The Congress on Thursday said that six surgical strikes were carried out during the UPA era from 2008 to 2014. The party also revealed the dates and places of the surgical strikes undertaken during the Congress-led UPA rule.
The first surgical strike, according to Congress leader Rajiv Shukla, was carried out just months before the 26 November 2008 Mumbai terror attack. On 19 June 2008, the UPA government apparently gave the go ahead to a surgical strike in Bhattal Sector, Poonch.
The second strike was done between 30 August and 1 September 2011 at Sharda Sector, across Neelam River Valley in Kel, Shukla said at a press conference in New Delhi.
According to the Shukla, three surgical strikes were carried out in 2013 along – 6 January at Sawan Patra Checkpost, 27-28 July at Nazapir Sector and 6 August at Neelam Valley.
The sixth strike was launched on 14 January 2014, the Congress said, referring to then Army Chief General Bikram Singh’s statement qua Surgical Strike on 23 December 2013.
The Congress also provided the dates and places of surgical strikes in the Vajpayee era.
On 21 January 2000, a surgical strike was carried out at Nadala Enclave, across the Neelam River, according to the Congress. Another was executed on 18 September 2003 at Baroh Sector in Poonch.
Maulana Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed had carried out its first major terrorist attack in India on 13 December 2001 when terrorists attacked the Indian Parliament.
The Congress had earlier, too, claimed to have carried out surgical strikes. In June 2018, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala had given out the same dates and places of surgical strikes at a press conference held after the release of a video of the 2016 surgical strikes.
While praising the bravery of the forces, the party has repeatedly accused the ruling NDA government of politicising the armed forces and using their successes for electoral gains.
“Modi governement is eager to take credit for every achievement. Earlier, Hafiz Saeed was declared as the global terrorist during UPA government. Terrorists Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Haji Muhammad Ashraf were also declared as global terrorists during Congress,” Shukla said on Thursday.
He added that the Indian government has consistently worked towards declaring Masood Azhar as a global terrorist for 15 years, and the credit for getting him designated a global terrorist doesn’t belong to any one government.
In an interview to The Hindustan Times, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated that “multiple surgical strikes took place” during the UPA reign and that “forces received a free hand to respond to external threats”.
He added that unlike the NDA government, military operations during UPA were “meant for strategic deterrence and giving a befitting reply to anti-India forces than to be used for vote garnering exercises”.