As India began celebrating the second anniversary of the surgical strikes, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh hinted at another similar strike stating that “something has happened” in reaction to the killing of a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan along the Line of Control (LoC) by Pakistan troops.
Speaking at the unveiling of Bhagat Singh’s statue in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar on the occasion of the freedom fighter’s 111th birth anniversary, Singh said that he will not disclose what exactly has happened but stressed that it happened 2-3 days ago.
“Kuchh hua hai, main bataunga nahin. Theek thaak hua hai. Vishwas rakhna theek thaak hua hai, do teen din pehle. Aur aage bhi dekhiyega kya hoga. (Something has happened, I won’t disclose it now. It has happened well. Trust me, something big has happened well two-three days ago. And you will also see what happens in future.)” Singh said.
“Maine apne Border Security Force ke jawanon ko kaha tha, padosi hai, pehli goli matt chalana, lekin ek bhi goli agar udhar se chal jaati hai to phir apni goliyon ko matt gin-na. (I told our BSF soldiers that they (Pakistan) are our neighbour, do not shoot first but if they (Pakistan) shoot even a single bullet first, then, do not count our bullets),” he added referring to the killing and mutilation of BSF jawan Narendra Singh near the International Border in Jammu-Kashmir.
The Home Minister’s comments sparked speculation that the Indian troops may have conducted another surgical strike across the border in the same manner in which special forces of the Indian Army successfully destroyed terrorist camps across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on 29 September 2016.
The surgical strike was carried out in retaliation of the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian Army personnel were killed by Pak-sponsored terrorists.
A few days ago, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said that the time was ripe for another surgical strike. Speaking to India Today, the General said, “I believe there is a need for one more action (surgical strike). But I would not want to disclose how we want to do it.”
On 27 September, the government released a video clip of the 29 September 2016 surgical strike shot from unmanned aerial vehicles using thermal imaging.