No soft options, only hard choices
This is easily the worst single attack in Jammu and Kashmir since the Pakistanbacked separatist campaign began in 1989.
It is also the worst attack by militants after the strike on the Uri Army camp on September 18, 2016, left 19 soldiers dead -- forcing New Delhi to launch 'surgical strikes' on terrorist camps in Pakistan. The impact of Thursday’s attack is far greater and the scale far larger.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in condemning the horror. "The attack ... is despicable. I strongly condemn this dastardly attack. The sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain,’’ he tweeted.Brave words, but the nation will be looking at more tangible action on the ground in an election year, said political observers. The ‘halo’ around the surgical strike has diminished somewhat with the long-term gains of the military action being questioned by the Congress party.
The Modi government will have to do more than they have done thus far, and diplomatic isolation of the neighbouring country and snapping of people-to-people ties will not carry weight with the masses. Their patience with the neighbouring country is wearing thin. A part of the problem is that Jammu and Kashmir is under Central rule; so no accusing fingers can be pointed at the PDP. Also, with the snow melting in the higher reaches, the clear and persistent danger posed by infiltrators will become even more acute in the summer months in the run-up to the general election. At the moment, the govt is giving a calibrated response: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was to visit Bihar on Friday, is going to Srinagar instead. PM Modi has rushed from Uttarakhand. Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, too, has cut short his visit to Bhutan to dash to Srinagar. The Cabinet Committee on Security is meeting in the morning on Friday to take a call on further action.
“Today's dastardly attack ... is extremely painful and disturbing. I bow before each and every CRPF jawan who has sacrificed his life in the service to the nation," Rajnath Singh said. But he seems to be underestimating the anger of the masses when the body bags arrive from Kashmir. The ‘martyrdom’ of the jawans could become a more potent political weapon in the hands of the Oppn than the govt realises. The JeM terror group, which has claimed responsibility for the attack, is Pak based. This will also be Imran Khan’s first challenge; thus far, he has got away by making conciliatory noises on Kartarpur etc.