.
“The operation on the NSCN succeeded because it was done in perfect secrecy,” said E.N. Ramamohan, former DG-BSF and security adviser to the Manipur Governor, adding, “But they have spoilt ongoing operations through lack of secrecy thereafter. The Army should have been given credit, not the political leadership.”
Former Governor of Manipur, Mizoram and Jhakhand Ved Marwah, who commended the Army operations in tough terrain told The Hindu, “Operational details must not be revealed to score political points.”
‘Insurgents have lost credibility’
To questions on the fallout of the operation, senior Army officials said since several of the insurgent groups have now lost credibility after the raid by the Army, they would “try new tactics to establish their presence” and cautioned against increased infiltration and attacks in the region.
Therefore they said such raids were required “to keep up the pressure on the insurgent groups, boost morale of the soldiers” and also convey the message that “we have the political and military means to act when necessary.”
