Sir,
I am writing with reference to the letter ‘Politicizing surgical strikes’ DE Oct 6, 2018, by Col V Bhasin. I do endorse the feelings of a brother officer who had served Army for a long duration and might have undergone such situations in his career. Having served Defence Forces for three decades, one feels bad when operations like so called surgical strike are displayed publicly and are subjected to blatant political use. We people from the forces feel pained at the political use of these tactical moves. Game of war is not every body’s cup of tea. Military forces have to toil hard to conclude as to what tactical and strategical move will enhance the defence of our motherland from our adversaries, hence cannot be understood so easily. I am proud to refer to latest interview of Gen Rawat where to some extent he has conveyed that it is not only the Surgical Strike but many more options are available with forces to act against our adversary as per the requirement of the time. All such moves are to be kept highly secret and not to be thrown in public like 2016 surgical strike. Also the platform where this is being discussed for the mere political interest of the present central dispensation pains me more. Military forces are given to defend the boundaries of our country and they are doing it at the cost of supreme sacrifice since independence unlike political parties who come and go every five years.
One can understand the perceptional difference arising due to short and long term interests of the political parties. Military unlike political parties do not have such things to achieve. Each soldier feels pride in defending his mother land unlike politicians who get satisfaction only on formation of a Government of their party and to enhance the agenda of their party thereafter, forgetting all other promises made to the voters. I wish there would be a national Government formed jointly by all political parties in the larger interest of the nation. This cannot and will not be the case with Military forces, hence the perceptional difference arises. Therefore, the celebrations like 2nd anniversary of the surgical strikes speak low of the system and hurt the morale of the forces.
Mahesh Chander
on e-mail
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel