Now, Islamabad will have to decide on next move
will cause some global disquiet but as was the case with Kargil in 1999 — this will be seen for the red-herring it is when Pakistan’s core national interests are not threatened in any manner Unless of course, Rawalpindi chooses to so describe the groups that engage in terror against India. The wriggle room for Rawalpindi and the deep-state is shrinking.
And the domestic political message is clear. After this sur gical strike, for now at least Narendra Modi emerges as a leader who is indeed committed to defend India’s security inter ests — come what may. This is the firm action that was promised during his election campaign and his core team has delivered.
Without falling into the trap of post-event clairvoyance, it may be conjectured that the PM’S Kozhikode speech and that of the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at the UN General Assembly had a sub-text that elliptically con veyed this political resolve of the Bjp-led NDA government To me this sub-text was that on national security matters, the Modi government will not be the Congress with a cow!
However, what needs to be tracked now is the response from Pakistan and the trajec tory that the post-surgical strike days will follow.