Army gives proof of surgical strikes

NEW DELHI: It’s now the Prime Minister’s call whether or not to make public the video footage purported to have been shot of the surgical strikes India carried out across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Army has handed over to the government, video clips of the operation, Hansraj Ahir, a junior minister in the Ministry of Home Affairs, disclosed on

Wednesday.

While the submission was as per protocol on such matters, a senior defence source said the Army has communicated its view to the government that putting out footage of a covert Army op is militarily not wise. But then the government has been under pressure from the Opposition — the Congress mainly and

Arvind Kejriwal in particular — which wants the footage revealed to nail Pakistan’s contention that some regular cross-border fire was being passed off as a high-octane operation. Doubting Thomases like Sanjay Nirupam have even gone to the extent of saying the surgical strikes are fake. Official sources said the multiple surgical strikes, which lasted for four hours on September 29, were filmed by drones and helmet-mounted cameras carried by the Special Forces commandos. Seven terror launch pads were targeted and over 35 militants were believed to have been killed in the operation. Ahir said there is a process for putting such issues in perspective, which was duly followed by the Army as well as the government. “The PM will now take a decision whether to release the video.”  Significantly, Ahir’s colleague in the ministry, Kiren Rijiju, said everyone should have faith in the government and allow the Army to take its own call.

With the ball now in his court, the Prime Minister is understood to have cautioned his Cabinet colleagues against whipping up hysteria over the military action. During Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, sources said, he told his colleagues that only authorised people should speak on the issue.