Initiate any political step towards bringing Jammu and Kashmir to more normalcy and semblance, Pakistan gets rattled and indulges in one or the other misadventure against this country. It has been the general experience as well as the expectations from the belligerent neighbour which never wants the UT of Jammu and Kashmir to be normal as that would be the severest jolt to its rhetoric of “Kashmir issue”- its juggler vein. It is another thing that now the entire world is least bothered about what Pakistan says about Kashmir, even the UNO has more or less been according it the least importance. Only within three days of the important meeting between the entire political leadership of Jammu and Kashmir and the Prime Minister at New Delhi, Pakistan yet again indulged in a misadventure – that of launching a terror attack, first of its kind, on the IAF base at Jammu airport by employing drone technology and causing two explosions. Since these drone flying machines can fly very low but can carry explosives and some weapons too without getting noticed on the radars, a new task for the military strategists is to find a matching technological antidote to such attacks, if one is not at place . The two explosions, however, did not result in any damage to any of the aircraft or any equipment but caused damage to the building besides injuring two personnel who are undergoing treatment.
Such an attack dared to be made besides being first of its kind is also to be seen in the context of how Pakistan and active terror agencies operating from its soil with its blessings, wanted to extend its tentacles of spreading terror and bringing Jammu region also in its fold. Thus it was itching to influence international opinion that entire Jammu and Kashmir was disturbed as it wanted to leave no stone unturned in projecting that, which amply got proved with this drone attack. The target chosen too was not an ordinary target but the IAF base. Call it coincidence or whatever, that shortly after the Jammu airport attack, police recovered an IED which was to be planted in a crowded area at the behest of the Laskar-e-Toeba to ensure maximum damage. We have not to be quite satisfied that the said drone attack did not succeed in its set aim and nefarious design as it could not cause any damage except to a portion of the building but it should yet again provide to us an opportunity to brace up for and neutralise fully newer and newer forms of terror attacks in Indian areas especially nearer to borders or in and around important installations at the behest and by Pakistan itself.
How can we, as a nation, afford to believe and trust such a belligerent neighbour who on the one hand swears to maintain the sanctity on borders and fully pursue a policy of complete ceasefire and tranquillity and never go in for provocative violations while embarking upon such a novel type of misadventure against this country ? Globally, it is well taken and seen many a time, how India under different dispensations has been going overboard in offering friendship and cooperation with Pakistan only to be met with hostilities and aggression from it. After seeing that infiltration and sending arms and ammunition through conventional modes having been made virtually impossible by Indian security forces, Pakistan has been using drones and even through tunnels burrowed across some border areas for sending armed terrorists, ammunition and even drugs to this side. We should know that drone flying machines have assumed new dimensions in aerial strikes especially these being unmanned. Having come to know that its proxy war of terror in Kashmir backed by hate and indoctrinating the militants has been fast waning and militants getting killed in encounters, it smells its game having been over hence such attempts.
Let the efforts to bring in complete peace in Jammu and Kashmir be not get even slightly slackened and every effort to employing political and democratic initiatives need to be taken as an ongoing policy. That of course, will be an affront to Pakistan, its ISI and other terror groups operating from there despite sanctions by the FATF and probably there can be in utter desperation more of terror related activities for which our security system should be further strengthened. Why and how the drones succeeded this much needs to be analysed and measures taken to provide a system to pre-empt such acts, if any, in future. Why and how long should Pakistan desperately keep its terror agenda sustaining by indulging in such type of attacks which can have larger ramifications of retaliatory action against that country, is the moot question. The policy of the present government in strengthening its military power by modernising it with latest weapons etc should be revisited with bringing in more pace and teeth in the mission. Our radar system which could not trace the drones have got to be upgraded with the latest available technologies. It has to be amply noted that the characteristics of terror are explicit in changing strategies and power and the apparatus to fight it must be such that in every nefarious effort, it gets defeated beyond endurance.
We have high expectations from the DRDO going by its mission of research and innovative programme and surely must be readying to meet with the new challenges posed to the country through drones. These machines could be launched from any isolated areas and the area supposed to be covered maximum by such devices is reported to be over 14 kms and we have seen how crashed drones were spotted in some parts of Punjab last year suspected to have carried and dropped weapons and ammunition in specified areas or the incident of Rajouri where the drones had airdropped weapons in a village. What is needed is to review the existing response to terror and looking to the new dimension of drones into it , the security agencies must revamp strategies and plans to pre-empt any such attacks in future on our important and high value targets. In the meantime, security system in the entire Jammu region must be further upped to rule out any suspicious entry or exit from any part of the city.
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