The 2016 surgical strikes were a successful tactical operation that conveyed a clear message to Pakistan to stop any misadventure along the Line of Control (LoC), the Army’s Northern Command Chief Lieutenant-General Ranbir Singh said on Saturday.
His comments came a day after Lieutenant-General D.S. Hooda (Retd.), who was associated with the operation, said it was natural to have an initial euphoria over the success, but the constant hype around surgical strikes was unwarranted. With hindsight, it would have been better had we had kept it a secret, he said on Friday, in Chandigarh.
On September 29, 2016, Indian Army commandos carried out surgical strikes against terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“From the military point of view, these were successful tactical operations, which conveyed a very strategic message, and the Indian Army was able to convey a very clear message to Pakistan that should they not stop any kind of misadventure along the LoC, they shall be given a befitting reply,” Lt. Gen. Singh told presspersons here on the sidelines of his visit to Sainik School, his alma mater.
The then Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO), who had announced the operation at a press conference, refused to comment on the politicisation of the surgical strikes. Lt. Gen. Singh said all actions of the Army along the LoC were carried out in a professional manner.
‘Range of options’
“Surgical strike is only one of the options through which we stop infiltration. The Armed Forces have a range of options and they are being analysed at all times, and the best course of action is put into effect,” he said. Asked about possible attempts to revive militancy in Punjab, Lt. Gen. Singh said Pakistan was trying to extend the “arc of terrorism” beyond Kashmir and the Army was taking steps to arrest the spread.
