DNA Edit: Pak Army back to its old tricks of double speak

The duplicitous nature of the Pakistan Army is no secret to the Indian security forces and once again they displayed it on Monday.

After pleading with the BSF to stop heavy retaliatory firing across the International Border (IB) on Sunday and promising to hold their fire, the Pakistani Rangers almost immediately broke their word. Mortar shells were fired at several border outposts in Jammu and Kashmir’s Arnia sector, showing that Pakistan was determined to ensure that unrest continues in J&K.

This was after PM Modi had visited J&K to provide a ‘healing touch’ to Kashmiris. But while Indians may be dismayed by the duplicity of Pakistanis, they will be encouraged by the aggressive showing of our soldiers.

The BSF released a 19-second thermal-imagery footage, showing the destruction of a Pakistani picket across the border. Also, the fact that a Pakistani Ranger was killed during the BSF firing showed Pakistan once again that India was prepared to fight to maintain peace and the Centre’s announcement of a ceasefire in anti-terror operations did not mean that India was a ‘soft state’.

This message, which had been conveyed to the Pakistan Army ever since PM Modi ordered the ‘surgical strikes’ in 2016, remains true even today. Pakistan’s military has been on the defensive now in recent times. Apart from the ‘bloody nose’ given to them by the Indian security forces, the military received a major embarrassment when international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticised them for blocking circulation of the Dawn newspaper in many parts of Pakistan.

This was after the newspaper had published an interview with former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, who had admitted that Pakistani terrorists were involved in the Mumbai attack.