India’s army chief hurls more sinister threats

General Bipin Rawat says ‘surgical strikes’ were meant to send out a message to Pakistan

Days after assuming charge as the army chief, General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday said that India will not ‘shy away from conducting more surgical strikes if needed’.

In an interview to NDTV, the newly appointed army chief said that the ‘surgical strikes’ were meant to send out a message to Pakistan.

“If there are terrorist bases across and if they continue to disrupt the situation on our side of the LoC, then we have a right to take action against the terrorists, who are being supported from across by the adversary,” he added.

He further said that the surgical strikes were more of messaging. “It was a message that needed to be communicated,” Gen Rawat said.

India claimed to have carried out surgical strikes along the LoC with Pakistan in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to thwart a series of attacks being planned against major cities. The claim has been dismissed by the Pakistani authorities.

The Indian army chief further hinted at formulating new strategies to respond to ‘militants’ across the border. “The demonstration of the surgical strike was just one such means. We are working on other such methodologies,” Gen Rawat added.

The development came two days after Gen Rawat said India’s armed forces would not “shy away from flexing its muscles, if need be”.

Rawat recently took over as the new chief of army staff from General Dalbir Singh Suhag as the head of the 1.3 million strong force.

He has served in the insurgency-hit northern states and along the border with China.

The new chief was handpicked for the top job over two senior officers, a rare decision for the Indian army which follows seniority in appointments.

Pakistan and India have been at loggerheads since the killing of a populist rebel leader Burhan Wani by the occupied forces in the valley on July 8.

India also accuses Pakistan of being involved in an attack on an army base in Uri on September 18, in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed. Islamabad has denied the charge, which Delhi levelled without any substantial investigation or evidence.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2017.