Amid the political slugfest played by political parties in India over the surgical strikes by Indian Army on Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) terrorist training camps and Pakistan denying the same it becomes clear that more terrorist attacks are possible. Pakistan did react but hastily by using indigenous terrorists to target a joint army and BSF camp at Baramulla. Fidayeen attacks are going to be more in coming days. The Baramulla attack which left a BSF soldier dead has strengthened the suspicion that Pakistan’s response to India’s surgical strikes may come not in the form of military aggression but through more terror attacks in the Valley and other places. While claiming to have behaved responsibly by not taking military action against India’s “cross-LoC firing”, Pakistan army may use such terror strikes by LeT and JeM Jihadis to fuel the perception that Kashmir needs international attention. Its decision to take Islamabad-based foreign media to the LoC is being seen as part of this strategy. The skepticism displayed by several well-known international media houses whose representatives travelled to the LoC will most likely be seen by Islamabad as early gains in its attempts to also convince Pakistanis that Indian troops never crossed the LoC. Pakistan needs time to prepare for a concerted military response – if indeed it believes such a response is required to deter Indian forces from entering PoK – but, ironically, Islamabad’s denial of cross-LoC strikes also suits India as it precludes any military escalation in the immediate run. India has repeatedly said that it only carried out counter-terror strikes and DGMO Ranbir Singh assured his counterpart immediately after the surgical strikes that India did not intend to conduct more such raids. The army has hardly given any information about how the strikes were conducted as the Centre seems to believe that giving such details would push Islamabad into a corner where it might be tempted to take military action. What this approach does not preclude though is an Uri-like attack on an army establishment or indeed terror strikes in other parts of the country. There is no need to create a political hysteria over the surgical strike as the same was done against militants and not against Pakistan or its army like the neighbour has been doing it. Caution is needed as Pakistan is famous and notorious in its action and deed against India.
