India’s self-imposed restraint in its approach to the terror tactics on Pakistan has been unshackled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Wednesday night the army launched multiple surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). About 200 highly-trained commandos broke up into four groups to launch midnight attacks in Kel, Lipa, Hot Spring and Bhimber. The strikes were not in isolation, but came at the end of a diplomatic effort to isolate Pakistan following a terror attack on an army unit headquarters in Uri on 18 September. New Delhi succeeded in garnering support from nations abroad and the biggest blow to Pakistan came when it traditional allies -- Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, came out in support of India following the Uri attack which claimed the lives of 18 soldiers. The isolation was complete when Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh joined India in boycotting the SAARC summit in Islamabad.
The attack marks a huge shift in India’s Pakistan policy. Till date the approach was mired with fear of how Islamabad might react to a cross-border attack although Pakistan did not think twice when launching the Kargil war in 1999. Pakistan had traditionally rattled its nuclear saber and India had traditionally backed down. All that is water under the bridge. Pakistan got away quite cheaply with waging a low-intensity battle against India by using terrorist groups and seeking to inspire disgruntled elements within the country. The message sent to Islamabad and Rawalpindi is very clear “ India will raise the costs of every misadventure by Pakistan. India is no longer afraid of the nuclear saber and has even dared Pakistan to use it. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and General Raheel Sharif have denied the attacks. They have sought to paint them as routine cross-border firing episodes in a bid to play down the embarrassment and reduce the pressure on the civilian and military leadership to retaliate. For a change, it is Pakistan that must now consider the consequences of terror attacks.
From here onwards nothing is going to be easy. Military intelligence has started picking up radio talk from terrorist groups who want the dates for retaliation to be advanced. India has so far demonstrated its diplomatic muscle in isolating Pakistan and its military capabilities. It has also kept the issue of the Indus water open forcing Islamabad to run to the World Bank. The old paradigm of having to defend well is no more. From now on, offence will be the preferred way of dealing with terrorism. The time for digging out evidence to prove Pakistan’s culpability and joint investigations is over. In delivering a decisive blow, India has taken charge of the script. The problem lies in not losing track of the script and in not doing anything foolish lest the balance tilt in favour of Pakistan. India has come out in flying colours, but must ensure that the advantage is not frittered away on a misadventure.
