What is this hullabaloo about? The focus has shifted from the bravado of armed forces over surgical strikes and the heroics of Abinandhan to political strikes. The narrative is now being muddied in political hues and skepticism has crept in. BJP President Amit Shah triggered a controversy in Ahmedabad on Sunday putting a toll of “more than 250” terrorists in the airstrike on JEM camps in Pakistan. One begins to wonder where Shah gets his numbers from when even the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is clueless over casualties.
Political opportunism and bickering have eclipsed the moment of glory. At a time when Modi’s government is milking the Surgical Strike 2.0 to their political advantage, it is not wrong on the part of the Opposition to seek evidence of the extent of damage to terrorists. And it is no way raising questions on the capabilities of our forces. The job of the IAF was to hit the ‘target’ as stated by IAF chief B.S. Dhanoa and there is not even an iota of doubt over that. The job of counting the bodies is that of the government and that remains a grey area.
The post-mortem of strikes has begun. In the absence of credible information, there will be questions raised and the government has to be ready to face them. There have been no satellite images released, neither is there any concrete evidence to back claims on casualties. In such a scenario, it is but obvious that the Congress is going to exploit all loopholes to counter government’s claims.
The core question that is doing the rounds is how this casualty figure of 250 was arrived at? Is there any credible information to back such a figure or is the BJP firing in the air to target its political ambitions?
There can’t be a veil of secrecy over the aftermath. This is a war against terror and it gives the government of the day enough reason to go to its people proudly showcasing what it has achieved. The US released footage on its war on terror time and again. Videos of how it captured key figures like Saddam Hussain and Osama Bin Laden were in the public domain. The US proved their intent and were convincing enough. No questions asked and no foul play involved.
At the time when political undercurrents are running high, does the government expect its statements to be taken at face value? It’s not about doubting capabilities of the air force, but it’s all about questioning the intent of the government. The strikes against the enemy have ended but the battle has kicked off within.
