Last week after Pakistan resorted to ceasefire violations aimed at pushing terrorists into India that led to the death of two soldiers and one civilian in the Tangadhar sector, the Indian army retaliated employing high-calibre artillery. The Indian artillery barrage destroyed terrorist launch pads in POK located in Jura, Athmuqam and Kundalsahi. The firing also targeted Pakistan posts which were actively supporting infiltration by resorting to ceasefire violations. Multiple artillery units were involved from different sectors and caused mayhem on the Pakistani side. As per General Bipin Rawat, the Indian army chief, there were five to six Pakistani army personnel killed and possibly a similar number of terrorists.

There were also six civilian casualties. Another report from an independent source with connections to POK states that casualty figures amongst Pakistani soldiers and terrorists were much higher, with many succumbing to their injuries. Pakistan newspapers presented a different story. They claimed that India launched the strike without any provocation and that in retaliatory fire India lost nine soldiers. The Dawn newspaper’s headline read, ‘India pounds AJK villages, loses nine troops in reprisal.’ It also rejected Indian claims of destroying terrorist launchpads. Another Pakistani newspaper, News International carried a headline, ‘Modi unleashes undeclared war on Pakistan.’

It forgets Indian democracy can never hide casualties. Pakistan’s DG ISPR even posted a video on twitter displaying some soldiers carrying a white flag seeking to retrieve bodies, claiming they were Indian. Ironically, this was the incident of 15 September, when Pakistani army men carried white flags to retrieve two bodies of soldiers killed in Indian retaliatory firing. In desperation and seeking to prove that Pakistan was serious about following the FATF guidelines and was not supporting terrorist groups, the Pakistani army took a few friendly members of the diplomatic corps posted in Islamabad to Nauseri, Shahkot and Jura sectors near the LoC.

The diplomats were briefed by the Pakistan Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), who stated that the Pakistan Army follows military norms and only targets Indian posts. Pakistan was aiming to prove that its forces only target Indian army posts and there were no terrorist launchpads while the majority of casualties in the Indian firing were civilians. It ignored the dozens of Kashmiri casualties in its ceasefire violations. As part of its perception management game, DG ISPR also requested Indian officials to provide exact coordinates of terrorist launch pads so that envoys could be taken there. They also invited members of the Indian High Commission to accompany the diplomats. India neither reacted to Pakistan’s attempted propaganda game nor were part of the visit.

This was subsequently projected by Pakistan in media networks including social media to show that Indian claims were wrong and there were no launch pads. Pakistan was attempting to treat launch pads and terrorist training camps at the same level. The reality is that the two are vastly different. Training camps are partially permanent structures as they cater for terrorists residing there for some time. They also need infrastructure for training. Launch pads are not permanent structures nor are they always at the same location. They are temporary in nature and shift as per requirement. They could either be just a tent, a hut or even a disused bunker. They are occupied by terrorists at the last stage of the infiltration process and are close to the border.

These may be occupied for one or two nights at the most. They are changed regularly based on area of infiltration and to avoid detection. There are occasions when these are located close to villages to prevent them from being targeted as also to cover up the increase in population in the area as these remain under constant surveillance This happens when numbers to be infiltrated are large as was evident in this case, due to which there was collateral civilian damage. Hence, when Pakistan asked Indian authorities for exact coordinates, it was a pointless exercise as such temporary camps can be dismantled in minutes and casualties disposed of immediately as Pakistan had done in the earlier surgical and Balakote strikes. Further, accompanying the delegation would have had no value.

Thus, correctly India rejected all Pakistani provocations. In this case, reports indicated that there are about 100 terrorists ready for infiltration into India. In these camps there were the first lot of 15 to 20 terrorists. With winter around the corner and the first snowfalls having occurred, Pakistan is under pressure. Soon infiltration into the valley would become difficult. There were also reports that these terrorists were Taliban fighters who were tasked to target security personnel and train locals in militancy. These areas were monitored and the pattern of movement within them studied and analysed. Monitoring of the post-strike damage assessment employing the same sources confirmed that Pakistan rushed ambulances to remove the dead and injured.

The District Commissioner (DC) of Muzaffarabad in POK in an official statement released a list of six civilian casualties, while the DG ISPR stated there were three. DG ISPR was subsequently forced to change his figures. The DC also threatened to release army casualty details but was prevented by the Pakistani army. The Indian artillery strike was aimed at warning Pakistan that its actions are being monitored and all its attempts would be thwarted, with force if necessary. India would not be concerned about collateral casualties. The Indian action has shaken the Pakistan army and terrorists and would increase caution for some time, before they attempt infiltration again.

Indian opposition members questioned the timing of this strike, claiming such strikes before an election could impact votes. However, it is Pakistan which chooses when to infiltrate terrorists, not India. Hence, strikes coincide with Pakistani attempts. Pakistan attempted through social media and by taking friendly diplomats to places of their choosing that Indian actions were illegal. It sought to mix up training camps with launch pads only to confuse the issue. It failed as the world media ignored its attempts. Another Pakistani bid to fool the world and project its innocence failed.

(The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army)