Warning to Pakistan

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi chose a befitting occasion — the 25th anniversary of India’s victory in the Kargil War — to warn Pakistan that Indian soldiers would foil all its attempts to perpetrate terror. Addressing a ceremony at the Kargil memorial in Dras in the presence of the military top brass, Modi said falsehood and terror were brought down to their knees by the truth in the 1999 war. He also lamented that Pakistan had not learnt any lesson from the past. His sharp remarks came amid a spate of terror attacks in the Jammu region after he took oath last month as the PM for the third time. The message sent out to Pakistan is loud and clear: Sponsor terrorism and proxy wars at your own peril. However, it seems unlikely that such tough talk would suffice to make the neighbour see reason and mend its ways.

The menace of infiltration — which had sparked off the war on the icy heights — is nowhere near being wiped out. Pakistan-trained terrorists continue to sneak in, keeping Indian security personnel on their toes round the clock. Despite its economic woes and political mess, Pakistan has no qualms about targeting India by plotting terror attacks and sending drones with payloads of drugs and arms. The onus is on India to recalibrate its counter-terror strategy in J&K or plan something similar to the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrikes.

Unfortunately, the PM struck a discordant note by raking up the frauds allegedly committed by previous governments in defence deals. He also tore into the Opposition for opposing the Agnipath scheme. With the entire nation remembering the supreme sacrifice made by 559 bravehearts, political one-upmanship should have been avoided. The Opposition has only added to the acrimony by accusing the PM of spreading lies about the contentious recruitment scheme. This slanging match can be detrimental to national security and may render the country vulnerable to a Kargil-type misadventure by Pakistan.