Operation Sindoor.. What it means to the Nation

Cdr Sanjeev Raman

I consider this operation a stepping stone towards India’s quest for military indigenization and display of its capability. The world witnessed it in Awe!!

The military might of Pakistan, decimated by our Armed Forces, without our fighters and men crossing the international border. Missiles did ofcourse!!.  Many experts gave given their opinion on Television. But I feel that we must believe in our Armed Forces and what has been spelled out by the DGMOs of the three services is the gospel truth.

What are the takes from this operation..

Secular India – This is the first terrorist strike by Pakistan, which endeavoured to attack the social fabric of the country, with the killing of the innocent civilians, after identifying their religious identity and in the presence of the wife and the children. The impact.. The entire country rose in unison to condemn the attack. People from all religion displayed an unforeseen display of unity towards a national cause and injustice. It united the people more instead of dividing them, as was envisaged.

Demonstrating No Sympathy – No one ever dreamed that the houses of the terrorists involved in the killing would be blown away, that too in Kashmir. We have seen  the bulldozer actions against the criminals across the country. But this was the first instance where such an action was done against the terrorists.

Cohesive action– The OGW (over ground Workers), who sympathize with the terrorists, saw decisive action against them by the government. It was not restricted to just Kashmir. It’s impact was seen across the nation be it Gujarat, Jharkhand, UP and other states.

Social impact – The spy network was also targeted. The people helping the terrorists in reconnaissance activities were not spared.

Diplomatic Impact– The entire opposition came together on this nationalist idea. There are still political opposition by few but these are understandable for the survival of their own political identity. Political parties may differ on ideologies and still do. But they never allowed any outsider to take advantage of the situation. It reflected political maturity. An all party delegation to various nations, with people from different political ideology heading it, is a true reflection of their commitment and the government faith in them.

Indus Water Treaty – The government truly believes that there are better ways to hit Pakistan without blood shed. Water is more potent weapon. Slowly but surely it will lead to mass uprising within Pakistan.

Citizens Response –  People willingly demonstrated opposition to countries supporting Pakistan. The boycott of imported goods by the traders and the cancellation of the travel plans to the supporting countries has shown people confidence in the government of the day and their support to the government.

Technology Demonstration – The world has seen what India is capable of. A remarkable display of the finest technology developed in-house by the Indians. We have moved way ahead from being a software engineer, a spiritual guru, a Yoga enthusiast and commodity market,  to being the best in military technology. It is a combination of military might, Space technology, and Cyber technology. This is a show of our strength.

Co-ordinatinated Action – The  government conceived the theaterisation of command and General Bipin Rawat put it into action. This was a display of what we can expect in future, once it matures and resources are put to collective use.

FINALLY

Military  Doctrine. Post Uri attack, we did limited action on Launch Pads. Post Pattankot attack, We did Balakot. Just one attack. The government mentioned that terrorist and terrorist supporters will not be spared. This time, it was deadly. 09 terrorist camps and their sympathizers were demolished.  What next.. The government has said.. “ We will now not distinguish the terrorist, its sympathizers and the government supporting it as separate.” Does it mean that next time the individuals in government, be it military, will also not be spared? Well!! We must leave it to the wisdom of the Honourable Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi. He is more capable to decide than any of us. All we need to do is.. “ Believe in him and in our Armed Forces”

Jai Hind

(Author is a retired Naval Commander and Secretary Jamshedpur Citizens Forum. Views are personal.)