It has happened again. The border action team (BAT) of the Pakistani Army ambushed and killed two Indian soldiers and then mutilated their bodies. The incident has created an outrage and put pressure on the Centre and the army to retaliate. The political pressure might not be intense but given the strong stand taken by the Centre to avenge all killings of this nature, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to come up with a plan to show that his government will not tolerate such unprovoked attacks. At the tactical level, these attacks are launched by BAT in pursuance of a strategy to dominate the Line of Control (LoC). The border with Pakistan is not a peaceful place. Artillery fire, sniping and outright attacks like the one that occurred on Monday are routine. There are good days for the Indian Army and bad ones because guarding the border is a very hazardous job. The low-intensity border war helps no one. It only results in deaths on both sides and the possibility of escalation, which is dangerous for the region. The BAT attack is part of a very provocative stance taken by Islamabad and New Delhi will have to retaliate to show that every misadventure by Pakistan will be followed by retaliation. It is the best and only reaction to a foe who refuses to see the advantage of peace.
