Indian Army post attacked at LoC: What we know so far
Indian Army posts in Poonch, Tengdhar, Akhnoor and other regions have come under heavy firing from the Pakistani side, in what seems to be a coordinated attack on the armed forces. Latest reports suggest that Pakistan Border Action Team may be involved in the firing, which seems to be too prolonged to be staged by isolated Pakistan-trained militants from terror outfits.
It must be noted that only earlier this morning, a Pakistan high commission staff in New Delhi was caught with sensitive documents and accused of espionage, and declared persona non grata by India. In retaliation, Islamabad declared an Indian diplomat the same and would send him back soon.
Direct firing on multiple posts in a sustained manner raises many questions, mostly questioning the timing of the attack and the strategy that Pakistan trying to deploy in the wake of India's successful surgical strike across the Line of Control in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir on September 29.
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| Multiple posts of Indian Army have come under attack in Tenghdar, Poonch and Akhnoor regions of Kashmir. [Photo: Agencies] |
1. Is Pakistan trying to retaliate for India's surgical strike? Cross-border firing and ceasefire violations have been occurring without much of a pause along the LoC, but this seems to be a much more intense bout of aggression.
2. Is this a game of oneupmanship between the top bosses of Pakistani Army, given that current chief, General Raheel Sharif, is due to retire on November 29, and he is desperately seeking an extension to fix the tainted image brought upon by India's surgical strike? Moreover, the Inter-Services Intelligences has just witnessed a change of guard, which means it's free for all within the military-civilian rival camps within Pakistan, each trying to outdo the other in unleashing maximum damage to Indian lives, particularly its armed forces.
3. How prepared are we, given that we have already lost a string of BSF jawans in fighting terrorists and Pak Rangers, after the September 29 surgical strike? Since the attacks seem to mirror the September 29 strike coming at multiple fronts, can India keep up the defence effectively and ensure minimum casualties on our side?
4. Is this - heightened tensions wth frequent violent confrontations that are prolonged and coordinated on both sdes - the new normal between India and Pakistan? How does the government intend to deploy non-armed forces tactic to engage and dissuade Pakistan from spreading terror within India and even inside its own borders?
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